The Question of Alcohol in you Diet

Alcohol, like caffeine and nicotine, is a drug. As such, it is capable of bringing about serious damage to mind and body when taken over a long period of time. Made from the fermentation of carbohydrates with yeast enzymes, alcohol is rapidly absorbed through the digestive system, affecting coordination of the muscles, nerves, and vision. It also stimulates stomach secretions, inhibits mobilization of lymphocytes so that the body's ability to fight infection is reduced, and causes sludging in the red blood cells, thereby reducing oxygen to the heart and lungs. And it affects the brain, adversely affecting the specific centers that govern self- control, judgment, and personal inhibitions.

Alcohol is a depressant. The transient feeling of well-being that goes with a couple of glasses of whisky or a dry martini—the "lift"—is followed by a series of miseries to which your body is subjected, not the least of which, for a woman, is the effect drinking alcohol has on the liver. And the insidious thing about the detrimental effects which alcohol has on health and beauty is that they occur even to the average social drinker, not just to the serious drinker and the alcoholic.

A joint study by Dr. Charles S. Leiber of the Section of Liver Disease and Nutrition at Bronx Veterans Administration and Dr. Emanuel Rubin of the Department of Pathology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine showed that too much social drinking can cause serious damage to the liver, even though the drinker may feel fine, act normally under the influence of alcohol, and not be an alcoholic. Leiber and Rubim took a group of healthy nonalcoholic volunteers and put them on a carefully controlled eight-day drinking regimen. Then they tested the subjects' livers to see what changes, if any, the alcohol had caused. The amount given to a particular group was considered equivalent to the average intake of a business executive-7 ounces of 86-proof whisky per day for the first four days, 11 ounces for the new two, and then 14 ounces for the last two. The results were surprising: there was an increase in the fat levels in the subjects' liver of from five to thirteen times, all in only eight days, and in spite of the fact that the diet of the subjects had been supplemented with vitamins.

Similar studies have turned up similar results. Researchers have also found that liver-cell damage and the increase in fat in the liver can be reversible if the drinker abstains from alcohol for long enough. But longterm damage to the liver resulting from daily consumption of alcohol over the years can be irreversible. Persistent drinking can also be a precursor not only to specific diseases of the liver such as cirrhosis, but also to other toxic conditions in the body.

Next to the skin, your liver is your body's largest organ. In many ways it is also the most important. One could, for instance, live without a stomach if necessary but never without a liver. It is the body's chemical purifier, performing more than five hundred different functions, many concerned with detoxifying the system from all the drugs, pollutants, and poisons you take in every day, including alcohol. If the liver is overworked or worn out by excess alcohol consumption, eventually and unavoidably your whole body suffers. Biochemists used to believe that excess alcohol was no more damaging to the liver than too much sugar or too much fat in the diet; that the real damage to the liver came only from malnutrition. But these theories have been disproved. Both the quantity of alcohol you drink and the duration of time over which you drink it are important factors in determining liver damage.

Because the liver is responsible either directly or indirectly for controlling levels of many hormones in a woman's body (particularly estrogen), when liver damage occurs as the result of a diet too high in fats or of drug taking or long-term alcoholic consumption, the endocrine balance can be severely upset, leading not only to disruption of the menstrual cycle but also indirectly to feelings of depression, anxiety, and chronic fatigue.

These troubles may have another cause, also related to alcohol. In order to metabolize alcohol, your body calls on its reserve of many B- complex vitamins which act as coenzymes in the process. When one eats foods containing natural concentrations of carbohydrates or sugar, such as grains and fruits, the B-complex vitamins necessary for their proper digestion and assimilation are provided by nature in the foods themselves. But the B-complex vitamins have been discarded in the processing of highly refined sugars and alcohol. So the body's own reserves can easily get depleted when you drink alcohol and eat refined sugars. Results of this depletion are many, the most common of which can be fatigue, a craving for more alcohol or sweets, or diverse emotional complaints from severe premenstrual tension to simple feelings of chronic misery.

These are just some of the reasons why the Lifestyle Diet excludes alcohol in quantities of more than a glass of wine a day. This may seem like a tremendous sacrifice to you if you are used to taking a great deal more, but once you eliminate stimulants such as coffee, tea, and alcohol from your life and begin to experience the enormous sense of well-being that comes with the low fat, low protein, complex carbohydrate diet (and all the other important things that also go with discovering and expressing your potentials mentally and physically, such as deep relaxation and exercise), you will never miss it.

Why the need for supplementation?

