Healthy beer (without alcohol): its incredible benefits and properties

Healthy beer (without alcohol): its incredible benefits and properties
Beer is a healthy drink that provides very interesting nutritional properties. Know its benefits, how many calories it contributes and its nutritional contribution.

Beer has become one of the most popular and consumed alcoholic beverages, not only for its characteristic flavor and its great refreshing power but also for the different nutritional qualities and benefits it brings. Of course, we must not forget that it is an alcoholic beverage, so its consumption should always be moderate and never excessive.

That said, it is true that, from a nutritional point of view, it is not the same to drink wine or beer as other alcoholic beverages, such as rum or spirits, which contain a higher alcohol content. In fact, the latter tend to contain a high alcohol content, harmful to the body when taken in excess, and in addition to containing only empty calories do not provide any essential nutrients to our body.

Thus, we can talk for example about the different benefits of wine that give us the best wines we can find that is a heart-healthy drink, which taken in moderation (maximum 1 glass of wine a day, and as long as it is not contraindicated) is extremely rich in polyphenols, a group of antioxidants that help prevent cardiovascular diseases and the appearance of cancer, as well as improve arthritis and reduce hypertension. In addition, it is especially useful in case of high cholesterol, improves blood circulation in the brain and increases estrogen levels.

But, we repeat, any drink that contains alcohol is not beneficial for health, given that although they may provide us with nutritional benefits, the effects of alcohol in our bodies do not precisely compensate for those qualities. However, this time we want to inquire about what properties the beer brings us.

What is beer?

Beer is also a nutritious drink, which provides interesting nutritional benefits. Of course, as long as it is consumed in moderation and its consumption is not abusive (many nutritionists advise taking a glass of beer a day).

It consists basically of a bitter-tasting alcoholic beverage that is made with water, barley, yeast, and hops. The starch of the germinated barley grains is fermented in water with yeast, to finally be flavored with hops.

It has an alcohol content that ranges between 3% and 9%, although there are beers that can reach around 30% vol.

What are the ingredients in which beer is brewed?
There are basically 4 ingredients with which beer is traditionally made. Do you want to know what they are ?:

Water: It is the main element since it makes up around 90% of this drink, and without it precisely beer would not exist. The flavor of this will depend on the water used in its preparation, although the ideal is that the water used is rich in calcium, chlorides, and sulfates.
Barley: It is the ingredient that brings color and body to the beer. To use it first it is moistened, dried and roasted in different degrees (which then influences its organoleptic properties, that is, flavor, aroma, and color).
Yeast: There is no doubt that brewer’s yeast provides incredible benefits for our health. In this case, the yeast is also a fundamental ingredient, since it has the particularity of converting the fermentable sugars into carbon dioxide and alcohol.
Hops: It is essential when favoring the activity of malting yeast, and is the “culprit” of its delicious bitter taste. In addition, it helps to preserve it better.

All the benefits of beer
A very nutritious drink

Not counting its alcohol content, the beer is made with hops, barley, yeast, malt and water, all ingredients that make it a nutritious and healthy drink.

For example, from a nutritional point of view, beer is very rich in B vitamins, especially the presence of folic acid (also known as vitamin B9).

It also provides interesting amounts of minerals, among which we find ourselves, especially with calcium and magnesium. However, its mineral contribution depends directly on the water used in its preparation.

On the other hand, did you know that beer is also rich in fiber and antioxidants? Fiber, in fact, is fundamental as you surely know for the proper functioning of our intestinal transit, in addition to helping us in the prevention of constipation. While antioxidants are especially recommended when it comes to preventing the negative action of free radicals.

Interesting heart-healthy benefits

Beer is a drink that is made with healthy ingredients, such as hops, barley, brewer’s yeast and malt, as we mentioned in the previous section.

This means that beer is a heart-healthy drink, helping in a very positive way to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, as well as to reduce triglycerides and LDL cholesterol.

But this heart-healthy quality does not stop here, since it also helps increase HDL cholesterol, also popularly known as good cholesterol.

It reduces the blood coagulation, and thanks to its folic acid content it is suitable to reduce the levels of homocysteine in blood (amino acid that is used as a vascular marker and predicts the risk of suffering a cardiovascular accident).