Are You Getting Enough Beer?

Like your mother probably told you- everything in moderation. Although, it turns out, that this advice also applies to your drinking habits. The good news is that if you drink 1-2 glasses of beer a day, you have a better chance of being healthy later on in life! In fact, you have a better chance of being healthy than your tea-totalling neighbor who likes to eyeball your recycling bin chock full of beer bottles. You heard it here first! Not drinking is NOT healthy!! A recent study shows that a group of moderate drinkers age 65 and over were able to be more active, and perform more rigorous tasks than people in the same age group who drank a lot or not at all! Maybe I should be reviewing other people's empty recycling bins with equal indignation! Perhaps, like a Jehova, I should be knocking on people's doors on recycling day to preech the gospel of beer. "Excuse me", I would say, "I noticed you haven't been drinking enough recently. I'd like to talk with you about how drinking more beer will make you a healthier person." This would beat a copy of the Watch Tower every time!

Although the consensus is that drinking 1-2 glasses of any type of alcohol is ultimately beneficial, I like to think beer is a better choice. It's time for those red wine snobs to make room in the spotlight! Quality beer, especially bottle conditioned types, has many nutritional benefits from living yeast, vitamin A, vitamins B6, B2, B1, and trace minerals chromium, potassium, iron. And let's not forget hops either. The medicinal value of hops has been known for centuries: it is anti-inflammatory, anti-stress, and, like red wine, contains anti-oxidant compounds. Beer has a lot more to offer than that shot of JD for sure. Women have also reported a very hoppy beer like a IPA, helps with symptoms of PMS! You hear that gentlemen? When was the last time you offered your wife a quality beer? It could actually do more for you than a lousy bouquet of flowers.

Where, you ask, did all these pearls of wisdom originate? Well, those crafty Belgians have come up with yet another good idea: a whole website devoted to beer and health related issues! The site, http://www.beerandhealth.com/, is run by physician/journalist Dr. Marleen Finoulst, and sponsored by the professional federation of Belgian Brewers. You just have to love Belgium!

Here is a list of fast beer substitutions that will improve your health!

1. Skip the gym and drink a beer: moderate beer drinkers statistically weigh less overall than people who don't drink. They also have lower levels of triglycerides (bad cholesterol) than non-drinkers
2. Skip the soda and drink a beer: a regular sized soda contains twice the calories as a beer of similar size!
3. Skip the tofu and drink a beer: some beers containing hops are as good a source of favorable estrogens as soybeans
4. Skip the chocolate bunny and drink a beer: a person who consumes the same amount of calories from beer vs. the same amount of calories from chocolate will not gain as much weight! (Sorry about this Ms. Yum Yum!)