Food for Thought: A history…
One Bourbon, One Pinot, One Beer
Alcohol. Many of us consume it and its history is long and intertwined with our (human) evolution. Fermented beverages have been made for thousands of years using fruit juice, grain and honey. The Greeks made beverages from honey and water and the Babylonians worshiped a wine goddess as early as 2700 B.C. India was distilling an alcoholic beverage from rice as early as 2000-3000 B.C.
Alcohol in the sixteenth century were referred to as “spirits” and were mostly used for medicinal purposes. In the eighteenth century, the British parliament passed a law for the use of grain for distilling, and inexpensive spirits began flooding the market. By the mid-eighteenth century, Gin consumption reached 18-million gallons in Britain! Alcoholism was becoming widespread, and the nineteenth century saw a change in attitudes and a movement began to moderate the use of alcohol—which eventually became the push for prohibition. In 1920, the United States passed a constitutional ban on the importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages, which lasted until 1933. Some research suggested that during this period of Prohibition, consumption declined, as well as rates of cirrhosis, infant mortality, and alcoholic psychosis. Alcoholic drinks are typically divided into three classes: beers, wines, and spirits.
Bourbon is a type of whisky. All bourbon is whisky, but not all whisky is bourbon. Bourbon is thought to be America’s Native Spirit. It is primarily made from corn and, despite being “American,” the name is derived from the French Bourbon dynasty. There are those who argue the name comes from Bourbon County in Kentucky, or Bourbon Street in New Orleans—however, those are both named after the Bourbon dynasty. In 1964, the United States Congress recognized Bourbon as a “distinctive product of the United States.” It must be produced in the U.S. from at least 51% corn and stored in new containers of charred oak barrels. Bourbon is one of the “youngest” spirits, as it has only been distilled since the 18th century.
Beer is typically made from water, grain, hops, and yeast, and we can thank Germany’s Reinheitsgenot—or purity law—from 1516 for limiting the ingredients in beer. Alcohol content ranges from less than 3% to 40%. The combination of grains, yeast, and hops contribute to carbohydrates, a small amount of vitamin B, and potassium. Some believe that beer is a great post-work out recovery tool, but without a reformulation, beer most likely does not have enough electrolytes and carbs to do our bodies any good after exercise.
Wine is typically made from fermented grape juice. Different styles of wines result from the varieties of grapes and strains of yeast. It is theorized that wine has been produced for thousands of years—there is evidence from Iran in 5000 BC, China in 7000 BC, and Sicily as early as 4000 BC. Many of us have heard that a glass of red wine is “good for us”. Studies have shown that about 150ml of red wine a day lowers the risk of heart disease by 32%.
Unlike other consumables in the U.S., the FDA does not require nutrition facts on alcoholic beverages, making it difficult to understand how much an alcoholic beverage could impact your caloric intake. All alcoholic beverages, whether wine, beer, or spirits, have some combination of alcohol calories, sugar calories and sometimes even fat calories. On average, one 12oz can of beer is about 154 calories, whereas one 5oz glass of wine averages approximately 123 calories. For 1oz of whisky, you’re looking at around 70 calories.
Take, for example, that you are a nightly red wine-drinker (maybe with dinner)—if you have the recommended 5oz glass during the week, you are adding at least 615 calories per week to your diet. This is does not factor in the occasional glass out on weekends or if you decide to top off your glass at dinner. To burn off that extra 615 calories you’d have to do about 540 burpees a week!
It’s important to remember that nutrition plays a huge role in long term health. The best way to see physical results is a combination of a balanced diet and exercise. If you are hitting a plateau or feel like you should be seeing more results it might be time to evaluate where extra calories are sneaking into your daily diet.