The facts about alcohol
We all know alcohol is bad
Many people enjoy an occasional beer or glass of wine, maybe more than that. Alcohol is a part of social life but needs to be consumed with caution. From a weight loss perspective alcohol is high in calories, low in nutrients and usually ends up around the mid section. Here’s why.
Alcohol is high in calories
The best way to illustrate this is comparing the food groups gram for gram.
| Food Group | Calories per gram |
| Carbohydrates | 3.75kcal |
| Protein | 4kcal |
| Alcohol | 7kcal |
| Fat | 9kcal |
We can clearly see that gram for gram alcohol has nearly double the calories of carbohydrates and proteins and almost as many calories as fat, yet we wouldn’t dream of going out with friends downing glass after glass of fat!! The calories in alcohol are often overlooked but may need seriously addressing to see changes in weight loss and health.
Current recommended maximum alcohol intake is 28 units for men and 21 untis for women.
Alcohol statistic
A small glass of wine of bottle af beer every day with a meal doesn’t seem like much. Over 1 year this amounts to thousands of calories, the equivalent to 1 stone in weight.
The body burns calories from alcohol first
When we drink alcohol it is broken down differently from normal food. The liver releases enzymes to break alcohol down into energy but this only happens at a slow constant rate. This energy is used first before the energy from food (especially that greasy burger you had on the way home!) and you can guess where the excess calories end up being stored. As body fat.
The bottom line with alcohol is the same as any other treat – consume in moderation. Be aware of the calorie content and if you drink regularly consider at least one or two alcohol free days each week.