Many people would argue that a healthy, balanced and varied eating planshould be sufficient to provide you with all the nutrients you require.

I happen to be one of them. I firmly believe that you should receive all your nutrients from your daily foods. That is why my eating plans are brimful of Nature's bounty. I know for a fact that a well-nourished, healthy body will shed weight successfully and maintain that reduced weight and that optimum, balanced nutrition is the most important factor in this process.

But everything is not what it seems.

Our nutrients succumb to all kinds of robbers and thieves. For starters, there are the unavoidable hazards: factory, vehicle and water pollution and cigarette smoke; food processing and additives; poor food quality, Then the stress factor and its presumed antidotes enter the equation: sugary nibbles, medication and excess alcohol, Let's examine more closely the effects of these everyday hazards on our nutrient reserves.

1. Stress steals nutrition

Some researchers claim that a fit of anger (such as losing your temper and banging your head against the steering wheel of your car in a traffic jam) can 'steal' as much as 3 grams of vitamin C from your reserves.

Whether this claim is accurate or not, one thing is certain: stress robs you of your nutrients, It causes a skyrocketing of nutritional needs and vitamins C and B (particularly pantothenate) are withdrawn from the body at an alarming rate. Minerals are also withdrawn from your body under stress and should be replenished as they are withdrawn. But the average Ms Executive (whether taking care of a corporation or a household) who endures stress week in and week out, year after year, is not likely to consider eating bucketsful of fresh fruit and vegetables after each stressful incident! And if she does, where will she find the freshest and most wholesome foods, free from pesticides, fungicides, antibiotics and steroids?

In our modern society nobody can be assured of that any more. If you experience daily stress, you need a supplement.

2. Tobacco, drinks and drugs deplete nutrients

Using any form of drugs or alcohol invariably takes its toll on your nutritional reserves. For every healing or preventative benefit that allopathic (prescribed) drugs mayoffer, there is usually a trade-off as far as nutrients are concerned. Some medications (or alcohol) create a vitamin or mineral deficiency by either blocking their absorption, speeding up their excretion or otherwise interfering with the metabolism.

If you are on medication, smoke or drink alcohol regularly, you are likely to be in need of a supplement.

Indifference - the biggest enemy? continue...

Colon cancer update

Some recent findings to do with the prevention of colon cancer (one of the most common cancers) are heartening. Studies on human beings have shown that including less fat and more fibre in one's dietprobably lessens the presence of `mutagens' (substances which can promote the development of cancer) in the bowel contents.

A recent four-year study in the USA also produced interesting results. The subjects of the research were a series of patients with 'familial adenomatous polyposis'. This refers to a segment of the population with bowel polyps which are particularly prone to become cancerous. (Polyps are growths with a pedicle or stem which usually develop on mucous membranes.) These patients were put on a high fibre diet (about 22g of fibre daily compared with the usual daily intake of about 12g), the extra fibre being provided by commercial bran cereal. In all the patients, a regression or shrinking of the polyps resulted - an outcome which was regarded as very promising by the US National Cancer Institute.

Also interesting is the fact that elderly blacks examined in the Department of Gastroenterology at Baragwanath Hospital, Soweto, showed no evidence of polyps; indeed their bowels had the appearance and elasticity of that of white teenagers! Among old rural blacks, colon cancer is extremely rare and even among urban dwellers, its occurrence is only a tenth of that found in elderly whites. The significance seems to be that the diets of these people are generallymuch higher in fibre and lower in fat than those of their white counterparts.

Eating to combat cancer - a day's sample menu**

* Breakfast: Cereals (such as All-Bran flakes or Weet-Bix), or oatmeal porridge, with milk and sugar

* Orange juice, a poached egg on brown (preferably wholewheat) toast and a couple of slices of tomato

Tea or coffee

* Lunch: 2 or 3 slices of brown or wholewheat bread with margarine,cottage cheese, salad (eg lettuce, celery, raw carrot), an apple or a banana

Tea or coffee

Dinner: Fish or chicken (not fried), brown rice, baked or newpotatoes, a green vegetable, baked beans, gem squash and a brown roll

Stewed or canned fruit (eg pineapple) and yoghurt

**This suggested menu provides about 30% of energy from fat and about 20-25g dietary fibre.

The alcohol/cancer link

Too much alcohol is a risk factor for the development of several cancers, especially of the liver, oesophagus, lung, pancreas and rectum. But here again, little notice has been taken of calls to cut down and levels of consumption are still rising, not only in many Western populations but in all Third World urban populations as well.

