With the litany of alcoholic beverages glittering all over advertising spaces, it seems only pets and babies are void of their alcoholic choice.
By Amanda Ngude
Booze is called poison not as a cute nickname because at the end of the day, that’s what it is.
But just like all crutches, you can find one that works better for you. Even gender, weight and age can play a significant factor in what alcohol works best for you. For instance, nutritionists all agree anything requiring an energy drink is toxic.
“Energy drinks are extremely high in caffeine and this is bad for your heart,” says nutritionist Katlego Motsoaledi.
“The best thing is to stay away from drinks that have energy drinks as an ingredient by all means possible. And that goes all bod types, gender and age brackets.”
With that out of the way, food and beverage manager Ishmael Ndlovu says be wary of fancy-looking drinks like cocktails, ciders and rose wines. “Most of these drinks have a high volume of ingredients like sugar, food colourants, food perfume and sometimes caffeine,” he warns. “All these ingredients determine how you handle your alcohol.”
Handling refers to how you behave after drinking. Things like retching, dancing, fighting and getting depressed are all culmination of ingredients in your drink.
Doctors also warn that all alcohol is even more dangerous if the drinker does not eat enough and drink enough water before, during and after drinking alcohol.
“Ethanol, which is the most active alcoholic property, is a high dehydrant. It’s just like coffee in that it evaporates them. You also lose water with every visit to the toilet.” says Dr Thabile Mlungwana.
“So, you need to replenish this water loss with every drink you take.”
Drinks like beer and red wine have always been hailed as safer options but they are not without their own flipside. Red wine in particular, well-known for its health benefits, is also a dehydrant which can accelerate weight gain unless you take it in strict moderation. A glass of beer, on the other side, has been compared to a loaf of bread in terms of the calories it contains. There is also the acid and foam to consider. For the drinker with a more discerning taste, whiskey is a popular option. But how healthy is it?
“For those alcohol enthusiasts who aren’t looking to gain a beer belly, whiskey is a great choice. It contains no carbohydrates and virtually no sugar,” according to medicaldaily.com.
“It also contains the least amount of calories compared to beer and most wines.” So, the verdict is, you are better off drinking whiskey, red wine or beer if the chips are down.
“Drinks like Sangria, vodka and brandy are not for older or younger drinkers as they tend to require a certain measurement of ingredients otherwise, they can be extremely toxic,” says Ndlovu.
According to medical.com, everyone has a genetic make-up that agrees better with certain drinks.
“It starts from the taste. Once a drink’s taste overwhelms your senses through sugary, sourness or bitterness taste, be sure it might be bad for you.” warns Ndlovu.
“Also, people of slimmer stature need to take their drinks in moderation.” The other way we are asked to base our drink selection decision on is in the way our bodies react to different drinks.
Any drink that gives you insomnia, bad breath, dehydration, headache the following day is likely to give you long-term health problems like tooth decay, liver disease, weight gain, acne, depression, hair loss etc. But all in all, it seems alcohol consumption, although purely a recreational past time, it does not leave your body without its indentation.
