Unhealthy Beverages

 

There are many types of processed beverages widely available that are not particularly healthy for the body. This article will focus on three categories of beverages that have the most devastating effects on human health: soft drinks, alcoholic beverages and Tea/coffee.

 

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Alcoholic Beverages

 

When a person drinks an alcoholic beverage, about 20% of the alcohol is absorbed in the stomach, with the remaining 80% being absorbed in the small intestine. The alcohol then enters into the bloodstream and circulates throughout the body. As alcohol enters the nerve cells within the brain, it interferes with communication between the nerve cells and all other cells. The excitatory nerve pathways are suppressed, while the inhibitory pathways are stimulated. This has the effect of causing sluggishness of the body, which is characteristic of the behaviour of someone who is under the influence of alcohol.

 

 

Depending on the level of alcohol within the bloodstream, certain centers of the brain are affected more than others. The first center to be affected is the cerebral cortex, which is why rational thinking tends to become blurred. As the alcohol level rises, it begins to affect the limbic system, involving our emotions and autonomic nervous system. 

 

The next center in the brain to be affected is the cerebellum, which among other things, affects our spatial orientation. This is why intoxicated people have difficulty walking in a straight line. And, if the alcohol level continues to increase, the next center to be impacted is the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, which together control the entire endocrine system of the body. And finally, excessive alcohol in the bloodstream reaches the medulla (brain stem), acting as a depressant on the entire central nervous system.

 

 

The body's natural defense mechanisms attempt to eliminate alcohol from the bloodstream in three different ways:

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•  The kidneys eliminate about 5% of the alcohol through the urine.

•  The lungs eliminate about 5% through the breath, which can be detected through a breathalyzer device.

•  The liver chemically breaks down the remaining alcohol into acetic acid.

 

 

The liver has a wide range of responsibilities related to keeping the body healthy. It functions according to a system of priorities, giving its attention to the most dangerous threats to the body first. Since alcohol is so toxic to the body, it assigns a high priority to the task of breaking it down so that it can be eliminated from the body. But while it is doing this task, other functions of the liver must take a back seat and wait their turn. So regular consumption of alcoholic beverages inhibits the ability of the liver to carry out its normal health-maintenance functions.

 

 

Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages over a long period of time usually leads to alcoholic liver diseases, such as hepatitis and cirrhosis. Essentially these diseases involve a build-up of scar tissue within the liver, inhibiting its ability to function properly. In acute cases, the liver actually atrophies, often leading to death.

 

Alcohol, like caffeine, severely dehydrates the body. In fact, an alcoholic "hangover" is the result of dehydration of the cells of the brain. When alcohol enters the bloodstream, it causes the pituitary gland to block the creation of vasopressin. Without this chemical, the kidneys send water directly to the bladder, rather than reabsorbing it into the body. Studies have shown that consuming 250 milliliters of an alcoholic beverage causes the body to expel as much as 1,000 milliliters of water from the body.

 

 

And, also like caffeine, alcohol is extremely acidic. So it, too, draws on the alkaline reserves in the body in order to maintain an appropriate acid/alkaline balance. In addition to the effects of alcohol, there are two alcoholic beverages that deserve special attention: beer and wine.

 

Beer

 

In addition to the issues related to the alcoholic content of beer. other factors are involved. A primary ingredient in the beer making process is hops. The hop plant is a member of the hemp family, and consequently a first cousin of cannabis, otherwise known as marihuana. The relaxing effect that beer has on those who consume it is derived from the hops ingredient hopein, which is a form of morphine. Hops also are known to function as an anti-aphrodisiac, suppressing sexual drive and performance in men.

 

 

Hops also contain the female sex hormones daidzein and genistein, which are commonly used to fatten calves, sheep and chickens. Beer also contains another female hormone, estrogen, which is found in a woman's ovaries. 

 

The typical "beer belly" and breast growth of a beer drinker is caused by these female hormones, and has little to do with beer calories. The malt in beer also has a substance in it that influences the psyche; it is called hordenin. Hordenin results from the germination of barley, and is related to the well-known stimulants ephedrine and mescaline. It also has a strong diuretic effect, which compounds the dehydration of the body caused by the alcohol.

 

 

Wine

 

The wine industry tends to promote the idea that drinking a glass or two of red wine each day provides a benefit to your arteries and the heart. But this is misleading. Regular consumption of wine may stress the kidneys and Liver and lead to host of health issues. 

