After any health talk, a very commonly asked question is ‘Doc, how much alcohol is safe?’ My answer is ‘Enough to get you home, stay fit and live long’. Since social drinking is on the rise, my concern is more from the nutritional point of view. Each gram of alcohol gives 7 Calories as against one gram of Carbs which give you only 4 Cals, for which nutritionists single them out as bad guys.
Let us understand how much would our friend X consume during a party. Here's the math (those with Mathematicophobia, please skip the next paragraph...and also skip a couple of drinks)
A liquor bottle which says 42.2 v/v (volume by volume) simply means that they have managed to load about 42 gms of alcohol in every 100 ml of the drink. So if a person has 60 ml of spirit, he is having 25 gms of alcohol equivalent to 175 Cals. Assuming he has 3 such drinks .. voila.. he has already taken 525 cals. That’ s not all. If it is rum and cola, you got to add the Cola component too, which is 140 cals per can. So our friend has had around 950 cals in the party without counting dinner and snacks!
The daily requirement is around 2000 – 2750 Cals depending on age and weight. The older you are the lesser calories you require. If you do not spend those calories, then you would start sporting a belly. Call it what you want beer belly, breezer belly, but we call it Central Obesity and we have also found a link to becoming a Diabetic later on.
How do you know that you have a paunch? Do this simple test. Stand straight. Look directly down...if you are able to see your... yes.. feet ;-) then you probably don’t have a belly. But if you can't see your own feet, then run.. literally. You could also calculate the waist / hip ratio .... it should not be more than 0.8 for women and not more than 1 for men.
I classify Bellied Men into 3 categories based on their trouser-wearing habit.
(1) Those who have trousers hanging below the belly .. they are the bold, carefree types.
(2) Those who wear the trousers above the belly are the careful and conscious. They are like the ostrich burying the head in the sand
(3) Those who wear it right on the belly are the religious. They believe in miracles for keeping them on.
How do you know that you have a paunch? Do this simple test. Stand straight. Look directly down...if you are able to see your... yes.. feet ;-) then you probably don’t have a belly. But if you can't see your own feet, then run.. literally. You could also calculate the waist / hip ratio .... it should not be more than 0.8 for women and not more than 1 for men.
I classify Bellied Men into 3 categories based on their trouser-wearing habit.
(1) Those who have trousers hanging below the belly .. they are the bold, carefree types.
(2) Those who wear the trousers above the belly are the careful and conscious. They are like the ostrich burying the head in the sand
(3) Those who wear it right on the belly are the religious. They believe in miracles for keeping them on.
Whisky/rum/vodka (60 ml) | 175 Cals |
Beer (One can) | 140 - 180 Cals |
Breezer (One bottle) | 190 Cals |
Coke / Pepsi(One can) | 140 - 150 Cals |
Diet Coke/Pepsi/ Sodas | 0 Cals |
Cheers
guess I should switch from rum and coke to whiskey and soda....thanks for the heads up doc.........drinks on me everybody
ReplyDeleteWish this came earlier,now I lost it; can't see my ... for that matter nothing below my belly !
ReplyDeleteGeorge
Thank gosh it's feet......!! I can still see them. With all the cals above doccy I like a good guy gave up drinking Ale n Vodka.....but soak in wine!! Yuk to taste but purifies to make one a Puritan!! I am Old Monk - not rum!
ReplyDeleteDrink in the night and run in the morning.. everything will be taken care of
ReplyDeleteHealthy blog :-)
ReplyDelete@ Old Monk - A glass of red/wine wine (100ml) would have about 84-88 calories. You finish a bottle of 750ml.. and you would be richer by 650 cals.
ReplyDeleteSuper it beats the others by miles....I can continue guzzling cheers! Old Monk
ReplyDelete