Alcohol: good or bad?
Alcohol is made from the sugar of grains, fruits, and others foods through fermentation. Moderate (up to two servings for women and up to three servings for men) daily alcohol consumption lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke by increasing good cholesterol (HDL) levels*. Red wine, which has an extra perk, decreases bad cholesterol (LDL) levels.
One serving contains 10 grams of alcohol. Some examples are are: 5 oz or 1 glass of 12% wine (white & red) 12 oz or 1 glass of 5% beer 1.5 oz of spirituous or a shooter of 40% alcohol (whiskey, vodka, rum, & gin)
Alcohol can however damage your health if you drink up to five servings per day. Regular heavy consumption is harmful and may cause:
Alcoholism, high blood pressure, stroke, breast, bladder, throat and stomach cancer, disorders of central nervous system, cirrhosis of the liver, vitamin and mineral deficiency diseases, asocial relations, death
Each gram of alcohol provides 7 calories. In moderation, alcohol is used as an energy source; however, if your total calories intake for the day is too high, your body will turn the alcohol into fat. Pregnant women should avoid alcohol.
ACTION STEP
Take out a piece of paper. Write down the days you’ve drank alcohol last week. For each day, note how many servings you’ve had (the size of a serving is described above) and check if the daily total is above 2 (for women) or 3 (for men). If so, your drinking is harmful to your health and fat loss.
ACTION STEP REVISITED
If you drink too much, next time you’re about to pop up that 4th beer, think: “what’s more important to me, this beer or losing fat?” Substitute your regular beer with a light beer or plain water. Another trick is to order glasses instead of pints.
*De Oliveira E, Silva ER, Foster D, McGee HM, Seidman CE, Smith JD, Breslow JL, Brinton EA. Alcohol consumption raises HDL cholesterol levels by increasing the transport rate of apolipoproteins AI and AII. Circulation (2000) 102:2347-2352.
Vegetarian diets, is it a good option?
There are 3 types of vegetarian diets:
1. Lacto-ovo vegetarian: person who does not eat animal-based foods, except dairy and eggs.
2. Lacto vegetarian: person who does not eat animal-based foods, except dairy.
3. Vegan: person who does not eat any animal-based foods.
From a nutritional analysis, vegetarianism is not the best choice. The problem is that almost all vegetarian diets lack certain important nutrients, like:
Iron (only in red meat) Vitamin B 12 (only in animal foods) Vitamin D (found in milk with added vitamin D) Calcium (found in milk & dairy products) Zinc (plants poorly absorb zinc) Creatine (only in red meat)
Since some nutrients are found only in animal-based foods, eliminating them from your diet puts you at risk of a shortage. Vegetarians (especially vegans) must be cautious and make sure they get all these nutrients from non-animal foods. In short, it’s a choice that must be carefully thought and planned.
ACTION STEP
Consult The Vegetarian Resource Group if you’re considering vegetarianism.
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