I spend a lot of time researching plant based nutrition articles and I see many about various meal plans and nutrient values of this food or that but I rarely see alcohol addressed. I mean I'm assuming we all know that alcohol isn't the best thing for you and is empty calories.. right? I do see studies saying that glass or two of red wine or a beer a day is beneficial to our health but then I can find just as many studies that will say that one or two a day is terrible for you. (see image above) What I'm left with is opinions and nothing more. So let's look at what we do know.
Caloric value of alcohol:
Alcohol has a very high caloric value. When you ingest alcohol the liver breaks it down into a chemical called acetate (LINK). Acetate is then used as an effective fuel source in the body. A 1.5 ounce shot of liquor has between 100 and 200 calories. Beer and wine average 150 calories per serving. Mixed drinks which are generally very high in sugar have an average of 300 but as high as 800+ calories.
Vitamin and mineral content:
Alcohol itself has no vitamins or minerals whatsoever. Therefore the higher the alcohol content of a drink the lower the nutritional content will be. Beer has a small amount of the RDA for vitamin B6, riboflavin and folate. Unfiltered and craft beers are usually higher in these nutrients while processed commercial beers are very low. Wine also offers a small amount of B6 and inconsequential traces of various minerals. A single shot of hard liquor offers virtually no vitamins or minerals whatsoever. The only way any nutritional benefit can be gained from hard liquor is in the mixers used to make cocktails. (such as juices)
Fat, sodium and protein content:
Most alcoholic drinks offer little to no sodium or protein content. A serving of beer has no fat, a trace amount of sodium and an average of 2 grams of protein. (usually from wheat or corn) Wine and hard liquor have no fat, protein or sodium at all. Mixed drinks will vary according to mixers used and in special cases like a salted rim the sodium content will go up dramatically.
Nutritional benefits of alcohol:
Like I said earlier, there are various reports of moderate beer and wine use having some nutritional benefits that relate to cardiovascular health and longevity due to stress relief. On the other hand there are reports that link any alcohol use at all to hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, liver damage and a weakened immune system. I could go on and on about the pros or the cons but obviously we have found some good along with some bad effects from alcohol use. Whenever "use" crosses to "abuse" the effects are always negative. It's my experience that most do not stay within the limits of moderate use. I say most because there really are some who do stay within the guideline but for the most part the majority do not.
Antioxidants in red wine:
Red wine contains antioxidants called polyphenols and also another called resveratrol. These contribute to cardiovascular health and reversing bad cholesterol. These antioxidants are also available in grapes, non alcoholic grape juice, 75% or greater cacao chocolate, most berries, green tea, and green tea extract to name just a few. So.. there are some that will swear by their glass of wine for the antioxidants but the truth is they could have gotten them from many other sources. Wine just seems like the most fun choice. (more on that later)
So those are the straightforward nutritional facts about alcohol which leaves me to add some conjecture of my own. I personally don't ever drink alcohol in any amount. I haven't for years. I was one of those people who didn't stay within the beneficial guidelines... which is putting it very very mildly. A large part of my family's life centered around drinking alcohol excessively when I was young and it continues to today. I would say it's a cultural thing but as I have put some space between me and the issue I've come to the opinion that this is nothing more than an excuse to continue an addictive pattern that takes an overwhelming amount of honesty and effort to correct. As I grew into a man, drinking became the focal point of my friendships and family life. There wasn't much chance that it wouldn't. The fact that I say "drinking" in the sense that drinking is an activity indicates a problem. "Drinking" is something we do when we are thirsty (usually takes no more than 30 seconds to complete) just as we "eat" when we are hungry. If I were to consistently go out eating with my eating buddies and we ate non stop for entire evenings in several different eating establishments until the wee hours of the morning it would seem like I have a huge problem with food wouldn't it?.. an unhealthy relationship? Well that is how I used alcohol... like an alcoholic. An addict.
Alcohol metabolizes in the brain as well as the body so one of the effects is that we become drunk. Being drunk occasionally is not a great thing but it's also fairly harmless. On the other hand, being drunk often is a huge mental, physical, emotional and spiritual burden. It caused terrible damage to the welfare of each of these areas of my life. The result was ruinous to my relationships with family, friends and coworkers. Quitting alcohol was one of the biggest hurdles I've ever gotten over because after all the years of overuse and abuse I was addicted. I was addicted to the sensation of alcohol as well as the social crutch it had become. It was something that went from being fun and social to something that I hated about myself and couldn't stop doing. There is a long story here and for all the honesty I like to show in this blog I'm going to leave the dirty details alone. (I don't even know that it would be interesting to read so much as it would just feel uneasy) The bottom line is that in the end the "true I" emerged and went on a terror streak toward total wellness. For me personally, it's a matter of self respect. Respect for my physical health as well as a respect for my own ability to thrive without intoxicants of any kind in my body. Those things just kept me immature and incorrigible and incapacitated. I am a much better person than that and have way more to offer to life and myself. Alcohol kept the person I am anesthetized and unavailable. I feel like that was a shameful waste.
I realize this isn't the experience most have with alcohol. Although for those that it is.. you will understand what I mean. All I can do is give you the facts about the nutritional values and the returns that I experienced in my personal life. The difference in my quality of life without it has been remarkable. It has been remarkable from the standpoint I just wrote about and also the ability it has given me physically. I no longer fight the battle of working my ass off training only to snuff any gains the very same evening drinking. My weight was always up and down. My energy levels were horrible. My eating habits were awful due to poor late night food choices. My workouts were pathetic. My sleep patterns were erratic and poor. My digestion was consistently bad. My appetite was nonexistent. I had terrible inflammation throughout my body,,, blah blah blah... Do I need to go on?? If you are one of the people who can't keep it under wraps when you drink then I would strongly suggest doing the work to remove it from your life completely. (PM me and I'll tell you how) And if you truly are one of the glass or two a day people... Salud!!
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