WOMEN: WHAT HAS BEER GOT TO DO WITH BEAUTY?

                         

Beer has always been popular – since times of ancient Babylon and Greece, Mesopotamia and Egypt till all around the world nowadays.

Since ancient times, women use beer not only to drink – there are a lot of very useful beauty recipes with this amazing product! Many Hollywood actresses and top-models use it to improve their hair and skin.

For instance, “Beer spa“exists in Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic. Visitors to such institutions in the truest sense of the word have a beer bath.

Beauticians suggest the following beer recipes for your skin:

The oldest recipe involves putting a cool fresh beer foam on the face, and after 10 minutes rinse it with warm water – this makes the skin elastic, eliminates wrinkles.

There is also the Beer mask for dry skin. This is a mix of 2 tablespoons of beer, 1 teaspoon of olive or coconut oil and 1 tablespoon of honey.  A woman applies the mask on the face with a cotton swab on the moistened and steamed face in a circular motion. When the mask is completely absorbed, rinse with cool boiled water.

The lotion for aging skin actually involves a handful of fresh or dried rose petals mixed with a glass of beer.

For the body, there is what is called the Hollywood slimming bath. This is done by “whisking” together half of cup of mild shampoo, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 10 tablespoons of beer. The resulting foam should be slowly poured under running water into a bath.  In addition to slimming effect, beer baths regulates perspiration and gently soften the skin..

Beer foam perfectly refreshes the skin and softens the feet. After taking a bath the feet, it is recommend to rinse feet with water, to avoid sticky feeling.

For Baths for hands, Beer helps to strengthen the nail plate. To make such a bath, experts advise you mix warm water and beer in equal proportions. Also, the best remedy for hair styling, which was known for a long time it’s beer. After washing your hair, comb it and sprinkle it with beer. When it dries, you will get an “iron” styling which will make your hair healthier!

 

The Misconceptions

 

Meanwhile, a good percentage of women drink beer, however many know their limitations. It is said that about 75% of women over estimate the calorie content of beer. They believe it is beer that gave their husbands the abdominal fat “beer belly”, not knowing that it is their over-feeding of the man. Nutritionists have maintained that Beer does not contain fat and in fact,  has less calories than wine.

 

A good number of women who take beer, also drink it at social occasions. Some prefer it as a shandy with sweeter drinks like soft drinks or juices. Because of the resultant sweeter taste, they tend to drink more.

In a society such as ours, there are different perception about the widely consumed white foamy liquid – beer

While some of this perception might have dated back decades it doesn’t necessarily make them true, as a matter of fact recent studies from around the world are presenting arguments to counter these perceptions

For instance, to what extent is beer is responsible for the ‘beer belly’ condition in some men? Research has shown that beer alone cannot be responsible for this occurrence. ‘Beer belly’ is caused by too many calories in an individual’s diet (from over-eating, sugary food and beverages etc) and a sedentary lifestyle.

 More calories are ingested than what is burned. The excess is stored in the body as fat. Fat is stored more in the belly by men, hence the prevalence of ‘beer belly’ in men.

This explains why women are not associated with the ‘beer belly’, it’s purely a consequence of fat stored. Women sure do consume the alcoholic beverage almost as much as some men. Research and studies have shown that beer is as suitable for women as much as it is for men. Like so many other alcoholic options, beer if consumed responsibly and in a defined moderation, then all the health benefits can be gained. Women who consume beer in moderation, will benefit from the antioxidants present in beer which serves as protection against many forms of cancer.

For new mothers,  research studies by Koletzko and Lehner (2000) have revealed that moderate beer consumption may help in the initiation and success of breastfeeding (Pregnant women are advised to stay away from beer as no safe level has been established them.) It seems that a component of beer, perhaps a barley polysaccharide, promotes prolactin secretion.

 The authors further suggest that the relaxing effects of alcohol and hop components might also have a beneficial impact on lactogenesis-the onset of milk secretion.

Beer has also be proven to enhance a healthy hydration process, as 92% of beer is made up of water (though you should never substitute beer for water.), beer aids in stress relief even for women. Research has also further shown that there is a low risk of kidney stones in beer drinkers.

 With all of these benefits,  Nutritionists caution that it’s imperative to take beer in moderation and do so responsibly.

As a rough guide, The World Health Organization suggests that 60 grams of alcohol per day should be a maximum. For a beer of 5% alcohol by volume, which equates to approximately 4% alcohol by weight, this means 1.5 litres or 2 bottles. 2-3 units for women a day and 3-4 units for men a day

 To encapsulate all of these for us, Stephen Beaumont was quoted to say “Anyone can drink beer, but it takes intelligence to enjoy beer”.

 

Former governor of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke has also emphasized that beer plays a significant role in the sustenance of good health and cultural cohesion.

Duke who was the chairman of the 3^rd Nigerian Beer Symposium recently held in Lagos on Thursday noted that not only is beer low in carbohydrates, it is as all-natural as orange juice and milk. “You see, beer has no need for preservatives because of the alcohol and hops- both of which are natural preservatives. The only processing beer undergoes is the same as with bread-it is cooked and fermented, filtered and packaged,” he said.