New year nonsense

Sally Toms experiences a touch of seasonal cynicism.

Well it’s 2008, and the new year has brought with it its usual dose of guilt and financial hardship. I for one am sick to death of people telling me to ‘kick-start’ the new year with detox, diet and exercise. It’s utterly depressing to be constantly told don’t eat dairy, don’t eat fat, don’t eat meat and definitely don’t drink anything alcoholic. Well, to those get-fit dogooders and television gurus I have only one thing to say, and it ain’t very ladylike.

Alright, so we should all probably eat a little less take-away and a little more fruit and veg. But am I alone in wondering why the world has gone mad over the hallowed “Five Portions”? How much longer will we really live if we abstain from the things we love, and will it have been worth it?

Forgive me, I’m just being cynical. It’s that time of year. But what particularly bugs me is that all this information we’re being bombarded with is often extremely misleading and contradictory. The result is that nobody has a clue what they should be eating or drinking, and end up dawdling in supermarket aisles staring vacantly at the nutritional information on the back of a yoghurt.

Every single newspaper, book, television programme and magazine we look at tells us that alcohol is bad (well maybe not every magazine). But you and I both know a regular glass of beer is certainly not bad for you, and can actually be beneficial to your health. It really makes me angry when people are bullied by government ‘guidelines’ into cutting out everything that we enjoy.

Okay, drink 14 pints a night and you’re on the fast track for a beer belly and bad case of liver failure but that’s a different problem. Beer has all kinds of proteins and vitamins in it that can be pretty damn good for your internal workings and general well-being.

The key word, of course, is moderation, and those of us who drink alcohol in a healthy, responsible way should not be made to feel guilty because of new year marketing campaigns.

All the same, if you have been guilt tripped into drinking a little less alcohol for a month or two, you might wish to sample one of the mid-strength beers on the market at the moment. Badger’s Harvester’s Ale is particularly good and it’s only 2.5% ABV. It’s the first one I’ve tried that proves low on alcohol does not have to mean low on flavour.

Anyway, it’s the start of another successful year for BOTW, which I hope you will agree is improving with every single issue. It’s going to be a good year, too, for the magazine’s extra-curricular activites. We’ve got our first Beers of the World Live event in June which is extremely exciting, as well as the next World Beer Awards which, if last year’s were any indication, is just going to be huge.

There are one or two other things in the pipeline as well, but you’ll just have to watch this space. A girl’s got to have some secrets after all...

Sally Toms

By Sally Toms

Section : From the Editor

Page number : 5