 

A group of natural substances found in many kinds of foods, called flavonoids, seem to have powerful anti-clotting properties. They are amply present in purple grape juice and, to a lesser extent, in red wine. A 1999 study done at the University of Wisconsin Medical School found that red wine does, indeed, slow the activity of blood platelets by about 45%. But the study also showed that purple grape juice dampens them by about 75%. 

 

In other words, if you turn purple grape juice into wine, it loses some of the potency of its flavonoids. So to have the benefits advocated for red wine, it is far better to drink the fresh juice of purple grapes. There are about 4,000 different flavonoids found in natural plants. So eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is one of the best ways to maintain a healthy circulatory system; wine, with its substantial alcohol content, is not.

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Soft Drinks / Non - Alcoholic Beverages

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The caffeine contained in most soft drinks (Mountain Dew, Coke, Pepsi, etc.) and most power drinks not only stimulates and stresses the central nervous system and immune system, but also acts as a powerful diuretic. For every can of cola you drink, you relinquish up to three times as much water — water that your body cannot afford to give up without suffering some sort of damage. 

 

Caffeine removes water from the body faster than the body can absorb it again, thereby generating constant thirst. People who frequently drink soft drinks are never able to really quench their thirst because their bodies continually run out of cellular water. There are some people who drink as many as 10-15 cans of cola a day. Eventually, they tend to confuse their body's never-ending thirst signal with hunger, and they begin to overeat, causing excessive weight gain.

 

Caffeine, being a nerve toxin, stimulates the adrenal glands to secrete stress hormones and trigger a strong immune response that may give the false impression that this newly found energy was derived from the consumed beverage. The secret behind these energizing stimulants is that the resulting immune reaction mobilizes enough energy for you to feel perked up and clear-headed, at least for as long as your body remains stimulated. To remove the nerve toxin, caffeine, from the blood, the body has to come up with extra water that the caffeine robs from its cells. This results in cellular dehydration and a temporary thinning of the blood.

 

Apart from its diuretic action and addictive effects on the brain, regular caffeine intake over-stimulates the heart muscles, causing exhaustion and risk of heart disease. Unfortunately, caffeine is not the only culprit in soft drinks. Because of the sugars, artificial flavors and sweeteners contained in soft drinks, they are extremely acidic. It would take 32 glasses of alkaline water at an alkaline pH of 9 to neutralize the acid from just one 12 oz. cola or soda. 

 

 

In response to ingesting a cola, the body needs to use reserves of its own stored alkaline buffers — mainly calcium from the bones and DNA — in order to maintain proper blood alkaline pH levels. Acidic blood levels are a leading cause of death! There are enough acids in one soda to kill you if your body didn't possess a mechanism to neutralize them. Over the long term, excessive consumption of soft drinks leads to a risk that the body will succumb to acidosis as mineral buffers become depleted.

 

There are approximately 8 to 9 teaspoons of sugar in a 12-oz. can of Coke, Pepsi or other well-known soft drinks. Because sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream so quickly, the blood sugar level rises dramatically. This causes the pancreas to secrete insulin in order to compensate for the excessive blood sugar. And it stimulates the adrenal glands to secrete adrenalin in an effort to remove sugar from the bloodstream. Adrenalin levels can increase by as much as four times normal, creating a state of "fight or flight" stress response within the body. 

 

Many people experience this as a boost of energy that they believe they are getting from the soft drink, but it is anything but that. This stress reaction also increases the production of both cholesterol and cortisone. Cortisone inhibits the immune functions, making one much more vulnerable to colds, the flu and other disorders.

 

Afterwards, the blood sugar level drops below normal, which often leads to a state of depression, lethargy and irritability, sometimes referred to as the "sugar blues." In the long term, this can lead to various blood sugar disorders, such a diabetes or hypoglycemia.

 

 

Many people, aware of the adverse effects of sugar, opt for so-called "diet" drinks, such as Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi. Unfortunately, this can lead to even worse health complications. The sweetener that is most commonly used in diet soft drinks is aspartame and High fructose corn syrup which has cancer causing properties. 

