Lifestyle
Alcohol, the Liquid Fat!
By
Aug 3, 2008 - 3:47:39 PM

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - Summer is in full swing and now that we're going to beach parties, pool parties and taking vacations, we're probably drinking more frozen drinks, beer, mixed drinks and wine. It may seem like day after day (it might actually be day after day) of eating and drinking, so let me say now that nothing packs on the pounds like alcohol. Since we've been discussing calories these past few weeks, I decided to resend this tip about one of the highest sources of calories, alcohol that is! In fact one of my favorite saying's is, "Drinking Alcohol is Like Drinking Liquid Fat" and worse, it becomes more fattening than fat!

Why?

Fat contains 9 calories per gram, and alcohol contains 7 calories per gram. However, alcohol does not go through the exact same digestive process as fat. Our body uses energy to digest and absorb all nutrients including fat, which means that about 10% of our calories are used up during the digestive process. Not the case with alcohol! Alcohol begins to enter our bloodstream through our tongue, then our stomach (especially when we have an empty stomach) and then the remainder goes through the usual route of digestion and absorption through the small intestine. Even water doesn't reach our bloodstream and cells as quickly! So, the calories in alcohol are almost like our "net fat calories" after digestion. Hence, my famous "Alcohol is Liquid Fat" (sorry!). Worse, alcohol sugar is more easily stored as fat since alcohol sugar raises our blood sugar levels quickly (might as well pour the drink on our waistlines!) bringing excess calories to be stored.

Let's make matters even worse, if we start with a drink before eating, we're likely to eat and drink more than we intend to (the domino effect!). If we have that drink at a cocktail party on an empty stomach, we're even more likely to over- indulge later. Some of us think that since we're going from one celebration to another, we should save most of our food calories for the main party. But, have we ever done that only to drink more, and then eat more? And let's not forget how many times we've said "what the heck" as we've reached for another drink with more food once our resistance was lowered (I know I have blown my eating plan this way)?

Lastly, do you like the more expensive brands of liquor? Well it'll cost in calories. If we use one shot of gin as an example, the average for 1.5 fl. oz. of gin is 97 calories while a popular more expensive brand logs in at 115! And if you're like me and love a mixed drink such as an apple martini, well at 235 calories for the average cocktail glass, I usually stick with one (two of these would equal 1/4 of my daily calorie requirement).

How can we moderate? Let's
Not save up for the party. Let's eat often during the day; let's eat small, but eat.
Eat a small snack an hour before the party. Let's not have that first drink on an empty stomach, and preferably let's eat something high in protein. Alcohol will enter our bloodstream even faster on an empty stomach.
Eat a piece of cheese or eat an appetizer with the first drink. Same reason as above, and then we take more time in-between sips to chew!
Drink lots of water all day even if we're not thirsty and let's drink a few sips in-between each drink. Alcohol will cause dehydration and fatigue (big time, if we over do) the next day. Again, if we drink water in between, we slow down our drinking (isn't it amazing that we don't need to slow down our water drinking?).
Order a spicy Bloody Mary instead of a mixed drink or a drink on the rocks. Tomato juice is healthier; it can take the edge off our appetite, and it can slow down how fast the alcohol is absorbed.
Trade-off. A small glass of wine (4-5 oz.) will equal 1 shot (1 oz.) of hard liquor calorie wise, so let's consider this when we make our choice. Let's choose club soda instead of tonic (tonic is high in calories), and let's consider mixing our hard liquor with club soda instead of straight up since it'll last longer.
Remember, summer is still around for another month or so with more parties yet to come (without those extra pounds, we hope!)!

Here's to a little less liquid fat!

June M. Lay M.S.
www.junefit.com

This Week, look for my Grilled Fruitkebab recipe (*there's no hidden calories!) posted now at www.junefit.com/tips_recipehp.htm

Junefit ranks top 10 at Google for "fitness tips" search out of millions of results!

Junefit is included in Google's top ranked women's health resources http://directory.google.com/Top/Health/Women's_Health/Resources/

June is Lifestyle Columnist at www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/index.shtml
(c)Junefit, 2008

www.HealthNewsDigest.com

© Copyright by HealthNewsDigest.com