What is a reasonable or safe alcohol intake? For the majority of consumers there is no health problem, since it is considered that the majority of people who drink do so moderately and never experience any harmful effects. The crucial question is: What is a sensible limit? The liver burns up one standard drink (a half pint of beer, a glass ofwine, a measure of whisky) in an hour. With this in mind, the following safe allowances have been put forward:

For men, four to six standard drinks, two or three times a week. Or, at most, from 18 to 20 standard drinks weekly. For women, two or three standard drinks, two or three times a week or, at most, 9 to 13 standard drinks weekly.

These recommendations (endorsed by World Health 1985) were set out by the London Health Education Council in a booklet titled 'That's the Limit: a Guide to Sensible Drinking'. The reason why the limits for women are lower than for men is twofold: firstly, in men, water makes up 55-65°/o of body weight and in women, 45-55%, therefore alcohol is more diluted in men than in women; secondly, alcohol is potentially more noxious in women than in men.

Smoking and cancer

Smoking is believed to be responsible, directly or indirectly, for about a third of total cancers. It increases the risk of certain diet-related cancers such as breast cancer, but appears to have little influence with others, such as cancer of the prostate. In many Western populations there has been a major decrease in cigarette smoking among men, although far less so among women. In the USA, current frequencies are 32% for men, but 26% for women. Nowadays more young women than young men smoke, and today's female smoker is a heavier onethan yesterday's!

In Third World countries, tobacco use is rapidly increasing - in African populations, consumption has doubled in the last 10 years. So the dismal view is that all tobacco-related cancers, especially lung cancer, will almost certainly increase in the years to come.

Drugs that cause increased excretion of nutrients

Diuretics are frequently taken to correct oedema (water retention) which results from a medical disorder. While they are successful in reducing the excess water level in the body, they also result in the excretion of larger amounts of potassium and magnesium. Patients being treated on a regular basis with thiazide diuretics should therefore increase their intake of foods which are high in potassium such as bananas, orange juice and potatoes.

Alcohol as a drug

Alcohol is regarded as both a drug and a food, since it supplies 29 kilojoules per gram. Because it has mood-altering effects and interferes with the absorption, metabolism and excretion of certain drugs and nutrients, it should possibly be treated with more respect than is usually the case. The reason why the effects of alcohol are felt so swiftly is that it takes a direct route into the system, traveling via the stomach to the small intestine, from where it is quickly absorbed into the blood. A small amount evaporates through the breath and perspiration, but most of it has to be processed by the liver before it isexcreted from the body via the urine.

A regular, excessive alcohol intake decreases the absorption of folic acid, thiamin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, magnesium, zinc and other trace minerals. High alcohol consumption also tends to go hand in hand with a general decrease in food intake. Alcohol is used as a base in many over-the-counter medications and, ironically, some addicts find all-night chemists a useful secondbest after closing time at the pub!

When combined with the use of other drugs, alcohol can cause serious complications. This is because alcohol itself is a powerful drug and generally speaking, when two or more drugs are taken at the same time they often have a different (and more pronounced) effect than either produces on its own. In addition, if they both act on the same system in the body, their combined effect is often more powerful than might be expected. For example:

• In combination with barbiturates: Both alcohol and phenobarbital (a barbiturate) are depressants. When taken together, even at very low doses, these drugs may increase central nervous system depression and can be fatal.
• In combination with aspirin: Alcohol tends to irritate the stomach lining; when taken in combination with aspirin, which is also an irritant, it can cause internal bleeding.

Other medication: When alcohol is consumed with some antidepressants (ie monoamine-oxidase inhibitors) it may increase blood pressure to a dangerous level. Alcohol combined with antialcohol (Antabuse), antidiabetic and many other medications can lead to abdominal cramps, flushing and vomiting.

Drugs in disguise

Many of us know people who imbibe tea made with loquat leaves for their diabetes, or swear by certain home-brewed herbal mixtures for a multitude of ills. It would certainly be unrealistic to assume that drugs come only in the form of pills or potions created in a laboratory - the early use of the poppy for its narcotic effects is well known - but there are considerable advantages to obtaining one's medication from a pharmacist and not from the garden. These include the fact that the quantity of a compound can be controlled in a pill but not in a leaf, the question of year-round availability and, not least, the convenience.

Some foods are well-known for their adverse drug effects. Liquorice, for example, contains a compound which can cause raised blood pressure if eaten in quantity by people sensitive to this particular substance. Another interesting example (although not of local relevance) is a type of broad bean known as a lava bean' which has a drug-like effect in certain people. Some members of the population in Mediterranean countries have a metabolic defect which causes jaundice, blood in the urine and other symptoms if they eat this variety of bean.

