Ok, I confess, I loved beer.

Previously, I could not have imagined a life without beer. Seriously, that is how much I loved the amber ale.

My First San Miguel Beer Was at 5 Years-of-Age

I drank my first beer in the Philippines at the age of 5. My brother and I stayed at the InterContinental Manila (where I first met Chef CiCou and became Director of Food and Beverage 30 years later) when I was 5 years old in 1973. My Dad, a commercial pilot, was visiting a friend and left us alone in our hotel room as he went out one evening. Well, as a curious soul, I found my way to the mini-bar and cracked the top off a San Miguel Pale. I drank the lot and was on to my second when Dad came back. He was not impressed with my behaviour, but was pleased that I slept in so long the following morning!

I even consumed 2 beers within 1 minute of completing the Great Wall of China Marathon in 2011. Definitely one for the bucket list for all runners. It is a breath-taking event.

No More Beer, Ever

But guess what? I will never have another beer! Beer is not part of the Primed Lifestyle as I prefer more nutritious calories and not empty ones. My last brew was consumed on mid-February 2014 and I do not miss it. It made it easier to give up as I gave up grains and sugar at the same time and went from 70 plus kilos down to 62 kilos on my healthy journey.

Why No More Beer? Beer Belly vs. 6-Pack

The Primed Lifestyle is about eating nutritiously and limiting products that stop you burning fat. Drinking beer/alcohol means your liver burns the alcohol instead of fat. Grains have a similar effect where your blood sugar is spiked and you burn the glucose and not fat.

Having excess empty calories through your beer and gaining the dreaded beer belly has been linked to a variety of health problems, from type 2 diabetes to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

Beer drinking also stimulates your appetite and you are more inclined to eat chips, pizza and other foods best avoided.

Caring about what you eat doesn’t necessarily translate into caring about what you drink. Next time you open the fridge to grab a beer just consider whether it is really worth it. Maybe try a green tea instead.

Beer Joke

Consider how much Aussies love beer in this joke:

Man sitting at home on the veranda with his wife and he says, “I love you.”

She asks, “Is that you or the beer talking?”

He replies, “It’s me…………. talking to the beer.”