For this lovely Saturday, I'm going to use the blog to address 2 Reader Concerns. I'm eating so crappy lately that I feel guilty even trying to bring you "FOOD OF THE DAY." You probably already know about huge cups of coffee, grilled cheese sandwiches, tacos piled high with meat and cheese, massive bowls of ice cream, and the other things I've been eating.
READER QUESTION OF THE DAY: CAN I HAVE A BIT OF ALCOHOL WITH MY ANTIBIOTICS?
Answer: Probably! There is only one antibiotic I know that really does NOT mix well with even small amounts of antibiotics: That's FLAGYL, generically known as METRONIDAZOLE. This is a tremendously useful antibiotic, and it's used for giardia infections, bacterial vaginal infections, gallbladder and colon infections, sexually transmitted diseases, and some skin infections. But it is NOT one of the common antibiotics your doctor will give you for strep throat, normal urinary tract infections, ear infections, sinusitis, and pneumonia.
MOST antibiotics can make your stomach crampy and uncomfortable, and cause bloating and diarrhea. These effects may be worse if you drink alcohol. And with HIGH doses of alcohol (more than 2-3 drinks), antibiotics can cause liver inflammation, and they can work less effectively.
SUMMARY:
-If you're on an antibiotic other than FLAGYL, it's ok to have a drink now and then. Just don't go on a bender.
-If you have a glass of wine or a beer while on an antibiotic, the antibiotic will still work to fight your infection.
-Even if you are on FLAGYL, a drink won't kill you. It will just give you projectile vomiting.
-Remember: always finish the full course of an antibiotic your doctor gives you. Don't stop it early so that you can go on a drinking binge, or you'll end up with a hangover AND a recurrent infection!
READER POINT OF THE DAY: COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES!
My friend V.T. has the best job ever- she gets to hang out in Antarctica with penguins. She also knows how to eat healthy!
She made a very solid point yesterday- that NOT ALL CARBS ARE THE SAME! This is true, in that COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES, the kind found in whole grains, are more nutrient rich, and less easily converted into fat, than the simple carbs in white rice and baking flour. And most baked goods, and even pastas, CAN be made with whole wheat flour. You can get pizza dough, bread, tortillas, pasta noodles, and many other wheat products made with WHOLE WHEAT rather than white, processed flour.
ADVANTAGES OF WHOLE WHEAT:-more fiber than processed flour
-retains some of the protein found in the wheat kernel
-retains more vitamins and minerals than processed flour
-longer carbohydrate chains in the wheat take WORK for your body to process; therefore the carbs are PARTIALLY burned up in the process of digesting and storing energy
DISADVANTAGES OF WHOLE WHEAT:
-The carbs in whole wheat, like ALL CARBS, can still be turned into fat. If you eat 500 calories of processed flour, OR 500 calories of whole wheat flour, then you go into hibernation and only burn off 100 of those calories, your body will still store most of the leftover calories in the form of fat. But there will be more carbs left over to turn into fat from the processed flour.
-You will NOT lose weight by switching from processed flour to whole wheat flour, UNLESS your are burning off more calories per day than you are eating.
-If you are allergic to wheat gluten, you will tolerate whole wheat even less than you will processed wheat flour. There may be more WHEAT GLUTEN in whole wheat flour than in processed white flour, depending on the brand.
-The taste is thicker and "wheatier." I'm a big fan of whole wheat bread and pizza dough, but I admit: I personally have trouble enjoying whole wheat pasta and tortillas. It's an acquired taste!
That's all for today: I'm going birdwatching!
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