c.ten.broeke_mail.chello.nl wrote:

>Um Jerry, how many carbs are there in 2 vodka's? Not trying to critisise of
>anything but alcohol is carbs...
>
>

Actually, alcohol is not carbohydrate, nor is it fat or protein.  It is
a distinct energy source with its own somewhat inefficient metabolic
pathway.  It's metabolized slowly, which is why consuming more than
about an ounce an hour causes it to accumulate in the blood.  Alcohol,
unlike carbohydrate, cannot be converted to fat.  This fact is
capitalized upon by some models who follow a diet of moderate amounts of
protein and fat, plus vodka or orther spirits.  The overall effect on
insulin is minimal, and alcohol has the added effect of tending to lower
blood glucose (by shutting down the liver's release of glycogen), which
also keeps insulin levels down, preventing the formation of fat.  I
doubt this could be regarded as a healthy diet, but models have other
priorities than health, and these days a "wasted" appearance sells.
Many heavy drinkers have a wasted, emaciated appearance.  This doesn't
apply to beer drinkers, however, who get a liberal amount of unfermented
maltose in their beverage, and maltose has a greater tendency to elevate
insulin than any other simple sugar--hence "beer bellies" (unfortunately).

I am of the opinion that alcohol, in itself, is paleo.  The ability to
metabolize small amounts of it is probably an adaptation shared by many
animals, allowing them to take full advantage of partially fermented
fruits and berries.  I have a mulberry tree in my backyard (actually, my
neighbor's, but it hangs over the fence), which dumps copious amounts of
mulberries on the ground each year.  If I don't rake them up quickly,
they soon ferment in the sun; you can easily detect the boozy smell in
the backyard when this is happening (no, it's not from me sitting on the
deck drinking sangria).  The birds and squirrels eat these berries and
probably get a decent buzz, and I don't doubt that paleolithic humans
would do so as well.  Like some other substances, such as salt, the
"paleoness" of alcohol is probably a function of quantity.

Todd Moody
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