Health Benefits of Beer

There's probably no reason to avoid beer. Beer is nutritious if consumed in moderation, thanks to the antioxidants found in the beverage's hops, drinking two or three 12oz bottles per week can deliver many of the health benefits traditionally associated with red wine. But experts recommend drinking no more than two 12 ounce beers per day to see the benefits, and no, saving these all to drink in one weekend party will not have the same positive effect, and will actually increase your risk of heart disease, liver damage, obesity stroke, damage to fetuses of pregnant women.

The hops in beer contain a phytoestrogen that mimics the action of the body's natural estrogen. This can create an apparent overload of the hormone in the body, signaling the liver to store calories as fat, an effect that grows more pronounced with age. To avoid this it is recommended to eat a handful of nuts (like cashews) whenever you have a beer. Nuts' monounsaturated fats nourish the liver, helping it more efficiently break down phytoestrogens to avoid a fat-packing overload.

Health Benefits:

• Beer contains a similar amount of polyphenols (antioxidants) as red wine and 4-5 times as many polyphenols as white wine.
• Research shows that one drink a day for women or up to two drinks a day for men will reduce their chances of strokes, heart and vascular disease.
• Beer also contains vitamin B6 (the B6 vitamin came from the yeast used to ferment beer), which prevents the build-up of amino acid called homocysteine that has been linked to heart disease. People who have high levels of homocysteine are usually more prone to an early onset of heart and vascular disease.
• Beer contains folate that helps prevent anemia and helps maintain a healthy nervous system. Studies shown that people who drink beer show less decline in mental faculties as they get older compared to non-beer drinker.
• Beer has been proven to reduce stress, by relaxing the body.

Culinary Uses:

• Beer is used as marinades and tenderizer for red meat.
• Beer is used as a substitute for water in different soups, stocks and sauces.

Note: When cooking with beer, keep your beer's primary taste in mind. Malty beers add a sweet/nutty taste while hop lagers can add a bitter/herbal flavor. Beer increases in bitterness as it reduces so use a sweeter/malty beer when cooking for long period of time.

Other Uses: Beer is an excellent conditioning rinse for your hair, smoothing the follicles to make your hair look healthier and fuller. Cold beer is especially effective at giving your hair a shine.