Nutrition
To Drink or not to Drink By Candice De Mendonca
Is alcohol healthy ? Yes and no … and at the end of the day , it is up to you whether you consume it or not , and how you regulate your moderation .
People have been drinking alcohol for many thousands of years . The oldest verifiable brewery has been found in a prehistoric burial site in a cave near Haifa , in modernday Israel , after researchers found residue of 13,000-year-old beer that they think might have been used for ritual feasts to honour the dead . The traces of a wheat-and-barley-based alcohol were found in stone mortars carved into the cave floor , and thus some experts have proposed that alcoholic drinks actually predated agriculture , and it was the desire for alcoholic drinks that lead to agriculture and civilization !
There is also evidence of fermented beverages made of grapes , hawthorn berries , honey and rice were being produced in 7000 – 6650 BC in China . Evidence shows that barley beer and grape wine were being made all over the world , with recorded evidence dating back as far back as 6000 BC in Georgia , as well as 5400 BC in Iran , 3150 BC in Egypt , 2000 BC in Mexico and 1500 BC in Sudan . The medicinal use of alcohol was recorded in Sumerian and Egyptian texts dating from around 2100 BC , and even the Bible recommends giving alcoholic drinks to those who are dying or depressed , in Proverbs 31:6 – 7 : “ Let beer be for those who are perishing , wine for those who are in anguish ! 7 Let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more .”
However , thanks to thousands of years of history and knowledge , we also know that alcohol has both pros and cons , risks and benefits , and drinking in moderation is therefore commonly offered advice to avoid drunkenness as well as the unsociable and unhealthy side-effects of alcohol . And yet , surprisingly enough , researchers know little about the pros and cons of moderate alcohol consumption in healthy adults . This is due to the fact that studies of lifestyle that include diet and exercise , caffeine and alcohol , rely on patient memory ( and truthfulness ) of reporting one ’ s habits over many years .
Today we know that the now famous Resveratrol found in our beloved red wine – but also bio-available ( without the alcohol ) in peanuts , grapes , mulberries , raspberries and blueberries – provides antioxidant , anti-inflammatory , immunomodulatory , glucose- and lipid-regulatory , neuroprotective and cardiovascular protective effects . However , we also know that soaking our livers in red wine is not recommended just because , “ Hey , I read it ’ s good for you .” In that case , one should rather supplement with a pure resveratrol supplement , as opposed to copious amounts of red wine !
It all boils down to moderation , but that ’ s the problem . I find that people in general struggle extensively with this on a multifaceted level . It ’ s either 0km / h or 100km / h when it comes to alcohol , but you need to be ‘ cruising ’ at 50km / h . That said , moderate drinkers still run the small risk of some cancers , and drinking and driving is never a good idea ! However , eating a nutritious , balanced diet in conjunction with exercise has greater health benefits , and this has been more extensively studied .
Even if you eat healthy and thus have that glass of wine with salad , alcohol causes malabsorption , so the necessary nutrients you need to get in will be affected . So , perhaps try eat that healthy meal with a glass of water first , and let your stomach have some time to ingest and digest before you have the glass of wine ?
And a final note on alcohol for the runners reading this : Keep in mind that two units of alcohol a week ( not at the same time ) will not affect performance , but ideally you should adopt that food-first approach , especially after an activity , when a lot of athletes go straight for that beer . Rather eat a nutritionally-dense meal with a glass of water before you hit the alcohol .
Images : Pexels
The pros / benefits of alcohol are said to be :
• Reduction of risk of heart disease .
• Reduction of risk of strokes .
• Reduction of risk of diabetes .
Candice De Mendonca is a personal trainer and sports nutritionist from Johannesburg . At school she earned SA colours for cross country , as well as provincial colours for athletics , hockey and swimming , then completed a degree in sports development , qualified as a personal trainer and sports masseuse , and went on to study sports nutrition as well . Today she has her own meal prep brand called GI Jane ( low-GI food , hence the name ). More info at https :// thefitnesshybrid . com .
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