Your pancreas plays an essential role in digestion, but when it does not work properly your body is not able to absorb the nutrients it needs from the foods you eat. Pancreatitis occurs when your pancreas becomes inflamed or swollen and cannot aid in proper digestion or in the regulation of your blood sugar.

Depending on whom you ask, alcohol is can be a blessing or a curse. Even Harvard School of Public Health calls it "both a tonic and a poison," depending on the dose.

Vodka is the alcohol of choice to create many mixed drinks. Cranberry and vodka, energy drinks and vodka, and vodka and tonic are all popular drinks you can consume during a night of drinking or barhopping with friends. Unfortunately, vodka also has to potential to leave you with a hangover the next morning.

Vodka, like other forms of alcohol, can be dangerous if not consumed in moderation. Vodka might be as much as 40 to 50 percent pure alcohol, depending on type and region. Consequently, you should limit your vodka intake to about 1.5 oz. per day if you are female and about 3 oz.

On the Atkins diet, you take in a limited amount of carbohydrates a day so you have to count them scrupulously to make sure you don’t exceed your daily quota. Although you’re allowed to drink some alcohol on both variations of this low-carb plan, doing so may hinder your weight-loss efforts.

Alcoholic beverages have been enjoyed for thousands of years and have been appreciated for their taste and pleasing effects. They also have been used as food, providing nutritional value to the diet. Those who drink alcoholic beverages can gain some benefit from enjoying one or two drinks on a daily basis.

Choose the wrong beverage, and you might sabotage your diet in just a few gulps. Many alcoholic drinks are loaded in calories, especially if they contain sugary or creamy mixers. What's more, alcohol may lead to water retention, adding several extra pounds of fluid weight to your frame.

Enjoying an alcoholic beverage now and then can drastically increase your caloric intake if you don't monitor what you're drinking. Several low-calorie alcoholic beverages are available to choose from, and some types of alcoholic drinks might have beneficial effects on your health.

You may not be aware that burning in your stomach after drinking alcoholic beverages may be a sign of alcohol intolerance. Alcohol intolerance is commonly referred to as an alcohol allergy because the condition can cause allergy-like symptoms.

All alcoholic beverages contain calories, and if you eat and drink more calories than your body uses, you will gain weight. To limit this effect, choose the least fattening alcoholic beverages and try to compensate for them by eating healthier foods or fewer snacks.

The Hurricane is a mixed beverage containing alcohol and a number of sweet ingredients, including orange juice, grenadine and sugar, which create a fruity flavor that overpowers the alcohol.

Amaretto is a smooth liqueur that can be mixed with juice, soda, coffee or other liquors.This sweet, amber-colored mixer hails from Saronno, Italy. It is known as an almond-flavored liqueur, but is in fact made largely from apricot kernels, which have an almond-like scent.