It seems everybody these days is trying to drop a few pounds or more, or is at least concerned with maintaining the figure they already have. There are many diets out there and it seems that more and more sprout up weekly. At best, the different ways to lose weight, the different diets that cloud the media and the Internet, are overwhelming. Typically they are confusing and at worst they are contradicting.
The Subway diet, as made famous by Jared Fogle, demands that you eat a lot of bread. Other diets, such as Atkins, tell you to run away if you see bread. This conflicting information could confuse anybody. Then there are diets that tell you to tailor your eating habits to your blood type and this only makes matters worse for most people.
However, there is one thing that all diets, even the straight forward diet of fewer calories
and more exercise, seem to tell us that we need to avoid. That substance is alcohol; besides all the legal and social faux pas that can go along with too much drinking, there is the issue of weight loss.
Alcoholic beverages are typically high in calories. Beer typically has more calories than soda, unless it is light beer. The problem with light beer, many people contend, is that it
tastes more like water than beer. However, a few beers every now and again are not the end of the world when it comes to dieting. In fact, recent studies are showing that, although beer is not good for weight loss, it does have some sort of medical value in that it can have benefits that are still being studied. Also, some contend that beer is a part of a healthy diet because of its grains. Still, the idea of a beer belly is not altogether wrong; beer has quite a few calories and, in excess, is quite fattening.
Other drinks, calorie-wise, are even worse. Rum, for example, has a lot of sugar, and therefore is loaded with empty calories. Vodka is another drink that is very fattening, even though it has no nutritional value. Another bad thing about these stronger, harder alcohols is that they are very rarely consumed alone. At best, they are consumed with a diet soda or light lemonade, but typically they are consumed with sugary mixers, as part of blended margaritas or daiquiris, or with regular soda. The mixers can have as many calories and as much sugar, if not more, than the drinks themselves, while they tend to contribute nothing, except perhaps vitamin C, in terms of nutrition.
Of course, it seems that everyone has heard of the benefits of wine, and specifically red wine. There is something about red wine, the grapes, the grape skins and the process of making the wine, which is very good for your heart. It is healthy, many nutritionists and doctors will tell you, to have one glass of good red wine each day. Also, there is research being done to link wine, like fish, to brain health. However, in terms of weight loss, wine is not necessarily good, though it is not as bad as hard liquor. It should, like all alcohol, and pretty much everything when you are trying to lose weight, be consumed in moderation.
In short, alcohol, especially harder alcohol, has a negative effect on those trying to lose weight due to the empty calories. Still, it can be consumed in moderation and, it seems, scientists are discovering more and more benefits of alcohol every month.