Margaritas

Being a college student, I can definitely relate to the dilemma of alcohol and weight gain.  You want to have fun while avoiding the calories.  One of my favorite drinks is a margarita.  I came across an article that described the process a margarita takes toward digestion in the body.  Why do margaritas make you gain weight?

Within the first minute: The drink lands in your stomach, causing your liver to work so hard to break down the alcohol, putting a temporary hold on other key duties, such as processing calories.

In the next 30 minutes: Because your liver is overwhelmed, the alcohol backs up into your bloodstream and shoots up to your brain, where it disrupts the nerve cells in the hippocampus (which controls memory), the cerebellum (which controls movement), and the prefrontal cortex (which controls mood).  As a result, you may feel more relaxed and suddenly charming.  You may also feel warm and a bit flushed, thanks to expanded blood vessels in your skin.  Next, you have to pee.  Since alcohol is a diuretic, it speeds up the flow of fluids to the bladder.  Also, if the margarita is made with triple sec, the drink's sugar content has caused an insulin spike, which may lead to sweating and/or eating fatty foods that you may normally avoid.

After 60 minutes: The alcohol is neutralized, transformed by your liver from acetate to carbon dioxide (which you breathe out) and water (which you urinate), but those 400 calories are not gone.  Since your liver was occupied, your body stored the calories as triglycerides (a type of fat), which are most likely tucked mostly into cells in your abdomen, the unhealthiest place to pack pudge.  

After reading this, I hope next time you think twice before enjoying the dangerous (although delicious) drink!