“Just stay away from beer this year and you’ll be okay” my mom said many times before she dropped me off at school. As most people know, beer is high in carbohydrates and calories. But are there health benefits along with that?
Everyday Health claims that there are eight ways beer is good for you. Help with inflammation, aid in digestion, cancer prevention, and creating bone strength are just a few of the ways beer is beneficial to your health. There are even institutes for beer research. One study even says that drinking beer causes the good cholesterol to raise. Organic Facts says that it will decrease the odds of suffering from Type 2 diabetes. These are just some of the many benefits that have come up through beer research.
But is it worth the calories? Beer can range anywhere from 70-200 calories a can. So, if someone were to have three beers, their calorie intake could be up to half of the recommended calories for the whole day. Carbs can also reach from 6-24 grams per can. That, again, could be half of your daily carbohydrates. If one were to drink like that every weekend, they would without a doubt gain a substantial amount of weight.
So, after my research, I have come to the conclusion that beer is good in moderation. With all of the health benefits, you would not be smart to not drink it. But, you must look at the amount of calories and maybe try to stick to the light beers. Watch out for a beer belly!
Its funny because my parents said the same things to me when they were dropping me off at school. I believe the main reason freshmen gain the “freshmen fifteen” is because they consume so much alcohol. Like you mentioned in your post, beer can range from 70-200 calories a can. Think about that, most people consume more than one can a beer so you are indulging in a lot of calories. In some countries it is even cheaper to purchase beer than water! Here is an article that talks about countries where beer is cheaper than water.
I had no idea that there were any health benefits from drinking beer… at all. Beer would be my last guess to improve bone strength, or prevent cancer, or decrease the odds of Type 2 diabetes. Beer bellies were the only results that I knew of, that could come from drinking beer- before I read this post. Although after reading it, I now know the approximate calorie intake that can come from drinking a beer- times three. So it is definitely better in moderation…However the next question would be ale or lager- which is healthier ?
It is astonishing the many health benefits of beer that I didn’t know. Beer is one of the most common alcoholic drinks around the world so is is important to look at the benefits that all these people are consuming. Obviously we know that drinking beer in overdoses might lead to many health problems. So as you said I consider that beer should be consumed in complete moderation in order to have access to all of its health benefits.
I had no idea that there were this many health benefits to drinking beer. Most things are okay done in moderation, and I agree that drinking several beers is too many calories. I think drinking it every now and then and weighing the pros and cons can be a good thing to do. Sometimes, without looking at both sides of something we can come to conclusions way too quickly. Usually people just say beer is bad and that’s the end of it, so I find this article very interesting.
Another reason why beer is good for you in moderation is in regards to your Blood Alcohol Content, one of the most important things to take note of!! One thing I was surprised about from your research was the amount of calories found in a can of beer, the fact that it ranged as low as 70. Soda often times has more calories than that, depending on diet or regular. I also had no idea that beer had all of those benefits, like bone strength; I always thought that’s what milk is for!