Five ways to beat the beer belly
Want to whittle that waistline? You can enjoy a drink and still shed those excess kilos.
It's not called a beer belly for nothing – alcohol is a common culprit behind abdominal fat. And abdominal fat can be dangerous, increasing your risk of weight-related problems ranging from cardiovascular disease to high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnoea and some types of cancer.
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The bigger your waist measurement, the higher the risk. If you drink a lot of beer – or any alcohol – cutting back on that habit is a good place to start.
Blame the beer?
Since alcohol is toxic to the liver, the body eliminates it as quickly as possible and burns those kilojoules off first, ahead of kilojoules obtained from other foods. But that doesn't mean you can drink more! Kilojoules consumed in excess – no matter what the source – will be stored as fat. If your intake is too high and/or you're not expending enough energy through physical activity, you're sure to pile on the weight. Ever heard the phrase 'empty kilojoules'? Alcohol is a good example; it means you get a high kilojoule count without the fullness or satiety that goes with eating actual food!
Men are especially at risk for abdominal weight gain, and not just because they may drink more beer. In 'nutrition-speak' men are typically 'apple' shaped, meaning fat tends to concentrate around their waist. Women tend to be 'pears', with more fat around their hips and thighs. The good news for 'apples' is that upper body fat usually gets burned before the more stubborn lower body fat of 'pears' (which is meant to see women through pregnancy). And you don't have to be a teetotaller to see an expanding belly. You can enjoy alcohol in moderation and still drop the excess. It helps to follow our gut-be-gone rules:
- Choose lighter beer over the full-strength brew: it's lower in kilojoules.
- To slow your beer consumption, quench your thirst first with water then alternate beer with nonalcoholic beverages, preferably low-kilojoule ones like diet soft drinks.
- Feel like a nice cold beer? Why not go for a walk and then have it? Not only does walking or jogging a couple of kilometres burn the kilojoules in an average drink, but keeping active has many other health benefits as well. So get moving!
- Swap kilojoules from alcohol with kilojoules from other foods. For example, if you'd like a drink, pass on that bag of chips or other treat (but don't sacrifice healthy choices such as fruits and vegetables in favour of more booze, which is low in nutrients).
While moderate drinking has documented potential benefits, particularly on cardiovascular health, overindulgence is dangerous. According to Australian health authorities, men can have up to four drinks a day without significant risk to their health, and women two.
Smart snacking
Alcohol makes you want to eat. And the majority of kilojoules consumed at parties isn't necessarily from the alcohol as much as from the high-fat snacks that usually come with it. Instead of nuts, cheese or chips, try:
- Crunchy vegetable crudités such as carrot, capsicum and celery sticks. Swap creamy dips for salsa or low-fat hommus.
- Pretzels.
- Air-popped popcorn (but skip the butter).
- Toasted pita bread.
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