To Drink Or Not To Drink That is Question
Hi
This article is not for those who do not drink. So if you do not have a habit to drink you can easily skip, but if you love drinking do read on.
Well for most of the male drinkers, drinking alcohol in India means Whiskey, followed by beer or rum, despite big push by wine manufacturers wine is not a favorite drink. Cocktails are ladies or teen stuff. Surprisingly teetotalers is fast diminishing community. Due to western influences, women are embracing drinking-habit fast rather imbibing in the social and culinary lives.
So it is very pertinent to know when drinking you are in safe limits of good health when crossing the the line. Another question is - can you have a drink and be healthy too ?
One common point of confusion is interpreting lack of impairment as moderation. But can you easily drink in excess without ever feeling like you should not be allowed behind the wheel of a car. Spacing out several drinks over the course of an evening or a day increases your risk of a number of chronic diseases, even if you never feel inebriated.
Researches do suggest that low volume drinkers tend to live longer than abstainers. In particular, women with low or moderate intake who drinks more than three days in a week lave lower risk of early death compared with abstainers and those consume substantially more than one drink per day.
Drinking in moderation is associated with reduced risk of brain related diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's as well as heart problems. But problem starts when 'Yeh Dil Mange More'.When intake increases risk of dementia, heart disease, many types of cancer also increases. This is because you like it or not, your glass of alcohol contains toxins, and it is most harmful while your body is metabolizing it. Your liver converts alcohol into the extremely toxin substance Acetaldehyde before finally converting it to acetate, which your body excrete. That also has implications for how your body handles the calories, carbohydrates, protein and the fat from the food you consume.
It is the body's tendency to metabolize alcohol before it gets to other macronutrients because of its damaging intermediary Acetaldehyde. In addition to this, alcohol can absorb straight through the stomach and travel to liver faster than other food items you have eaten, which need to first exit the stomach and get absorbed in the small intestine.
It is interesting to note that while the liver gets busy metabolizing alcohol, it will divert calories from food to storage in fat cells, which is one reason people who chronically consume large amount of alcohol are at a riks for fatty liver disease.
Now you may ask when it is ideal to drink, before meal or after the meal ? Research found that consuming alcohol on an empty stomach actually increases caloric intake at the next meal. there is a reason that pre-dinner cocktails are called aperitifs, which means to open appetite.
Each person is different, but everyone should pay attention to the way alcohol affects their appetite and intake. There may be many factors which contribute to this , ranging from shifts in hormones that signals you to eat, to lowered inhibitions and drop in blood sugar level.There may also be effects on your brain in some areas that signals the eating response.
Nutrition experts agree that if you do not drink at all , there is no reason to start, but if you do choose to imbibe : the world Health Organization's guidelines :
Not exceeding two drinks per day having at least two non drinking days per week with a weekly cap of 10 drinks.
One drink means -
Wine 5 ounces
Spirit (Whiskey, Rum etc.) 1.5 ounces
Beer (If it is 5% 12 ounces
alcohol by volume ABV)
By the way alcohol is seven calories per gram, versus four for protein and carbs, the alcohol by volumes really adds up. Serving a light beer (3-4 percent ABV) or low alcohol wine (less than 10 per cent ABV) adds upto around 100 calories but when ABV goes upto 6-8 ABV for beer and 13-15 ABV for wine than one serving can reach 200 calories. Then there are the mixers. Pina coladas and many coffee based cocktails use calorie rich dairy or coconut cream that can significantly add up calories in your cocktail glass. But while coosing mixers for cocktails, you may find plenty zero calorie options like :
This article is not for those who do not drink. So if you do not have a habit to drink you can easily skip, but if you love drinking do read on.
Well for most of the male drinkers, drinking alcohol in India means Whiskey, followed by beer or rum, despite big push by wine manufacturers wine is not a favorite drink. Cocktails are ladies or teen stuff. Surprisingly teetotalers is fast diminishing community. Due to western influences, women are embracing drinking-habit fast rather imbibing in the social and culinary lives.
