Alcohol
Hey Guys! Sorry I've been MIA for a while, been working on some stuff. As you can see from the title we gonna talk alcohol today! Are you all excited? I know I am.
In the Caribbean, alcohol is consumed widely among the islands. It is a part of most if not all of our social events such as weddings, birthdays, christening parties, chilling on the beach, wakes or funeral receptions (repast). Almost all, if not every Caribbean island has an alcohol that is associated with that particular territory, an example is in Trinidad and Tobago there is the Angostura Rum brand, in Jamaica, there is Appleton Rum and in St.Vincent and the Grenadines, there is the very strong Sunset Rum, just to name a few. With all that said, the real question is, does alcohol add any nutritional value or benefit?
Alcohol is basically a liquid created by sugar that has been put through the process of fermentation. The liquid contains 7 calories per 1 gram, which is 2 less than the calories fat provides per gram and 3 more than the calories protein and carbs provide per gram. Now as we can see, alcohol is very expensive calorically and is not really essential or important for any process that takes place within the body. The liquid also acts as a diuretic, which means that it causes the body to lose water when it is consumed, therefore large amounts of alcohol can cause dehydration if not followed up by lots of fluid. Further to this, the body cannot use alcohol as fuel, and as such it quickly processes it out of the body before it can metabolize any of the macro-nutrients to be used as fuel.
The lesson to be learned here is that like any other thing in life moderation is key with alcohol consumption. So go bravely with your alcohols but just remember the recommended amounts and have self-control and you will be fine and even heart healthier.
In the Caribbean, alcohol is consumed widely among the islands. It is a part of most if not all of our social events such as weddings, birthdays, christening parties, chilling on the beach, wakes or funeral receptions (repast). Almost all, if not every Caribbean island has an alcohol that is associated with that particular territory, an example is in Trinidad and Tobago there is the Angostura Rum brand, in Jamaica, there is Appleton Rum and in St.Vincent and the Grenadines, there is the very strong Sunset Rum, just to name a few. With all that said, the real question is, does alcohol add any nutritional value or benefit?
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| Jamaica's Appleton Rum |
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| SVG's Sunset Rum |
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| Trinidad and Tobago's Angostura Rum |
Alcohol is basically a liquid created by sugar that has been put through the process of fermentation. The liquid contains 7 calories per 1 gram, which is 2 less than the calories fat provides per gram and 3 more than the calories protein and carbs provide per gram. Now as we can see, alcohol is very expensive calorically and is not really essential or important for any process that takes place within the body. The liquid also acts as a diuretic, which means that it causes the body to lose water when it is consumed, therefore large amounts of alcohol can cause dehydration if not followed up by lots of fluid. Further to this, the body cannot use alcohol as fuel, and as such it quickly processes it out of the body before it can metabolize any of the macro-nutrients to be used as fuel.
However. alcohol is not all bad as some studies showed that small amounts of alcohol daily brings benefits to your cardiovascular health (heart health) as it reduces your risk of suffering from a cardiac event. The recommended amounts for heart health include 1 beer per day, 5 fluid oz of wine per day or 1.5 fluid oz of distilled alcohol per day. Below I placed an image to guide you on the recommended amounts of alcohol that should be consumed to receive heart health benefits.
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The lesson to be learned here is that like any other thing in life moderation is key with alcohol consumption. So go bravely with your alcohols but just remember the recommended amounts and have self-control and you will be fine and even heart healthier.
Until next time, please feel free to comment and let me know if there are particular topics you all will like me to discuss on the next edition of Caribbean Fit.
Bye! 😘💋😙😚
* All Images are courtesy google images.
Good information... I like the emphasis on moderation as opposed to abstinence..
ReplyDeleteGreat. We can all lead healthier lives if only it is done in moderation.
ReplyDelete