41/365 A Deep Fried Toast to Your Arteries

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

For many reasons, I've been going out with friends for dinner, drinks, or both more frequently. Each time, somebody asks me how healthy this is or to write a blog about it. Upon further reflection I decided to look into something that fascinated me about drinking. Why is it that we all seem to crave fatty foods after or while we consume alcohol?

Lacy Perry's article "How Hangovers Work" featured on Discovery Health's website informed me that fried/fatty foods are a proven means of preventing a hangover. The fat sticks to the lining of our stomachs very well; this prolongs the absorption of alcohol giving us more time to process and a smaller chance of having a hangover. Our bodies must know that fried/fatty foods will have this effect. An article I found from the Journal of Young Investigators stated that the neurotransmitter galanin which signals to us that we're hungry is produced when we consume alcohol. Galanin also promotes alcohol consumption.

By these statements, I am by no means saying that it is good to drink in excess or eat fried/fatty foods. There are serious repercussions for doing this. As a young person, you often think that you are invincible and rarely stop to think about the arterial damage caused by fried/fatty foods. What more when you are drinking? Fried/fatty foods have high LDL cholesterol. This is the bad kind that sticks to your arteries, builds up into foam cells (which are irreversible), and causes atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). This is so not okay.

Hangovers can be prevented and remedied with healthier choices like eggs, bananas, water, fruit juice, and not drinking in excess. Think before you drink.

In health,

Lauren