So it is very pertinent to know when drinking you are in safe limits of good health when crossing the the line. Another question is - can you have a drink and be healthy too ?
One common point of confusion is interpreting lack of impairment as moderation. But can you easily drink in excess without ever feeling like you should not be allowed behind the wheel of a car. Spacing out several drinks over the course of an evening or a day increases your risk of a number of chronic diseases, even if you never feel inebriated.
Researches do suggest that low volume drinkers tend to live longer than abstainers. In particular, women with low or moderate intake who drinks more than three days in a week lave lower risk of early death compared with abstainers and those consume substantially more than one drink per day.
Drinking in moderation is associated with reduced risk of brain related diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's as well as heart problems. But problem starts when 'Yeh Dil Mange More'.When intake increases risk of dementia, heart disease, many types of cancer also increases. This is because you like it or not, your glass of alcohol contains toxins, and it is most harmful while your body is metabolizing it. Your liver converts alcohol into the extremely toxin substance Acetaldehyde before finally converting it to acetate, which your body excrete. That also has implications for how your body handles the calories, carbohydrates, protein and the fat from the food you consume.
It is the body's tendency to metabolize alcohol before it gets to other macronutrients because of its damaging intermediary Acetaldehyde. In addition to this, alcohol can absorb straight through the stomach and travel to liver faster than other food items you have eaten, which need to first exit the stomach and get absorbed in the small intestine.
It is interesting to note that while the liver gets busy metabolizing alcohol, it will divert calories from food to storage in fat cells, which is one reason people who chronically consume large amount of alcohol are at a riks for fatty liver disease.
Now you may ask when it is ideal to drink, before meal or after the meal ? Research found that consuming alcohol on an empty stomach actually increases caloric intake at the next meal. there is a reason that pre-dinner cocktails are called aperitifs, which means to open appetite.
Each person is different, but everyone should pay attention to the way alcohol affects their appetite and intake. There may be many factors which contribute to this , ranging from shifts in hormones that signals you to eat, to lowered inhibitions and drop in blood sugar level.There may also be effects on your brain in some areas that signals the eating response.
Nutrition experts agree that if you do not drink at all , there is no reason to start, but if you do choose to imbibe : the world Health Organization's guidelines :
Not exceeding two drinks per day having at least two non drinking days per week with a weekly cap of 10 drinks.
One drink means -
Wine 5 ounces
Spirit (Whiskey, Rum etc.) 1.5 ounces
Beer (If it is 5% 12 ounces
alcohol by volume ABV)
By the way alcohol is seven calories per gram, versus four for protein and carbs, the alcohol by volumes really adds up. Serving a light beer (3-4 percent ABV) or low alcohol wine (less than 10 per cent ABV) adds upto around 100 calories but when ABV goes upto 6-8 ABV for beer and 13-15 ABV for wine than one serving can reach 200 calories. Then there are the mixers. Pina coladas and many coffee based cocktails use calorie rich dairy or coconut cream that can significantly add up calories in your cocktail glass. But while coosing mixers for cocktails, you may find plenty zero calorie options like :
- fresh lemon
- seltzer water
- lime
- diet soda
Regular soda or juice will contribute 30-50 calories and 10-15 carbs depending on how much is added to a drink.
Classic cocktails like margaritas can add up in calories thanks to simple syrup and other dense form of added sugar.
An healthier Margarita Cocktail
To serve 4
Cubed Ice
2 Limes, sliced into 4 wedges each
32 ounces Organic Lemonade
8 ounces tequila
salt to taste
4 ounces Grand Mariner
How to make
Muddle a slice of lime in one cup of ice in a shaker.
Add 8 ounces lemonade and two ounces tequila. Then shake firmly until liquid is thoroughly mixed.
Rub another wedge on the rim of glass, dip the edge of glass into salt pored onto plate, so that it is thoroughly coated. Garnish the rim with the lime wedge.
Pour liquid in the glass, adding ice if needed. Float one ounce of Grand Mariner on the top in circular motion. garnish with mint leaves.
Serve with a straw.
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