Dietary Water & Beverages Intake

Dietary Recommendations and Implementation: Water

In addition to foods containing water, the average adult needs about two quarts of water every day. Water intake must be increased even more for active people and those in hot environments.

Beverages other than water are a part of many diets. These beverages can have an effect on good health.

Coffee, tea, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages are often substituted for water in the diet. Coffee (with caffeine) consumption has been associated with modest increases in blood cholesterol and in some people can cause symptoms such as irregular heartbeat. Tea has not been shown to have similar effects, though this may be because test drinkers typically consume less volume than coffee drinkers. Both beverages contain caffeine as do many soft drinks, though drip coffee typically contains two to three times the caffeine of a typical cola drink.

Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages can have negative health implications because the alcohol often replaces many of the ten "key nutrients." Excessive alcohol consumption is associated with the increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and osteoporosis. Long-term, excessive alcoholic beverage consumption leads to cirrhosis of the liver, and the increased risk of hepatitis and cancer. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can result in low birth weight, fetal alcoholism, and other damage to the fetus.

Dietary Recommendation and Implementation: Beverages

Servings of coffee, tea, and soft drinks should not be considered as substitutes for water and/or other beverages or foods such as low-fat milk, fruit juices, or foods rich in calcium, which provide sources of key nutrients.

Daily servings of beverages containing caffeine should be limited to three or less.

For good health, alcohol consumption is not recommended, but for those who drink them, a limit of one ounce of alcohol per day is recommended (one ounce equals two beers, small wine drinks or average size cocktails).

Alcohol Consumption After Exercise

Many people advise against the consumption of alcohol and caffeine containing beverages when fluid replacement is desired because they have been shown, at least in some circumstances, to act as diuretics. However, it is obvious that many people enjoy consuming these types of beverages in many circumstances.

We therefore undertook a study to investigate the effect of consuming alcohol after exercise in the heat sufficient to induce dehydration equivalent to 2.01 (0.06)% of body mass. Over a 60 minute period beginning 30 minutes after the end of exercise, subjects consumed a volume equivalent to 150% of their mass loss of drinks containing 0, l, 2 or 4% alcohol; the drink composition was identical in all other respects.

The volume of urine produced and excreted for the 6 hours after drink ingestion was measured and was found to be related to the quantity of alcohol consumed, with a larger volume the more alcohol that was consumed (table 14.3). However, despite the definite tendency for the urinary output to increase with increasing alcohol, only with the 4% beverage did the increased value approach significance.

The calculated decrease in plasma volume with dehydration was about 7.6% across all trials. With rehydration the plasma volume increased, but the rate of increase seemed to be related to the quantity of alcohol consumed; at the end of the study period, the mean (SD) increase in plasma

Volume of drink consumed and fraction of fluid retained 6 hours after ingestion of drink of various alcoholic strengths (0, 1, 2, or 4%). Values are mean (SD)

Measure	0%		1%		2%		4%
Drink volume (ml) Fraction of fluid retained (%)	2178 59.3	(191) (15.7)	2240 53.1	(147) (11.0)	2275 50.0	(154) (16.2)	2155 40.7	(125) (13.7)

volume relative to the dehydrated value was 8.l (3.2)% with 0% alcohol, 7.4 (2.7)% with l%, 6.0 (3.4)% with 2%, and 5.3 (3.4)% with 4%.

Ten Ways to Cut Calories

Reading food labels

• Eating measured portions slowly from plates
• Employing healthy cooking techniques

A food's fat content is important, but when it comes to weight loss, total calories are more important. So many of the lowfat products on the market aren't calorie reduced. For example, 2 tablespoons of reduced-fat peanut butter have the same number of calories as the regular kind. And replacing a tablespoon of butter on a bagel with 2 tablespoons of jelly eliminates the fat but doesn't change the number of calories. In this chapter, you can find some calorie-cutting tricks to live by.

Paying Attention to the Nutrition Facts

Seemingly healthy foods can be surprising sources of calories and fat, so make sure to check out the details on the Nutrition Facts panel on the food label. A container of ramen noodles, for example, packs 15 grams of fat and 400 calories; a bran muffin can top 10 grams of fat and 250 calories. Portion sizes can be deceptively small, too. A serving of sugar-sweetened iced tea contains 60 calories, but each bottle often contains two servings. And a serving of ice cream or other frozen dessert is a skimpy %z cup.

