So Hoppy Together

In the past few years, my husband, William, and l have developeda new hobby of tasting and discovering craft beers.  We have visited breweries such as, Sweetwater in Atlanta, The Wedge in Asheville, and Avondalehere in Birmingham, as well as restaurants that specialize in beer such as, The Porter and Brick Store Pub in Atlanta and The J. Clyde in Birmingham—All of which werecommend.

So of course I was intrigued when Draft Magazine publishedthe article, “DrinkBeer, Don’t Get Fat.”  This articlepoints out the fact that the states with the most breweries such as Coloradoand Vermont also have the lowest rates of obesity, while the state ofMississippi has the least breweries, and highest percentage of people who areobese.  

So maybe we should all drink tons of beer and we will besuper skinny? Not so fast.  Beer is typicallypretty high in calories ranging from 120 calories to 960 calories per beer accordingto kegworks.com’slist of lowest and highest calorie beers. This means that drinking 2 or 3 of these craft beers a day could lead toa pound of weight gain each week. 

But the inverse relationship between a state’s breweries andobesity rates is quite strong; maybe we are on to something…. 

Keep in mind, it is important to drink craft beer inmoderation- sip slowly; there is so much to taste in these artfully crafteddrinks. Often higher in alcohol than your typical Bud Light, the consumption ofan entire six-pack is not required.

Also, Pair it with food to enhance both the food and beer’sflavor.  Craftbeer.comhas an excellent list of beer and food pairings.  I personally love a black bean burger paired with a Pale Ale.

And lastly, make beer drinking the finale to a day ofhiking, biking, or other physical activity. After a whole day of exercise there is nothing more refreshing than adelicious beer (after drinking plenty of water of course!)

Cheers!

Elizabeth Milne, MS, RD, LD