Dr. Stuart Fischer wants to tell you that drinking alcohol isn't all that bad.
The author of "The Park Avenue Diet" (Hatherleigh Press, $25.95) and "Little Book of Big Medical Emergencies" (Random House, $12.95) possesses 27 years of experience in internal medicine, emergency medicine, nutrition and weight loss. He currently runs The Park Avenue Diet Center in Manhattan.
"It's a fun six-week program," said Fischer, 58, of "The Park Avenue Diet," which came out in June. "I want people to see what happens to their lives in six weeks. After six weeks, you'll want to continue.
"People will treat you differently. When people tell me I look better than I did in college, that stimulates me."
The Brooklyn native, who enjoys good champagne when he's celebrating, said that he'll often have one beer per day, usually an "exotic" beer from different locations.
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"I like American brews of every type," he said. "I'm not picky — it's not like you're eating caviar."
We recently spoke with Fischer about his book and drinking during the holidays.
Is there such thing as healthy alcohol?
"Two drinks per day has been found by the American Heart Association to prevent heart disease. I actually believe that. It improves circulation through the body. My feeling is that alcohol also helps because it reduces stress."
What is the best alcoholic drink to enjoy in terms of health and calories?
"I would say a dry glass of red or white wine. It's the lowest in calories, and the flavonoids in red wine help circulation."
What's the worst?
"Eggnog is the worst because it's extremely high-calorie and it's absorbed quickly. Something that sweet will rapidly go from your intestine into your bloodstream by osmosis. This is why a lot of drinks are very sweet — unfortunately to make the effect stronger. Wine and beer will be absorbed at a more even rate."
"Mixed drinks I also don't like. Some have several types of alcohol, and a lot of them like margaritas and daiquiris have a lot of sugars in them. It also sucks the alcohol right into your bloodstream. That is why they're constructed that way."
Do you tell people not to drink at all?
"No. You've got to remember that people are in a stressful world and they need to zone out. The way you make up for it is exercise."
Is the following statement true: The higher the alcohol level, the higher the calories?
"Perhaps. The more important thing is that alcohol is lipogenic. It means that it causes the body to make fat. It can raise people's cholesterol."
You used to work with the late Dr. Robert Atkins. Did you ever follow the Atkins Diet?
"I did for a while, but I didn't really need to. I weigh 161 pounds right now. I'm 5 feet, 10 inches. I'm on television a lot, and I was told it adds 20 pounds."
How does the Atkins Diet differ from The Park Avenue Diet?
"The Atkins Diet only tells you what to eat. Most people cannot do it correctly — they can't avoid carbohydrates.
"(The Park Avenue Diet) addresses image, and it does so in terms of seven components. Yes, there are weight-loss recipes in my book, but my feeling is that every book or program that has attended to food only is a failure.
"My book adds a psychological, a social and a cosmetic aspect to it. One-seventh of my book is what to eat. The original word for 'diet' in Greek — diaitasthai — means how to lead one's life or lifestyle."
If people want to lose 10 pounds quickly, how do they go about it?
"You'd have to be very fastidious in terms of what you're eating. Some Japanese foods are very low-calorie. It would take lots of exercise and certain nutritional supplements."
The calorie count
Calories in some popular alcoholic beverages
calories
A pint of Guinness Draught 196
A 12-ounce bottle of Bud Light 110
Frozen margarita (Two ounces tequila, 4.5 ounces Jose Cuervo margarita mix, salt) 246
One ounce of 80-proof vodka and 83/10-ounce can of Red Bull Sugar Free 74
One ounce of rum and 8 ounces of Coke 161
Screwdriver (8 ounces of orange juice and one ounce of 80-proof vodka) 176
One 4-ounce glass of red table wine 100
One 4-ounce glass of white table wine 96
Source: Guinness and caloriecount.com