Limiting Alcohol

Alcohol, although fat-free, delivers 7 calories per gram or about 70 calories per ounce (2 tablespoons). The higher the proof, the more calories alcohol has: 80-proof alcohol averages 65 calories per ounce, and 100-proof alcohol comes in at 85 calories per ounce. The average light beer or 5-ounce glass of wine contains about 100 calories. A typical regular beer has about 150 calories. And don't forget, usually the nibbles served with alcohol are high in calories.In addition to the calorie wallop, alcohol whittles away your resolve to stay in control of your eating. And any cardiac benefits you may derive from drinking, such as that seen in men who drink a daily glass of red wine, are not nearly as important as those you derive from weight loss and exercise.

Switching to Smatter Plates

Serve yourself on a salad-size plate, about 8 inches in diameter, rather than on a dinner plate, which is typically 10 to 12 inches in diameter. Your portion sizes will be closer to those suggested in the Food Guide Pyramid (see Chapter 9) and more in tune with the number of calories you should be eating.

Asking for the Kid Size

It may seem like a bargain, but is an extra 240 calories for 39 cents really a good way to spend your calorie budget? That's the difference between a small order of fries and a large one. Kid-size popcorn at most movie theaters contains 150 calories, but a large size can top 1,000 without the butter-flavored topping. A child-size soda (8 ounces) has about 95 calories; a large soda measuring 36 ounces or more contains at least 400.

Eating Proper Portion Sizes

Nibbling from packages of crackers and shaving "tastes" from the brownie pan or forkfuls of cake from the platter can add up to plenty of calories and more than you think you've eaten. Portion out everything you eat onto a plate or into a small bowl and put the package or pan away.

Use measuring cups and spoons to portion out a serving onto your dinnerware. Study and memorize how it looks. What does %z cup of ice cream look like in your dessert dishes? One cup of whole-wheat cereal in your breakfast bowl? One cup of pasta on your dinner plate? Five ounces of wine in your stemware? You can mark your dinnerware and glassware with a dot or dash of nail polish to remind yourself. If you have oversized dinnerware, use the salad or dessert plates. You may even consider buying a luncheon set, which has smaller plates.

Dining in the Dining Room

When you bring plates to the table already filled, you won't be tempted to pick from serving bowls and platters in front of you. You're also forced to go out of your way for seconds and thus have the chance to reconsider. An added benefit: Because you don't have to dirty serving bowls and platters, you have fewer dishes to wash.

Eating Slowly

Your brain takes a full 20 minutes to register the fact that your stomach is full. Try putting your fork down and taking a sip of water between bites. Chew your food well and don't load up your fork or spoon until you swallow what's in your mouth. Doing so enables you to more easily recognize when you're full.

Filing Up on Plant Food

Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains without butter, dressings, or sauces take up stomach space, leaving less room for denser, high-calorie foods. They also take more time to chew and eat. Consider the fact that a teeny little pat of butter has as many calories as 3 cups of broccoli or that a 1-inch cube (1 ounce) of cheddar cheese has the same number of calories as 1 cup - that's 8 ounces - of bran flakes.

Switching to Low fat Dairy Products

Dairy is one place where going with the reduced-fat, lowfat, or fat-free variety makes sense, because the calories are significantly reduced in the lowfat version. For example, an 8-ounce glass of whole milk contains 150 calories, but the same amount of fat-free (skim) milk has only 85. One ounce of regular cheddar cheese has 114 calories, but reduced-fat and lowfat varieties contain 80 and 49 calories, respectively.

Note one exception, however: Dairy products, such as ice cream and flavored yogurt that are marketed as reduced-fat, lowfat, or fat-free often contain added sugar to make up for the loss of flavor and texture that fat provides. Don't be fooled into thinking that they provide fewer calories, too. Always check the calorie content on the Nutrition Facts panel of the food label.

Remembering That Duff Is Better

Not dull as in boring, but dull as in not shiny. At the salad bar, shiny means a thick coating of oily (high-calorie) salad dressing. Vegetables that shimmer usually have butter added to them. Muffins that leave a grease slick on your napkin have more calories than ones that don't. Bread or rolls that are slick with butter. .. you get the idea.

Cooking Meats with Methods That

Broil, barbecue, bake (on a rack), or braise meats, and you save many calories over frying, sautéing, and stewing, because the fat (and therefore its calories) has a chance to drip away from the meat.

Cooking chicken and other poultry with the skin on and removing it after it's been cooked is fine, because the meat absorbs little of the fat but stays moist.