Moderation may sound boring, but... You’ll have a happy festive season

Press, 3 December 1987, Page 13

Moderation may sound boring, but... You’ll have a happy festive season

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DIETITIAN

The elixir of your merry season may well weigh you down in the New Year.

Who stops to consider that a Christmas morning half bottle of champagne is as fattening as a large T-bone steak? Or that a jug of beer a day from now until Christmas adds iip to what it takes to put on an extra kilogram of body fat? And that a bottle of wine may have the calories of one-third of a large turkey! But the health problems attributable to alcoholic drinks are not confined to fattening potential. In excess, alcohol damages our body organs — the pancreas, liver and heart. It may precipitate high blood pressure; lead to high blood fats or diabetes; or cause mental or nervous problems. Impaired ability to drive a car is not the only social and physical hazard of over-consumption of alcohol. Other consquences include irrational behaviour, sleepiness, stomach upsets, aggressive behaviour, and male impotence (when attempting consummation of a joyous evening!)

Change from normal behaviour is the clue to knowing when you’ve had enough. If you drink to a degree of intoxication regularly, this is too much for your health. The effects of drinking alcohol can be felt immediately because alcohol can be absorbed from the stomach as well as the intestine, where most of our food is absorbed. Fast absorption The rate at which alcohol is absorbed into our bloodstreams, and most rapidly raises blood alcohol levels is influenced by a number of - factors: • an empty stomach; a missed meal, or by having a snack in place of a meal;

• drinks that have a higher concentration of alcohol to water content — sherry, liqueur, port, "straight” spirits;

• rapid drinking in minutes rather than sips over hours;

• carbonated drinksaerated “fizzy” drinks added to alcoholic beverages, or “sparkling” wines and beer increase alcohol

absolution. Once in our bloodstream, the alcohol accumulates. The rate at which our bodies can clear the alcohol hardly Varies. It is when the rate ofabsorption far exceeds the rate of clearance that we become intoxicated. The blood carries the excessively abundant alcohol to the brain where it's effects are evident. Slow clearance The rate that alcohol can be cleared from our bodies depends on our weight, and on how used we are to alcohol. A man weighing 65kg, who drinks moderately, can process only just over six grams of alcohol an hour. So half

a bottle of wine or a jug of beer will affect his blood alcohol level for some five hours.

People react in varying ways to alcohol. Most of US have impaired Judgment and co-ordination when the blood concentration reaches 40mg of alcohol per 100 ml blood., Intoxication is obvious at lOOmg alcohol/100ml blood.

Women, in general should be more cautious about drinking than men. The lighter your body weight, the less tissue there is for alcohol dispersion. Smaller women will reach intoxication with half. to onethird the number of drinks affecting a man.

If you want to remain sociable at festive gather-

ings, and capable of driving, here are some guidelines. The average man should aim to not drink more than two bottles of beer or two-thirds of a bottle of wine, or three double nips of spirits! Women should keep to less than one and a quarter bottles of beer, or half a bottle of wine, or two double nips of spirits. Less calories It is not only the alcohol that provides the calories in some alcoholic drinks. Those containing sugar as well as alcohol give an extra dose of calories. A low-sugar, dry wine may have , less than 70 per cent of the calories of sweet wine. Beer has less calories than wine because it has a lower alcohol content, but average beer drinkers usually drink more calories than wine drinkers, because they drink many times the volume, and beer contains sugar. Sugar containing mixers — lemonade, coke, tonic, cordials, and other soft drinks — also contribute calories. Diet drinks,

water, soda, lemon juice, mineral waters or a dash of bitters offer few calories.

Most wines are between eight and 15 per cent alcohol, but many are 10 to 12 per cent. This is 70 to 85 calories for 100 ml. 100 ml of wine looks like half to two-thirds of a glass to most people. The wine connoisseur pours only this amount leaving room in the glass to swirl the wine and capture the scent in the top of the glass. For the weight watcher, dry wines should be the preferred drink. They nave the alcohol well diluted in water without excessive sugar, and wine encourages consumption over a longer time at a meal. There is good reason to become, a wine connoisseur. You buy less volume, but higher quality alcoholic drinks. An appreciation of varietal wine styles leads to savouring of the drink for its aroma and palate (taste) rather than its effects on you. Red wines are almost exclusively dry (except some sparkling rose). Dry white wines include Char-

donnay, chablis, white burgundy (not the bulk or blended types), Sauvignon blanc and fume blanc, semilion but only the very driest of gewurztraminer, champagne and Rhine riesling varieties. Bulk dry white wine is usually called “Hock.” Blended bulk red wines are of low-sugar content, but are often undrinkable. Acidity may cover sweetness, so you can’t always rely on taste buds to judge sugar content Nevertheless, irrespective of quality, the very high alcohol wines (15 per cent) have the highest calorie count (more than 100 calories/100ml but their quality generally deserves savouring small sips over a few hours!

For less calories, less total alcohol, and the protection of your health enjoy the best, but not too much of it, during the festive season. Remember Health authorities advise no more than three drinks daily for women, or four drinks for men! (1 drink equals 1 nip of spirits, 100 ml of wine, one glass of sherry, one can of beer).