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Alcohol Consumption
Author Dr Dt Sheenu Sanjeev Categories Blogs Posted on 0 Comments

Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol Consumption 

  • Healthy people metabolize alcohol consumption at consistent rate (15ml per hour).
  • Men can consume up to 28 units per week.
  • Women up to 21 units per week.
  • Red wine induces fat burning if consumed in moderation. 

One Unit is 10 ml (8ml is pure alcohol)

Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA)

  • Beer – 350 ml/d
  • Red Wine – 120 ml/d
  • Hard Drinks – 30 ml/d

Alcohol & Metabolism

Our bodies cannot store alcohol. When we drink it, it is quickly absorbed through our small intestines and ends up in our bloodstream. Because it cannot be stored for later use, unlike fats and sugars, it goes to the front of the queue to be dealt with by our livers. Effectively,  alcohol consumption puts every other digestive process on hold, which can lead to the build-up of fat in the liver, one of the first steps towards liver disease.

Alcohol contains empty calories and has no nutritional value. It can often contribute to malnutrition because the high levels of calories in most alcoholic drinks can account for a large percentage of your daily energy requirements.

Your body cannot store alcohol, so it must metabolize it right away. When you drink alcohol, your body makes metabolizing it a priority over all other metabolic processes. Your body sends alcohol to the liver, which produces the enzymes necessary for the oxidation and metabolism of alcohol.  Around 98% of alcohol that is consumed is processed in the liver, with the other two to ten percent being expelled through urine, breathing, or sweat. The amount of alcohol in a standard drink will take around 10 hours for the average person to process it.

Given alcohol is a by-product of yeast digestion.

Maintaining adequate blood sugar levels is one of the key functions of your metabolism, but when you drink alcohol, maintaining healthy blood sugar levels is one of the first elements of metabolism to be shoved aside in your body’s rush to excrete the toxins as efficiently as possible.

“Alcohol inhibits your body’s ability to make glucose and to maintain healthy levels of glucose or blood sugar in the blood. Even occasional alcohol consumption can cause dangerous drops in blood sugar levels, especially when consumed on an empty stomach.“

HOW OUR BODIES DEAL WITH ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION

This is particularly true of alcohol. Alcohol is primarily broken down by two specific enzymes, alcohol hydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde hydrogenase (ALDH). Although our livers play a vital role in helping us deal with alcohol, our stomachs, pancreases and even our brains are involved. The first stage involves ADH turning alcohol into acetaldehyde, a highly toxic substance which is a known carcinogen (a substance that can cause cancer). Fortunately, this is where ALDH comes into play, quickly turning acetaldehyde into acetate. This can be broken down into carbon dioxide and water, which can easily be eliminated by our bodies.

People talk about “one unit per hour” – the idea that our livers can process 10ml of pure alcohol each hour after it’s been consumed – but that is just a rule of thumb.

At a biological level, there is nothing we can do about how these particular enzymes work. That is determined by the genes we were born with. But learning how our bodies work can help us make better choices, including understanding what alcohol does to other aspects of our metabolism.

Alcohol Consumption & Weight Loss

  • Any weakening of the stomach will lessen the rate and efficiency at which food is digested.
  • Interferes with a healthy metabolism.
  • Interferes  the weight loss process.
  • Impairs body’s ability to absorb nutrients and vitamins from the food you eat.
  • Damages  body’s ability to absorb nutrients, vitamins and minerals from the food you eat. 
  • At seven calories per gram, alcohol supplies almost twice as many calories as protein and carbohydrates. 
  • In fact, alcohol has only two fewer calories than fat, which has nine calories per gram.
  •  Calories in alcohol lack the nutrients beneficial for a healthy metabolism and will therefore hasten fat storage.
  •  Because your body can’t store alcohol and must metabolize it right away, other metabolic processes suffer.
  • Your body won’t metabolize sugars and fats as efficiently during the metabolism of alcohol, and drinking can cause your metabolism to slow.
  •  This can contribute to weight gain.

