Some say that truth is bitter,in fact most people say so.Well it all depends on how you take the truth in.Everything is determined by your state of mind.There are things that used to hurt us in the past but now we are okay accepting those things even several bitter things we eat and drink no longer taste bitter as they used to be.
Alcohol makes the world merry ,although some people might bring in sentiments or disapproval on this statement.Yes,it makes the world merry and it has its consequences just like any other thing.The world is all about cause and effect,you sow and you reap.Of course it is better for a soldier to perform office duty where there are no gunshots but when he chooses to be in the war field, he can still survive by mastering the arts of war.It all boils down to knowledge and application of wisdom.
The truth about alcohol is that it has high calories(7 grams per calorie) and it alters the mechanism of the body.The alteration it makes in the body goes a long way as it can lead to unwanted fat in your body and other health issues.It is important you understand how your body works normally without alcohol and what happens when alcohol is introduced into your body system. I don’t want to dwell so much on the health issues hence, I’ll just stick to the fattening aspect of alcohol.
Ok, let’s get started
Normally, the processes that occur in your body require energy and these processes tap into the energy sources that are available in your body.The major energy sources are fats, carbohydrates and protein.The utilisation of these energy sources is determined by
- the type of food you consume
- your eating habits/pattern
- your activity level
- your calorie management
All the factors mentioned above affect the way your metabolism works. People with fast metabolism quickly break down fat and burn it off while those with slow metabolism burn off fat at a slower rate.
In short, the point is that when your body is at a normal state (NO ALCOHOL STATE),it burns calories and the amount of calories it burns would determine how much weight and fat is gained or lost .You can click here to read more on the calorie concept.
Now, when you drink alcohol everything changes.The metabolism of fats,carbohydrates and protein stops and your body starts to burn off the alcohol present in your body.The reason is that alcohol is toxic to your body and the body tries to get rid of it whenever it is present. So once you drink any form of alcohol, the metabolism of fats and carbohydrates stops while the metabolism is diverted to tackle alcohol and this goes on till the alcohol is totally out of your system.
If your body were to be a house, your metabolism will be the house keeper and the processes of your body will be the house chores.. So in a normal situation the housekeeper will clean the house and make sure that things are properly arranged.Now alcohol is like a flood and the extent of the flood depends on the quantity and flow rate of rain which is equivalent to the amount of drinks and rate at which you drink.
So whenever there is flood the housekeeper abadons her normal chores and she starts battling with the flood until the situation is controlled. She only returns to her normal chores when she has finished cleaning the mess caused by the flood.This means if the flood is much she would spend more time cleaning the mess while her normal chores will be piling up.
Therefore the more time the body spends to get rid of the alcohol in the body, the more the fat that would get stored in the body. Instead of the housekeeper doing her chores , she is busy cleaning the flood mess. So also, instead of the body to be burning fat,it is busy clearing out alcohol.
The good news for those that drink alcohol is that you can minimize the amount of damage and manage the aftermath.There are various types of alcohol with different amounts of calories and composition.
BEER
| Drink | Serving Size | Calories (kCal) |
|---|---|---|
| STAR LAGER BEER | A BOTTLE | 153 |
| GUINESS STOUT | A BOTTLE | 176 |
| HEINEKEN BEER | A BOITTLE | 142 |
| LEGEND EXTRA STOUT | A BOTTLE | 225 |
| GULDER LAGER | A BOTTLE | 156 |
| STAR LITE BEER | A BOTTLE | 120 |
COCKTAILS
| Drink | Serving Size | Calories (kCal) |
|---|---|---|
| MARTINI,APPLE | COCKTAIL GLASS | 235 |
| BLOODY MARY | COLLINS GLASS(29.5cl) | 125 |
| MAI TAI(2oz RUM) | STANDARD COCKTAIL | 260 |
| TEQUILA SUNRISE(NO LIME SLICE) | COLLINS GLASS(16.9cl) | 200 |
| MARGARITA | COCKTAIL GLASS(10cl) | 153 |
| SCREWDRIVER | STANDARD COCKTAIL | 180 |
WINES
| Drink | Serving Size | Calories (kCal) |
|---|---|---|
| CHAMPAGNE | CHAMPAGNE GLASS(12cl) | 78 |
| WHITE WINE(10%alcohol) | GLASS(15.4cl) | 121 |
| RED WINE(10%alcohol) | GLASS(14.8cl) | 123 |
| SANGRIA | WINE GLASS(25cl) | 150 |
| SHERRY,SWEET OR CREAM(15% alc) | GLASS(10.6cl) | 165 |
| TABLE WINE(about 10.5% alcohol) | GLASS(14.8cl) | 123 |
LIQUORS AND SPIRITS
| Drink | Serving Size | Calories (kCal) |
|---|---|---|
| WHISKEY (80 PROOF) | JIGGER(4.4cl) | 96 |
| WHISKEY (90 PROOF) | JIGGER(4.4cl) | 110 |
| VODKA(80 PROOF) | JIGGER(4.4cl) | 96 |
| VODKA (90 PROOF) | JIGGER(4.4cl) | 110 |
| RUM (80 PROOF) | JIGGER(4.4cl) | 96 |
| RUM(90 PROOF) | JIGGER(4.4cl) | 110 |
| COGNAC(80 PROOF) | JIGGER(4.4cl) | 96 |
| COGNAC(86 PROOF) | JIGGER(4.4cl) | 104 |
| COGNAC(100 PROOF) | JIGGER(4.4cl) | 123 |
| BRANDY (80 PROOF) | JIGGER(4.4cl) | 96 |
| BRANDY (86 PROOF) | JIGGER(4.4cl) | 104 |
| BRANDY (100 PROOF) | JIGGER(4.4cl) | 123 |
| GIN (80 PROOF) | JIGGER(4.4cl) | 96 |
| GIN (90 PROOF) | JIGGER(4.4cl) | 110 |
| GIN(100 PROOF) | JIGGER(4.4cl) | 123 |
| TEQUILA(80 PROOF) | JIGGER(4.4cl) | 96 |
Out of all alcoholic drinks,beers are the ones that deposit the highest amount of fat into your body.The fattening effect also increases when you combine drinks together, infact some cocktails contain fat and this could make matters worse.
TRICKS
- Avoid drinking beer and stop combining different drinks together.If you want to drink, go for the liquor and spirit drinks (vodka,gin,whiskey,rum) which are less toxic and you should drink moderately because these drinks have high alcohol percentage and taking too much might get you drunk.
- Drink lots of Water: Alcohol causes dehydration and by drinking lots of water you will stay hydrated and also reduce the level of toxicity in your body.
- Take vitamins: the vitamins in your body gets depleted when you drink alcohol because there will be more workload on the liver .Take B complex and vitamin C but do not exceed the daily recommended dosage.
- Eat in a healthy manner because after taking a couple of drinks you will get hungry and might be tempted to feed on junks, so you really have to pay attention to the type of food you eat.
Now that you what it is,the choice is yours to make.
Stay safe and drink responsibly.
Babajide Adediran.
This write up is so good.Thanks for sharing this information.
dis is very educative and enlightening! well done bro
This is very educative!!!