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Human Nutrition – Phytonutrients, Carbohydrate, fat and protein
Phytonutrients The importance of antioxidants is highlighted in the California pyramid, with the baseline here occupied by foodstuffs, notably fruits and vegetables, which are rich in these and other ‘phytonutrients’ (i.e. plant-derived nutrients). People living on plant-rich diets generally ...
Basics of Human Nutrition (alcohol) – Energy
Energy The main sources of energy for the human body are carbohydrates, fats and proteins. However, we must stress that alcohol is a source of energy. Energy in food is quanti ed on the basis of calories, one calorie being de ned as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram...
Dieting and Beer – Impacts on behavior
Impacts on behavior I am aware of a city that was proud recently to vote in a new ordinance prohibiting the possession of open containers of alcoholic beverages in public places. It was argued that this would preserve some social ideal, denying rabble rousers and itinerant panhandlers the oppor...
Basics of Human Nutrition – Introduction
If we are to make reasoned judgements on the interrelationship of beer and human health, then it is important that we consider the key elements of nutrition. Essentially our bodies require, in the correct balance, the key nutrients for healthy functioning and development. Additionally the diet sh...
Dieting and Beer – But what about addiction?
But what about addiction? So many fear addiction. The former First Lady, Betty Ford, said in 1991 that alcohol was the number one addictive drug in the US. Yet the fact is that by far the majority of people who enjoy alcohol don’t feel a compulsion to drink and don’t suffer from withdrawal, w...
Dieting and Beer: What is moderation?
What is moderation? It is common for those writing on the topic of alcohol and health to refer to ‘moderation’. What is it exactly? In the Second Special Report to Congress on Alcohol and Health from the National Institute on Alcohol and Health in 1974, some definitions of drinking habits wer...
Getting beer into perspective
Drunkenness is neither pretty nor conscionable in anybody. It is socially unacceptable, ugly and dangerous. Stuttaford (1997) tells of how medical students memorize the various stages of drunkenness: ‘dry and decent, delighted and devilish, delinquent and disgusting, dizzy and delirious, dazed ...
Beer: a vice or a staple part of the diet?
Were we able to transport ourselves back to the Middle Ages and enquire in England, Flanders, Bavaria or Bohemia about the key features of the popular diet, ale or beer would unquestioningly and unhesitatingly be listed alongside meat, bread, milk and vegetables. The questioner would be regarded ...
Beer as Part of the Diet
Beer has been drunk for more than 6000 years, from the time that it was rst made by happenstance in the middle age of ancient times (Bamforth 2003). Ever since, it has become a staple part of the diet in many cultures. Furthermore, it has not only comprised a valuable addition to the table, but [...
