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Thread: Alcohol: Annoying Health Test

  1. #1
    berta_the_aspie's Avatar
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    Default Alcohol: Annoying Health Test

    Hey everyone, did anyone else take this health test at http://www.alprosoya.co.uk/healthy_d...-UK/index.html

    My health was fine acording to the test but it said I should start drinking, which I thought was a bit offensive:

    "A moderate, regular intake of alcohol is beneficial to our cardiac health. It is commonly thought that the alcohol should be red wine but recent studies show that any alcohol intake has the same effect. Note that the health benefits are restricted to small, regular intakes. Drinking all the weekly allowance over 2-3 days is binge drinking which is detrimental to your health. Just remember that alcohol contains calories if you are trying to watch your weight."

    Now i know this is true and all but didn't we just have a discussion on this on the forum where we concluded with the fact that grape juice has the exact same effect as red wine? And since grape juice doesnt have as many calories and does not indeed "kill braincells" or whatever alcohol/toxins do shouldnt a pro-vegan site like Alpro Soya suggest other things instead of drinking?

    I'm just mad at my score really, I wanted to get a full score and didn't.
    The test didn't even ask if I was vegan
    det e bedre at den e dyr - enn at den e døde dyr

  2. #2
    Abe Froman Risker's Avatar
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    Default Re: Annoying Health Test

    I missed out on that discussion but I believe when most official health studies are done they try to focus on simple things that they think they can get the mass populace to do.

    For example, eating 5 portions of fruit and veg a day - like 5 is some magic number. I doubt it very much, but it's easier to get people to agree to do a simple thing like that than give them a full breakdown of what they actually need to be eating and expect them to follow it.

    I'd be more annoyed that it doesn't ask if you were vegan, but then again, alpro can only work with the statistics that are available and all these sorts of health/life expectancy surveys seem to work off the same statistics.
    "I don't want to live on this planet any more" - Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth

  3. #3
    vegan pizza! thecatspajamas1's Avatar
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    Default Re: Annoying Health Test

    In my nutrition class, there was a list in our text with actions to lower blood pressure (I think it was blood pressure), and it said exercise, less saturated fat, etc. and then at the bottom it said consume alcohol! The professor was like "yeah, ignore that one..." The risks far outweigh the benefits.
    I eat nutritional yeast by the spoonful.

  4. #4
    berta_the_aspie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Annoying Health Test

    Exactly. Alot of students might take it the wrong way.
    I actually found out that website also has recipes for fish and eggs euw.
    det e bedre at den e dyr - enn at den e døde dyr

  5. #5
    ♥♥♥ Tigerlily's Avatar
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    Default Re: Annoying Health Test

    I don't think most soy milk companies are made only for vegans. Their main customer target are those with lactose intolerances or dairy allergies, and omnis who are trying to be healthier.
    Peace, love, and happiness.

  6. #6
    SandraD's Avatar
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    Default Re: Annoying Health Test

    It's recently been on the news that "you can eat a lot of fatty food (showing pictures of cheeseburgers) and still live long if you drink red wine" It's propaganda. They want Americans to be fat and unhealthy so we'll buy their pharmaceuticals and keep that multitrillion dollar industry thriving.
    ANYTHING that is beneficial in red wine can be attained drinking grape juice. Bonus: no downfalls of alcohol.
    I hope no one falls for that stuff....but then again, that's hopeless.

    I read (for the life of me I cannot remember where) that people should actually be eating 9-10 servings of fruit and vegetables (9-10 of each) a day instead of 4-5 because they aren't as chocked full of nutrients and such goodies as they used to be. These days, most are stripped, even organic doesn't compare to the f and v's of 50 years ago.
    Last edited by SandraD; Nov 4th, 2006 at 03:48 AM. Reason: spelling error!
    "We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." Kant

  7. #7
    Seaside
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    Default Re: Annoying Health Test

    Does Alpro own any alcoholic beverage companies? I took the test, and if I were willing to consume 1 to 2 units of alcohol a day, my score would change from 13 to 0.

  8. #8

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    Default Re: Annoying Health Test

    I've never seen grape juice over here, maybe I'm not looking in the right places. I saw a study that linked regular moderate alcohol intake to a decrease in the incidence rate of Alzheimers. I'm just not sure alcohol is interchangeable with grape juice in all cases where health benefits are concerned. But i may be wrong.

  9. #9
    fortified twinkle's Avatar
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    Default Re: Annoying Health Test

    The article I read on the BBC website was that they're isolating one particular anti-oxidant out of red wine (a glass on it's own only contains something like 0.3% of the dosage they were using in the tests) and then saying you can eat what you like after you've taken it

    Oh, and of course the tests were on rats

  10. #10
    ♥♥♥ Tigerlily's Avatar
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    Default Re: Annoying Health Test

    I was reading this other article, on Dr Furhman's site (I think that's his name). He said red wine is only beneficial for your heart if you already eat an unhealthy diet with a lot of cholesterol.

    If you eat a healthy diet (like a vegan diet) and/or don't drink, there's not much use in using red wine for health benefits.

    Plus, it tastes gross.
    Peace, love, and happiness.

  11. #11

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    Default Re: Annoying Health Test

    If alcohol really had a significant effect on health, wouldn't a health difference show up in cultures which abstain from it?
    I did not take the test as I did not want to give alpro all those personal details...
    See my local diary ... http://herbwormwood.blogspot.com/

  12. #12
    SandraD's Avatar
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    Default Re: Annoying Health Test

    Quote fiamma View Post
    I've never seen grape juice over here, maybe I'm not looking in the right places. I saw a study that linked regular moderate alcohol intake to a decrease in the incidence rate of Alzheimers. I'm just not sure alcohol is interchangeable with grape juice in all cases where health benefits are concerned. But i may be wrong.

    Wow, I just assumed Grape Juice was everywhere. In the USA there is Purple kind (red grapes) and White (green grapes). I like them both. Do you have apple juice in Italy? There's pretty much a juice for almost every fruit here, and almost every mixture of fruits.
    "We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." Kant

  13. #13

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    Default Re: Annoying Health Test

    How much grape and how much water and additives?
    Grape juice is available everywhere there are grapes and juicers. Buy grapes, put them in your juicer and drink within 24 hours.
    See my local diary ... http://herbwormwood.blogspot.com/

  14. #14
    ♥♥♥ Tigerlily's Avatar
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    Default Re: Annoying Health Test

    Actually you can buy grape juice where grape is the only ingredient or where grape is first and water is second. Just like apple juice and orange juice. I haven't seen much juices, apart from "fruit punches" and fruit juices fortified with extra Vitamin C, with additives or other ingredients.
    Peace, love, and happiness.

  15. #15
    SandraD's Avatar
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    Default Re: Annoying Health Test

    Quote herbwormwood View Post
    How much grape and how much water and additives?
    Grape juice is available everywhere there are grapes and juicers. Buy grapes, put them in your juicer and drink within 24 hours.

    Depends what brand you buy
    "We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." Kant

  16. #16
    satirecafe
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    Default Re: Annoying Health Test

    Wtf?? Why in the world does that test ask you your race??

  17. #17
    ♥♥♥ Tigerlily's Avatar
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    Default Re: Annoying Health Test

    Because certain groups of people are more prone to certain diseases.
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  18. #18
    satirecafe
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    Default Re: Annoying Health Test

    oh. hehehe, i feel ignorant.

  19. #19
    Lilac Hamster
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    Default Re: Annoying Health Test

    The problem is Satirecafe that there are some "politically correct" people who have swamped society with the idea that we have to to deny any differences between racial groups, for the simple reason that they believe that to accept any differences is inherently racist (they see these issues in black and white, pun intended). The PC crowd are well-known in the UK for stifling intelligent debate and for promoting censorship of different views.

    Some races are more prone to lactose intolerance, and other conditions, possibly heart disease I read somewhere, so to admit these biological differences is not racist (it does not imply inequality of basic rights after all), but in fact realistic and will better help those who are more likely to get sick!

    I understand how you feel Berta about being advised to drink alcohol, it is irresponsible to suggest it, and I would personally not suggest it to anyone. Also some families have a genetic predisposition to alcoholism so it is in particular offensive to those in that situation.

    We even recently had a thread on here where someone suggested if someone was a smoker that they should CONTINUE smoking to offset the effects of coming off caffeine!!! I could hardly believe it, it seemed even more mad than suggesting drinking alcohol, but just because someone is vegan does not mean they are gonna be straight edge. If you are straight edge (I guess you are teetotal yourself), then good for you, you are quite right to stick with it. I am not teetotal myself, I overdo the wine or Bacardi Breezers a bit at Christmas and occasionally on another special occasion but fortunately most of the year I don't drink alcohol. I would never advise or pressure anyone else to drink alcohol, it's just wrong and unethical to do that, I agree with you Berta!! I'd be proud if any of my kids decided to be straight edge for instance, although I am one of their parents so they might probably drink occasionally as adults.

    Even worse that Alpro would advocate fish and eggs, they should be advocating the great fish and meat substitutes made by companies like Redwoods, if they feel the need for anything to be like animal products, that is if they were ethical they would!

    Their health test certainly makes me wonder who they are in cahoots with in terms of other companies promoting fish, meat or alcohol! Sounds very dodgy to me, but there are some truly ethical vegan companies out there.

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