Summer will kick off with Memorial Day and Americans will be firing up the grill. The liberals of the past preferred a soy burger and an organic fruit on a holiday that they likely ignored because they see it as too patriotic. The patriotic Americans will be celebrating the beginning of summer while honoring our fallen veterans with a few adult beverages and stacks of red meat. The Trump Administration recognized the health benefits of social gatherings that celebrate meat and a cold beer. The January-released dietary guidelines have inserted sanity into government advice on what to eat and drink.
The Trump Administration rewrote the prior Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and they have restored common sense and science to the recommendations. These guidelines will give some good advice to Americans on what to put on the grill and what not to eat and drink. When the government does not talk down to the American people, the citizens are more likely to take recommendations on eating and drinking seriously.
Some of the new guidelines are applicable to your planned Memorial Day party. First, they point out that “hydration is a key factor in overall health. Choose water (still or sparkling) and unsweetened beverages.” According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), “dehydration is highly prevalent among older adults, with reported prevalence rates in the United States ranging from 17% to 28%.” When a person is dehydrated, they can experience fatigue or more serious impacts like organ problems. The NIH points out that “dehydration is a common cause of hospital admissions, contributing to significant morbidity and mortality while often complicating a range of medical conditions.” When grilling or just day-to-day, hydration is an important and underappreciated health issue.
Another beverage many Americans consume when grilling in the backyard is beer. The guidance on alcohol consumption restores sanity and rational thought to prior groundless and non-science-based recommendations. There is no argument that many Americans will proudly crack a beer while flipping a few burgers and ribs. Prior arbitrary recommendations included guidance that men should only consume two alcoholic beverages and women one.
The guidance relating to alcohol consumption put out by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. makes sense. As explained by Dr. Mehmet Oz, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, “alcohol (as) a social lubricant that brings people together.” The guidance counsels restraint while recognizing that people will consume alcohol at social events. It is important to note that most have a beer, or even a glass of wine, while celebrating a holiday with some grilled food, yet not many are drinking hard alcohol at these same events. The prior guidelines mistakenly lumped in beer with hard liquor and considered all drinks to be the same.
The average alcohol by volume for liquor is far higher than for beer. When one consumes a beverage with a lower alcohol content, one gets inebriated far more slowly, and the concentration of alcohol is lower. Another NIH study shows that blood alcohol concentrations are higher after drinking a vodka/tonic than beer or wine after fasting. So better to stick with a few beers and wine rather than jumping to something harder on Memorial Day.
The guidelines stress that the foods Americans eat should be “whole, nutrient-dense foods—protein, dairy, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and whole grains.” Good news for meat eaters, because the guidelines stress the consumption of “meat with no or limited added sugars, refined carbohydrates or starches, or chemical additives.” Grilling a steak or burger is preferred over some processed potato chips and cookies on the side. Meat is a nutrient-dense protein recommended by the guidelines, so grill away, but stay away from the BBQ sauce.
Toss aside the soy burger and enjoy a nice social gathering in the back yard with the grill cracking, good conversation and a few beers, or wine, to help enjoy the beginning of summertime. The Trump Administration has done a good job with the revamped guidance to provide Americans a roadmap to better health and ditched the preachy guidelines of the past.
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