Beer : Health and Nutrition

The Composition of Beer in Relation to Nutrition and Health 103
Table 5.5 A comparison of beer with other foodstuffs – energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate and fibre.
Food Size of serving (weight or
volume)
Energy
(kcal)
Protein
(g)
conclusions concerning the impact of alcohol on body mass index (BMI): those which
say there is a positive correlation, those saying that there is a negative correlation, and
those claiming no correlation whatsoever. It seems that in many of the studies confounding
factors have not been taken into consideration, including physical activity,
tobacco use and other lifestyle attributes. Jacobsen and Thelle (1987) refute the notion
of the ‘beer belly’ with their demonstration of a negative correlation between BMI and
beer intake. Incidentally BMI is de ned as weight in kg/(height in metres) 2 or [weight
in pounds/(height in inches) 2 ] × 703. Overweight is de ned as a BMI of 25–29.9, and
obesity is a BMI of > 30. For those with a BMI > 30 the all-causes risk of mortality is
50–100% higher than for those with a BMI between 20 and 25.
Alcohol consumption bears an inverse relationship to sugar use (Kubler 1990). In
fact most studies suggest that at moderate levels alcohol is itself ef ciently used as a
Fat
(g)
Carbohydrate
(g)
Fibre
(g)
Beer* UK pint (568 mL) 250 2.8 0 16 ca. 1
Light beer UK pint (568 mL) 158 0 9
Cola 12 uid ounces (355 mL) 152 0 0 38 0
Milk 1 cup 150 8 8 11 0
Tea (black) 6 uid ounces (178 mL) 2 0 0 1 0
Coffee (black) 6 uid ounces (178 mL) 4 0 0 1 0
Wine, white 5 uid ounces (148 mL) 100 0 1 0
Wine, red 5 uid ounces (148 mL) 106 0 2 0
Whisky (80 Proof) 1.5 uid ounces (44 mL) 97 0 0 0
Apple 1 medium 81 0 0 21 4
Banana 1 medium 109 1 1 28 3
Cabbage, cooked 0.5 cup 17 1 0 3 2
Carrot, cooked 0.5 cup 35 1 0 8 3
Lettuce, Iceberg 1 cup 7 1 0 1 1
Tomato 1 medium 26 1 0 6 1
Potato, baked 1 220 5 0 51 5
Bread, white 1 slice 67 2 1 12 1
Corn akes 1 cup 102 2 0 24 1
Spaghetti, cooked 0.5 cup 99 3 0 20 1
Sirloin steak, broiled 3 ounces (85 g) 229 23 14 0
Pork sausage, cooked 3 ounces 314 17 27 1
Chicken breast, roasted 3 ounces 141 27 3 0
Egg, raw 1 large 75 6 5 1
Cod, cooked (dry) 3 ounces 89 19 1 0
Cheese. Cheddar 1.5 ounces 171 11 14 1 0
Chocolate, milk 1 bar (1.5 ounces) 226 3 14 26
* For a beer of 12° Plato produced from an all-malt grist. 1° Plato is approximately equal to a 1% solution of
carbohydrate in the wort prior to fermentation. The higher this value, the higher will be the concentration of
alcohol produced during fermentation (see also Tables 5.1 to 5.4). The amount of carbohydrate left in the beer
will be much lower than in the wort; however, that which is not fermented will remain, together with any that is
added to the nished beer as a sweetener to balance bitterness.
Source: Encyclopedia of Foods: A Guide to Healthy Nutrition (2002).