Alcohol, Energy and Diet

Recreational alcohol intake is a prevalent activity both globally and locally, and alcohol energy can be a contributing factor to weight gain if not compensated for. However, many drinkers may not be aware that alcohol has a high energy content. Indeed, alcohol consumption has probably contributed to the excess energy intake associated with weight gain in some individuals.

Alcohol and Obesity

Carrying 7kcal per gram, alcohol is extremely calorific, second only to fat. It is almost twice as many calories as carbohydrates e.g. sugar or proteins do (both contain 4kcal/g). A 330ml can of regular beer of 5% alcohol by volume contains about 13 grams of alcohol. Only taking alcohol (the major calorie content) into consideration, assuming a person drinks 2 cans of beer every day for 3 months, the amount of energy gained from the alcohol intake will be approximately 16500kcal, which is equivalent to approximately 5lbs of fat tissue.

Moreover, people usually drink beer or other alcoholic beverages together with snack foods, such as peanuts, potato chips, etc. These fatty snacks will further contribute to excess weight gain. Excessive fat will accumulate in various parts of the body, particularly around the belly, resulting in "central obesity". People with central obesity are at higher risk of developing conditions such as coronary heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, and certain cancers. Therefore, people who drink alcoholic beverages, be it beer, wine, spirits or other types of alcohol, should be aware of the associated health risks.

Cooking with Alcohol

In Chinese cooking, wine is sometimes used to marinate food, or to add flavours to dishes. It is commonly believed that alcohol can cook out of food as alcohol is relatively volatile. A study by the United States Department of Agriculture however discovered that common cooking methods cannot completely get rid of alcohol from food; the amount of alcohol remaining after cooking was in the range of 4%-85%.¹

Although the alcohol left in food after cooking is negligible in amount, it can contribute to obesity and, in a sense, even cancer. For a healthier diet, you can use more natural and fresh spices and ingredients for seasoning, such as ginger, garlic, spring onion, onion, trace amount of pepper, lemon, orange, vinegar and herbs to replace wine and other alcoholic beverages.