 

In addition to the above risks, many soft drinks contain excessive amounts of the chemical Benzene, a poison that has been confirmed as a human carcinogen (cancer-causing agent) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

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Coffee

 

The primary health risk associated with coffee is its high caffeine content — about 170 milligrams in a regular cup of coffee. Caffeine is a strong diuretic, and the manner in which caffeine tends to dehydrate the body has already been discussed. And, coffee is highly acid-forming, which means that it draws heavily on the alkaline reserve within the body in order to maintain a safe acid/alkaline balance.

 

 

One of the incentives for drinking coffee is its perceived ability to serve as a stimulant when one's energy level starts to drop. But since coffee has no real energy of its own, just stimulants, where is the stimulated energy coming from? Obviously, the body is providing it. 

 

 

Stimulants are nerve toxins that trigger a powerful defense reaction in the body. This immune response is what one experiences as a boost in energy when one drinks a cup of coffee. So in reality, the energy boost that one experiences is actually an energy loss for the body. Repeated stimulation by drinking coffee through the day tends to deplete the energy reserve within the body.

 

 

If caffeine is the primary ingredient in coffee, and coffee is harmful to health, then what about decaffeinated coffee — does this eliminate the health risks? A study was conducted that involved three groups of people: one group drank regular coffee, another group drank decaffeinated coffee, and a third group drank no coffee. The results were reported at a November, 2005 meeting of the American Heart Association. 

 

 

The primary difference noted among the three groups was that those who drank decaffeinated coffee developed a higher level of blood fat associated with harmful LDL cholesterol. The reason is not entirely clear. The decaffeination process tends to destroy some of the flavonoids that give coffee its flavor. So decaffeinated coffee is usually made from a different type of coffee bean that has a more robust flavor. In light of this, the differences found in the study may relate to the different types of beans that were used, or to the decaffeination process itself.

 

It should also be noted that many people add sugar or artificial sweeteners to their coffee before drinking it. These additives carry their own health risks.

 

In the October, 2005 issue of American Journal of Epidemiology, Danish researchers reported the effects of coffee on pregnant women. The study found that women who drank 4 to 7 cups of coffee daily while pregnant had a 33% higher risk of fetal death. Further, they found that pregnant women who drank 8 or more cups of coffee a day had a 59% greater risk of fetal death. The association between coffee and fetal deaths was strongest after 20 weeks gestation.

 

 

It is interesting to note that there are numerous health conditions for which doctors routinely advise their patients to eliminate coffee and all caffeine from their diet. Among these are:

•    Heart disease and heart palpitations

•    High blood pressure

•    High cholesterol

•    Insomnia and interrupted sleep patterns

•    Candida or yeast infections

•    Chronic fatigue syndrome

•    Migraines or other vascular headaches

•    Osteoporosis

•    Ulcers, heartburn and stomach problems

•    Liver disease and gallbladder problems, such as gallstones

•    Kidney or bladder problems, including kidney stones

•    Diabetes or hypoglycemia

 

This evokes an obvious question: if it is important to eliminate coffee and caffeine from one's diet after one develops such health conditions, is it just possible that coffee and caffeine may have contributed to the development of the condition in the first place?

 

 

A Word About Tea

 

 

Tea is the second most-consumed beverage worldwide after water, and is consumed by more than two-thirds of the world population, according to a 2019 review in the journal Nutrients.

 

 

Drinking tea on its own is not a solution or cure for any health condition although its warmth giving quality is beneficial in keeping the body warm during cold weather conditions. The main benefit of tea comes from the spices like ginger, saunth, black pepper, cardamom, tulsi, pudina etc that are added to it. 

 

The milk “CHAI” that most Indians are addicted to may lead to acidity and stomach related problems in certain individuals. It’s important to note that individual tolerance to acidic foods and beverages can vary, and some people may experience discomfort or digestive issues after consuming acidic foods or beverages, including milk tea. This is true of individuals who have a Pitta constitution as per Ayurveda.  If you have concerns about the acidity of milk tea or how it may affect your health, it’s best to consult with an Ayurvedia doctor for personalized advice. 

 

 

Some Facts about Tea

 

1. Tea is naturally on the acidic side of the Ph scale.

2. Never drink tea on an empty stomach

3. Adding milk to tea makes it highly acidic and may lead to acidity

4. Nut milk is a healthier option and can be added to the tea instead of dairy

5. The dehydration and boiling process involved in making tea and tea leaves removes many available nutrients.

6. The oxidation process makes tea leaves more acidic, so the more you boil the tea, the more acidic it will be, even before anything is added to it.