Alcohol...Should I or Should I Not? Getting the Facts.
Alcohol is produced regularly, in small quantities, in our body, through fermentation by micro-organisms in our intestines. It is an alternative source of energy but it lacks vitamins and trace metals(micro-nutrients), found in whole foods. It gives energy but unlike glucose which is stored as glycogen in the liver, there are no such stores for alcohol, that can be called upon, when needed, on quick demand. That is why people talk of 'clearance', which is, in a way, the need to continuously drink to have constant energy supply. It damages the liver and kidney where it is broken down to a more potent toxin, acetaldehyde, which produces reactive oxygen whose effects can be counteracted with vitamin C. Exercise promotes elimination of alcohol through the lungs and sweat. It also promotes alcohol breakdown and detoxification by stimulating metabolism. Food, especially high fiber food like beans, also slows absorption of alcohol, reducing its toxic effects. Eating high fiber f...