There will be no lectures on the effects of alcohol on the human body. After all, this will not make you refuse a glass of champagne or wine on the occasion of a holiday, birthday or a big family event. Our goal is to warn you against some combinations of high—quality alcohol with other high-quality products. We used to think that a good wine can be a great addition to any meal. However, this is not the case. Below are the most dangerous, according to the experience of toxicologists, «snacks» for any alcoholic beverage.
Alcohol with grapefruit
Although grapefruit is a close relative of lemon, orange and tangerine, it rarely appears on the festive table next to wine and champagne. And that’s right. Unlike its «relatives», this fruit contains substances that block certain liver enzymes that break down various toxic substances, including alcohol. Speaking in Russian, if you eat alcohol with grapefruit, alcohol will last longer in your stomach in an undissociated, toxic form for the body. And this can lead to serious alcohol poisoning even if you know the measure by drinking alcohol. A hangover after such a snack also promises to be unforgettable.
Alcohol with chocolate
«Chocolate and champagne»? This stereotype brought many representatives of the creative intelligentsia with a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis to the surgeon’s table. And the reason for everything is the opposite effects of alcohol and chocolate on the pancreas. Chocolate stimulates the outflow of bile from the gallbladder through the common bile duct, which exits the gallbladder and passes through the pancreas, opening the sphincter into the duodenum. And alcohol causes spasm of the sphincter of this duct, which is extremely dangerous, since it makes it difficult for the bile accumulated inside the duct to escape. As a result of this contradiction, there is swelling of the head of the pancreas, that is, the same acute pancreatitis.
Alcohol with sweet and carbonated drinks
You can not drink alcohol with juices, soda (including the beloved by many «Cola») and other drinks containing sugar. This is another combination for hangover lovers. Sugary drinks «mask» the presence of alcohol in the stomach, and the feeling of intoxication comes later than you have time to realize that you have already had too much. This happens because when it enters the stomach at the same time, sugar has priority for digestion, and alcohol at this time continues to «hang out» in the stomach in an undivided state, exerting its toxic effect on internal organs and tissues. And carbon dioxide contained in carbonated drinks (including energy drinks) irritates the gastric mucosa and increases the rate of alcohol absorption, which is why a person quickly ceases to control himself and can drink too much.
On a note
The same unpleasant effect will have a combination of alcohol and ice cream, and any other easily digestible «sugar» dish.
Alcohol with spicy
Garlic, onion, pepper, mustard, horseradish, vinegar and other spicy seasonings slow down the process of alcohol destruction in the body, and as a result, alcohol half-life products, which are no less toxic than alcohol itself, are present in your body in an undivided state for longer, causing more harm to both your liver and cardiovascular system.
Alcohol with melon
Melon generally «does not like» the neighborhood with other foods in the stomach. And in combination with alcohol, it often gives a pronounced laxative effect. And, since it is unlikely that the purpose of gatherings over a glass of good wine or champagne was profuse diarrhea, it is better not to take risks and not use melon as a snack, even if it is the only thing that was found in your refrigerator.
Alcohol with mushrooms
In combination with alcohol, many mushrooms become life-threatening. Having eaten a glass of a hot drink with mushrooms, you can arrange an unplanned excursion to the intensive care unit. The fact is that, thanks to alcohol, poisons begin to be intensively released from many mushrooms. At the same time, their bioavailability increases, that is, they easily penetrate into the blood, causing poisoning of varying severity. The most dangerous of edible forest mushrooms are pigs, morels and stitches. In the presence of alcohol, the organic acids contained in them have an acute toxic effect on the liver and heart, lead to the destruction of red blood cells (red blood cells), and can also provoke severe hallucinogenic delirium.
Alcohol with a barbecue
Fried meat is in itself a difficult product to digest. As a rule, shish kebabs are also quite fatty meat with spices, that is, the product turns out to be doubly heavy. The heavier the food is for digestion, the longer it is processed in the gastrointestinal tract, and the longer the alcohol that enters the stomach with it will not be split. And this means that if you are used to controlling your drinking rate according to your inner feelings, and not according to the actual «liter», the chances of having time to drink more than can be safely absorbed are extremely high.
On a note
The opinion of the «experienced» that a plentiful snack reduces the absorption of alcohol into the blood, and therefore, in order not to get drunk, you need to eat more is a dangerous misconception. A dense snack does not prevent intoxication, but delays the onset of the first symptoms, creating a false sense of sobriety for the time being. Any toxicologist will tell you: most deaths as a result of alcohol poisoning are due to an overdose of high-quality alcohol in combination with a dense snack. And this statistic is about high-quality alcohol, not about fakes.
But what you can do, though not harm your body, but spoil the impression even of a very good wine:
Fatty varieties of fish, as well as canned fish, often give the wine an unpleasant metallic taste.
Mint in the form of leaves, mint—flavored additives – can greatly distort the true bouquet of wine not for the better.
Vanilla, cinnamon, curry are too strong seasonings that pull the blanket over themselves and clog the taste of wine.
Vinegar, citric acid, citrus juices also distort the bouquet of wine and its taste qualities.
Also, do not mix alcohol with:
pickled vegetables — acetic acid creates an increased load on the liver and kidneys;
fresh tomatoes — their organic acids can provoke flatulence and other digestive problems;
cream cakes — the fat contained in them prevents the absorption of alcohol, which can eventually lead to a severe hangover;
other alcohol—containing drinks – mixing them has not made anyone happy the next morning.