Alcohol & it’s side effects

Alcohol can have adverse effects :

  • Weaken Kidneys
  • Leading to serious health problems
  • Drunken cells causes brittle bones
  • Provokes sex desire but takes away the performance
  • Under supply of male sex hormones
  • Shrinkage of testicles
  • In growth of breast due to rise in oestrogen levels 

Reduce Drunkenness Effects

  • Ginger Juice or a ginger piece
  • Water of soaked dates
  • Vitamin B Complex
  • Cabbage dipped in vinegar
  • Celery Juice
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds with 1 glass of water induces vomiting
Conclusion

Ultimately, when it comes to our drinking, our weight, and any other aspect of our lives, we can choose how we live in the bodies that nature has given us. And we can choose to live well.

 

Author Dr Dt Sheenu Sanjeev Categories Blogs Posted on 0 Comments

Being smart about eating healthy

I am just back from my Christmas and New year holidays and I feel rejuvenated. This trip was special as I planned a healthy trip by eating healthy this time. Our health routine at home always goes on toss as we go out of our home. But not this time. Me and my husband researched the place well before we started and prepare an itinerary where we are having new places to visit each day and having a treat each day too. I wanted to share my tips on how we can eat right when we are on vacation. It might help you the plan your trip wisely too.

  • Tip1: Pack yourself some home-made snacks that you can keep handy while on the go. One can pack protein bars, ladoos, roasted peanuts, chane, gur chikki, dry fruits.  Keep them in air tight (or zip locked) small packets so that if you are carrying a single bag, you can just carry one packet for each item in a day and not carry full container. While on long drives eating healthy instead of buying anything from outside shop you can use these snacks for munching when on feel hungry or when you don’t find a good place to eat. This helps us in many ways. It saves time from breaks when you feel too hungry. It also gives body right nutrition on the go. You don’t really skip a meal this way as one tends to eat more by end of the day if they skip meal.
  • Tip 2: Keep your body hydrated always. Usually one tends to ignore water when on vacation. Sometimes when you don’t carry your water bottle, sometimes because you don’t get water near by or for other multiple reasons. Make sure to leave for the day with sufficient water bottles with you. Do carry your own water bottle that one can refill on the go. So that you always have water available with you. This will keep your body active. Also, on vacations when we are in sun most of the time, our body needs more water. We tend to drink more beverages when we feel thirsty which in turn adds up the calories.
  • Tip 3: Walking is your best friend. Do plan to wake up at such a time where you can just walk around the place you are staying. Or plan trekking in a day or visit places near by which you can reach by just walking. Walking is the best exercise when you are on vacation. It gives you good reason to properly look around areas where you are staying and also gives you less headache to watch for traffic.
  • Tip 4: Have fruits and vegetables always on your platter when you are on vacation. One tends to eat more of junk while on vacation. Although if we look around, we always have fruits and salad section in buffet or you can order one if ala-carte. If we go outside also, we do see local fruits vendor on roads. Do eat some fruits and vegetables to body right nutrition which gets skipped on holidays, so that body gets right number of vitamins and fiber.
  • Tip 5: Holidays can be stressful and people eat when they’re stressed. This year, at the beginning of the holiday season, make clear decisions about how you want to spend your time and resources. Think about what is most important to you and what you can give up. If you feel less frazzled, you won’t need as much comfort food.
  • Tip 6: Eating opportunities and celebrations are all around us when we are vacationing, and we’re in the “I’m on VACATION!” mindset. That’s when we will be the most vulnerable to eating even if we aren’t hungry and not stopping when we are comfortable. Especially if you’re enjoying a buffet during the holidays. Take small portions and only eat the food you truly like. There’s no need to heap your plate full. You can always return for more.
  • Tip 7: For some holidays means lot of alcohol, smoking and junk food. Alcohol dehydrates the body, disturbs the sleep pattern. Junk food too gives you too much sugar in one go and keep you in high energy even at nights. When you don’t get right sleep at night, you wake up late or feel lazy in morning, then the whole day seems to be task. Instead eat everything in moderation and eat only when you are hungry.

I hope above tips help you to plan you vacations wisely and guide you in eating healthy food. A good planning always gives less stress. When you are on vacation, it doesn’t make sense to deprive yourself of an enjoyable food; the trick is carrying “moderation” in your back pocket.

Happy Holidays !!

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