One of our Mission Statements at Nutrish Mish is it find the positive and a negative aspects of different foods. Everyone likes to pair wine and antioxidants together, but what about beer? Are there any redeeming qualities? While beer isn't making the food pyramid anytime soon, there are some health benefits associated with your brew! But just as wine isn’t going to stop your free radical damage in its tracks, take this information (and your next pint) with a grain of salt!

Keep it in moderation, but here are the upsides to your brew:

  1. Heart health. The reasoning - alcohol increases the good HDL cholesterol content in the body. This in return will prevent blood clotting, which in the long run will keep your heart happy and pumping strong.
  2. Fiber and B-Vitamins- Granted beer isn’t loaded with these, but it does contain amounts of both. Beer can have up to 12 percent of our daily vitamin B intake and normal beer has just under a gram of fiber, with darker beers containing a little more.
  3. Bone Health- Silicon, which is only in a few foods has been linked to increased bone health, guess what beer contains?  You guessed it; moderate beer consumption continually gets linked to greater bone density.
  4. Antioxidants and kidneys- The high water content and diuretic effect has been linked to helping avoid kidney stones. Barley and hops (like the grapes in wine) contain antioxidants and have been said to offer a similar amount to wine.
  5. Easy to track. Beer makes it easy to track how much you drink, with the packaging and nutrition on the can or bottle. Since keeping the drinking in moderation is key, knowing the amount you’re taking in makes life a little easier.

We aren’t suggesting you swap out your water for a pint, but we like our readers to know both sides of the story. Cheers to health!