The Truth About Alcohol and Your Diet

What you really need to know about alcohol and your diet:

Alcohol Does Have Calories

It has about 7.5 calories per gram. That is compared to 4 Cals/gram for carbohydrates and proteins and 9 Cals/gram for fats. For example: 1 1/2 oz (a shot) of 80 proof liquor has 100 calories. The average beer has about 150 calories (not counting “light” beers).

Effects That May Surprise You

We all know that alcohol can cause blurry vision, impaired judgement, birth defects and emotional changes, but alcoholcan also increase heart rate and double vision. Raised aggression as well as increasing depression.

Health Risks:

• Fatty liver: when too much alcohol is consumed for the liver to convert NADH (a compound are body can burn for energy) then the liver starts storing
• Fibrosis of the liver: scaring caused by to many alcohol derivatives floating in the liver. These cause fibrous scars that are dysfunctional.
• Cirrhosis of the liver: This is extreme dysfunction of the liver caused by excessive scarring from alcohol consumption.
• Malnutrition: If a person is starving themselves and only drinking alcohol
• Alcoholism: This is a classic addiction. Often this leads to career and social dysfunction and nutrient displacement because alcoholics will often prioritize alcohol over food. Excessive alcohol consumption
• Alcohol can cause birth defects. (usually only regular alcohol consumption causes these) high levels of alcohol can also cause infertility or other reproductive problems. Note:If you plan on becoming pregnant, you should try to avoid drinking for a couple weeks before you conceive.
• Certain types of cancer: Liver, pancreas, rectum and breast cancer (in women) are associated with heavy long term drinking.

Potential Health Benefits

Only gained from moderate consumption. Moderate consumption is defined as ~1 drink per day or less for women and 1-2 drinks a day for men.

• -Reduced risk of heart disease
• -Can lower cholesterol in the blood stream

Myths:

Hard liquors is worse for you than beer or wine.

Not true, the alcohol is the same chemical in all of them, hard liquors are simply more concentrated.

Consuming alcohol with raw seafood diminishes the likelihood of getting hepatitis. (or sterilizes the food etc)

Not true. The risk of food borne pathogens is still the same.

Some more helpful health articles:

What are Trans-fats and are They Really That Unsafe?

Are Your Own Fat Cells Sabotaging Your Weight Loss? Get The Facts