116: The Impact of Alcohol on Health, and How to Calculate a Standard Drink, with Kathleen Zelman, MS, RDN

Have you ever wondered how much impact beer, wine, and spirits have on your health and longevity? The US Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting the number of alcoholic beverages we consume, but that can be pretty confusing. How do we even know how much alcohol is considered moderate and how much is too much? Or if we’re offered a cocktail at a party, how do we know how much alcohol is in it? My friend, and fellow dietician, Kathleen Zelman is joining us today to answer all those questions and tell us how moderate alcohol consumption can affect our health. She will also explain how alcohol can sabotage our well-being and longevity. Kathleen Zelman is a food, nutrition, and media communications consultant, co-host of the new podcast, True Health Revealed, and owner of No Nonsense Nutrition. Kathleen helped launch WebMD and spent seventeen years as their Director of Nutrition. Kathleen has received many awards throughout her career, including the prestigious Lenna Frances Cooper Memorial Award from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in recognition of her distinguished career and remarkable contributions to the dietetics profession.  Kathleen is also a consultant for the Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUS), so she is savvy on the subject of alcohol. She is here to give us the scoop on alcohol and talk about a new online calculator designed to help us figure out how much alcohol we are drinking. We will also share some snazzy ideas for cocktails and mocktails!

Show highlights:

• Kathleen is excited about her new podcast that launched in January! She and her co-host, Dr. Tom Rifai, are doing it on behalf of the True Health Initiative, a non-profit organization that wants to ensure that they get information to consumers, translate science, and give consumers evidence-based facts. 
• Dr. Eric Rimm, a Harvard professor and true expert on alcohol, was on Kathleen’s podcast. He said it's okay to have a glass of wine now and then. 
• What does moderation mean for men and women, and how does that translate into beer, wine, and spirits?
• To find out what up to one drink per day looks like, go to www.standarddrinks.org to find a calculator. One standard drink is one and a half ounces of 80-proof spirits, a 12-ounce bottle of regular 5% alcohol beer, or five ounces of 12% volume wine.
• An exercise to do at home is to measure five ounces of wine and pour it into different glasses to see what a standard drink looks like.
• Become aware of what you are drinking and what the alcohol content is. Most wines have 12% alcohol, but some have much higher alcohol content- 15 or 16%.
• Most ready-to-drink canned cocktails are 12 ounces and have 5% alcohol content. However, some brands could contain up to 8 or 10% alcohol, so make sure you know how concentrated they are before drinking them. The information is on the label.
• Get to know how much you are drinking using the standard drinks calculator. Kathleen explains how it works.
• Having too many drinks in a row or drinking too quickly is considered binge drinking. It is always best to moderate your drinking or have your drinks with food.
• Why does one type of alcohol impact some people more than another? 
• If your face becomes flushed after drinking, it is your body telling you to slow down. It means you are not tolerating the alcohol.
• Kathleen discusses the potential health benefits of drinking in moderation, whether or not there is any truth to the French paradox, and how drinking too much alcohol can sabotage your health.
• Kathleen lists the people who should not consume alcohol at all. 
• Some tips to help you enjoy alcohol, reap the health benefits and make your drink last longer. 
• A standard drink contains roughly 150 calories. Calories add up, so try to use low-calorie mixers, like club soda, and DON’T drink with a straw!
• Kathleen enjoys a tall vodka soda with a splash of cranberry and a wedge of lime. Her latest favorite is the Aperol Spritz- a serving of prosecco over lots of ice with a splash of Aperol and a wedge of lime. 
• Kathleen and I share some recipes for mocktails. They are a good option for a “dry January” or taking a break from alcohol.
• Blue zones are hot spots in various places in the world where people live particularly long and healthy lives. One of the common denominators in all the blue zones is moderate alcohol consumption.
• Kathleen talks about the Distilled Spirits Council of the US (DISCUS) and explains what you will find on the DISCUS website.  

Resources:

The standard drinks calculator 

The Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUS) website is called Standard Drinks.Org

 

Liz’s Links: 

My website: www.lizshealthytable.com  

My email: [email protected] 

 

Mocktail Recipe:

Pomegranate Winter Spiced Mocktail (Serves 2)

Place a cup of 100% pomegranate juice, a cup of 100% orange juice, some cloves, star anise, and a cinnamon stick in a small saucepan. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes, and then allow it to cool. 

Pour it into a tall glass filled with ice, and garnish it with some orange slices or a wedge of orange. You can also add a sprig of mint. Or stretch it by adding some sparkling water.