Alcohol is one of those foods that excludes most diets. And the reason is not that nutritionists try to save us from alcoholism, but that whatever low-calorie diet is, it will still lead to the accumulation of fat mass. Of course, there are also pleasant aspects associated with the use of alcohol ... But, alas, the ratio of the benefits and harms of alcohol can not be called balanced.
What happens after the overturned glass?
Alcoholic beverages are empty calories , the term is already known to many. "Empty", because they have no nutritional value, but they have very high energy value. Let's explain more simply:
- 1 g of alcohol = 7 kcal (compared to 1 g of protein = 4 g);
- 1 g of alcohol is not protein, not carbohydrates, not fats, but ethyl alcohol.
Caloric content of alcohol is high not because of the sugar content, namely because of ethyl alcohol, while drinking a glass of wine you get about 250 kcal, you are still hungry - the body did not receive building materials, these calories can not be put off for storage as proteins, carbohydrates or fats. They are uselessly burnt.
And here we come to how alcohol affects weight loss. You are already glad that "they are uselessly burned" is the same thing that your body is going through unnoticed and without consequences. However, the calories of alcohol should be consumed immediately, therefore, all the food eaten, will stand side by side and wait for its turn to digest in the form of fat stores.
Alcohol leads to the fact that all food is stored in the form of a "rescue circle".
That from alcohol was useful ...
But the use of alcohol, perhaps, is, and it will manifest itself only if the measure is observed. There are a couple of golden rules that will help you control the energy processes in the body:
- red wine is better than white (it contains more iron and antioxidants - which means it can be considered more useful);
- wine is better than beer;
- dark beer is better than light (darker is more "satisfying" and you will drink less);
- beer is better than liquors (they contain more sugar);
- between pure drinks and cocktails always choose the first.
When we talk about the benefits of alcohol, we, of course, mean mainly wine. It is the wine that makes the Mediterranean diet the best option for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. But! Residents of the Mediterranean are not prone to drunkenness, and after drinking 1-2 glasses, are quite satisfied.
Alcohol when losing weight, but again with a reasonable approach:
- before drinking, you need to eat something, and not vice versa, otherwise the alcohol at the beginning of the meal only inflames the appetite;
- if you really want an alcoholic cocktail, you need to realize that your dessert is over - the calorie content of the majority of "long drinks" is about 500 kcal;
- you need to choose alcohol according to this proportion - 150 ml of wine or 350 ml of beer or 50 ml of strong liquor (all this has about the same number of calories).