How Do Coffee, Tea, and Alcohol Fit In?
There is nothing wrong with a little coffee, tea, wine, or beer. Consumed in moderation,all can be included in a healthy sport diet and may even provide health benefits.Although most people are aware of the abundance of antioxidants found in both green and black tea, some people may not yet know that several healthful phytochemicals have also been isolated from coffee. I suppose we should not be surprised, because most plant foods seem to deliver their own set of unique phytochemicals.
Similarly,although most people know about the health benefits of wine, which are at least partially linked to a certain class of antioxidant called flavinoids and found in grapes,others may not yet know that higher-quality microbrewery or European-style beer (not the watered-down versions produced by the major U.S. breweries) is also chock full of nutrients and non nutrients originally found in the hops or malted barley.
So how should these fit into your meal plan? Quite simply, they provide mostly discretionary calories. Although coffee and tea are basically calorie free, the sugar or cream added should be included in the discretionary group. For the latte or cappuccino fan, the amount of milk or soy milk mixed with your espresso is nearly equal to one milk serving. Wine and beer offer calories from alcohol (7 kcal/g) as well as some carbohydrate.When you should consume these beverages is another story. Because many of the components in tea and coffee potently inhibit iron absorption, they should not accompany a meal.
Wine and beer do not appear to interfere with nutrient absorption, but you should limit them as suggested by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans: up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men. Typically, 12 ounces(348 ml) of regular beer, 5 ounces (145 ml) of wine, or 1.5 ounces (43.5 ml) of 80-proof distilled spirits count as a drink. Although there are no hard-and-fast guidelines for tea and coffee, limiting intake to one or two cups (236-472 ml) per day is also a good idea. Athletes should also recognize that the post exercise meal period is not the best time to consume alcohol or caffeine-containing beverages because the body needs to rehydrate. Coffee and tea, however, may provide an ergogenic benefit when consumed before an event.
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