Quick overview of drinks
I will start this article with some basic information about beer. It is an alcoholic drink that is obtained as a result of alcoholic fermentation of beer wort. This wort is an aqueous extract of malt malt to which hops and possibly other raw materials have been added. The wort is cooked together with the hops, then the liquid is clarified and cooled, and is fermented by brewer’s yeast. Then the beer is most often filtered and poured into cans or bottles and served as an effervescent drink with CO2 bubbles. It is a drink characterized by a specific bitterness ranging in color from light yellow to dark brown.
Non-alcoholic beers are brewed exactly like the basic version of the drink. The difference is that fermentation is stopped at a specific point in time, which prevents the production of alcohol. However, non-alcoholic beer has the same composition and taste as the version with alcohol.
In turn, flavored beers (also known as flavored) are simply beers to which ingredients have been added during production to enrich the taste of the final product. These ingredients may be placed in the drink during the wort preparation stage or after the fermentation process has ended, usually before filtration.
What can we find in beer?
Since we already know the definitions of beer and its two alternatives, it is worth taking a closer look at the exact composition and nutritional values. Of course, in stores we can find a very wide range of different types of beers and related drinks. For reasons of volume and organization, when it comes to writing the article, I chose only one example of each of the types of beer described today. These are Żywiec beer and Żywiec 0% beer (without alcohol), as well as Somersby beer with apple flavor. The composition and nutritional values are similar in particular groups.
On the graphite above, you can see the compositions of the products described today in the article. Below is a comparison of their nutritional value:
Do we have a winner?
Looking at the data on the three drinks presented in the text, it is really difficult to establish a list from the best to the worst representative. I would subjectively say that alcohol-free beer comes first – not only (as the name suggests) it is alcohol-free, i.e. a component that is not only not very healthy and caloric (1 g of alcohol equals 7 kcal, and e.g. 1 g of carbohydrates or protein) it’s only 4 kcal), but also addictive. In addition, the choice of beer that has no alcohol at all (and not, for example,
I have a bigger problem with second and third place. I think that both regular and flavored beer have their inferior qualities and it depends on the individual situation which of them we consider worse. Compared to flavored beer, it contains more alcohol, which of course we do not recommend, especially in large amounts, and it has simple carbohydrates that affect blood glucose and insulin levels. However, you should also pay attention to the composition. In the case of flavored beer, it is much longer and definitely leaves a lot to be desired due to the sugar content not only in pure form, but also in juice or caramel syrup. Yes, such beer has a lower alcohol content – which is definitely a plus, but at the same time it contains much more simple carbohydrates, so people suffering from diabetes or insulin resistance, and generally those who pay attention to the supply of sugar and the glycemic index should avoid this type of drink .
Wnioski
Beer as such is not a drink that we will recommend as nutritionists. The alcohol it contains generally does not have a good effect on our body – if drunk regularly in larger amounts, it affects the nervous system and damages the liver. It is also an addictive and caloric substance. Of course, there is talk about the permitted amounts of alcohol or even its health-promoting effect (e.g. in wine), but firstly, it is really difficult to determine the amount that is safe for every person – we differ in body weight, body composition, health status, etc., and secondly, many people cannot refuse to continue drinking alcohol after drinking one drink, and thirdly, other products also have a pro-health effect (and much stronger). Alcohol is not necessary for us, such as protein, iron, fiber and other ingredients available in food. If, however, we hesitate between two substitutes for regular beer – the flavored and non-alcoholic versions, I recommend the one without alcohol, especially if you simply like the taste of beer and would like to feel it safely and without consequences without consequences.
Photos and product compositions come from the following websites: