IS GUINNESS PALEO?
The Paleo List Answers:Is GUINNESS Paleo?
If you followed the posters from the 1920’s, you might believe that Guinness, the centuries-old Irish stout, is good for you. But, here in the modern world, we don’t trust posters and advertisements. With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, we’ll take a look at the ingredients and manufacturing process of the infamous Irish stout. Is Guinness Paleo?
What Is Guinness?
Guinness is a dark Irish Stout, primarily brewed in Dublin, Ireland. At about 4.2 percent alcohol per volume, it is a relatively “light” beer, though it still packs in the carbs. Depending on the country where it is brewed, the product varies from 5.20-17 grams of carbs per 12-ounce serving. All the Guinness that is available in the United States is brewed at St. James’ Gate, and contains 10 grams of carbs per 12-ounce serving.
The ingredients are pretty basic: water, malt, roasted barley, hops, yeast, and the recipe hasn’t changed much over the centuries. The thing that makes Guinness the most unique is the nitro tap used to pour it. Most beers are carbonated using carbon dioxide, but nitro beers are carbonated using 70% nitrogen and 30% carbon dioxide. More and more craft breweries are using this old technique to pour rich dark stouts with a perfectly creamy head, but the resulting beer is also sometimes easier on your stomach, resulting in less bloating.
Is Guinness Paleo?
Unfortunately, no, Guinness isn’t Paleo. Although its short ingredient list is relatively clean, both malt and barley contain gluten, and are cereal grains.
Most alcohol products these days fall short of the “Paleo” label because they contain sugar, grains, or other industrialized ingredients. When people “cheat” with alcohol, they normally stick to things like wine, since fermented grapes were certainly available to the cavemen (though probably not in large quantities), and others go for gluten-free hard cider, despite its high (natural) sugar content.
Both of these options are probably a-okay if you’re Paleo due to food sensitivities, but any alcohol in large quantities can wreak quite a bit of havoc on your body, so keep that in mind! Below are a few resources for drinking alcohol on the Paleo diet, as well as a bit of a “cheat” recipes for Guinness Chocolate Cake – yes, it contains Guinness!
Are you struggling with which foods are Paleo? Do you need help planning some Paleo meals? Check out this great Paleo cookbook:
