We do all kinds of things in the name of good health: exercise regularly, eat nutritious foods while staying away from certain foods and drinks, and sleep enough every day. But did you know that enjoying the occasional red wine benefits you? Let’s look at we why drink red wine as a healthful addition to our lives as well as how we have fun pouring up a glass of the good stuff.
Wine as Part of a Healthy Life
If you already occasionally include wine in your life, you may love the rich aromas the reds add to cooking, how a mild rose’ tastes on a warm evening, or how a sweet white complements a perfectly grilled entrée. But for many, sipping a glass is usually looked at more as an indulgence rather than a healthful lifestyle addition. While many a parent has privately referred to wine as “adult juice” when young ones spied a glass of wine, the truth is not far from that comparison. Made from fruit, wine is loaded up with antioxidants, little powerhouses that help our bodies fight inflammation, slow the effects of aging, and help produce a more glowing, healthy skin among other benefits. Studies have also shown that foods high in antioxidants also provide some protection against heart disease and stroke, a hefty payoff for a glass of delicious wine.
Red Wine Benefits
With about a glass or less a day, wine drinkers can reap some health benefits. In fact, careful consumption of red wine can even qualify it as a superfood, since so many beneficial effects come from imbibing moderate amounts regularly.
1. Heart Health Antioxidants can help to slow down the negative effects of harmful buildups in the heart, and it has also shown to show improvements to or reversal to damages caused by strokes, inflammation, and blood pressure levels.
2. Prevent Alzheimer’s A dreaded disease, studies are showing that those who drink moderate amounts of red wine and eat a healthful Mediterranean diet have lower risk of developing it along with mild or worsening cognitive impairments. If that is not worth raising a glass, we don’t know what is!
3. Fights Obesity Instead of adding to the common problem of an expanding waistline, a chemical called piceatannol in red wine actually blocks an immature fat cell’s ability to grow. The compound is found in grapes as well as other fruits like passionfruit or blueberries is a delicious reason to pour up a glass of red to experience the red wine benefits.
4. Lessen Blood Sugar Spikes For diabetics or those with blood sugar concerns, this red wine benefit almost sounds too good to be true. But the glucose speed as it moves from the small intestine into the bloodstream is slowed by inhibiting a natural body enzyme responsible for the absorption of the sugar by the body. Red wine works naturally with the body to reduce or lessen those dangerous blood sugar spikes in everyone but may especially be felt in those with concerns with diabetes or other conditions.
5. Help with Cholesterol Anyone with concerns about too high “bad” numbers or too low “good” ones will be excited to learn that this reason why we love to sip on a glass of port or merlot. The almost-magical dark grapes create a perfect combination of body-chemistry changes that we can get on board with. Drinking red wine can lower the LDL levels associated with heart disease while at the same time raising the HDL levels, associated with lower risk of developing high-risk issues.
Why Drink Red Wine vs White?
Red wine includes a larger portion of bioflavonoids than white, so the health impacts are greater for red than white since the grape skin is included in the darker colored red varieties. Additionally, since white wine is fermented after the skins of the grapes are removed while red is fermented with skin and flesh of the grape, less of the plant nutrients are passed on to the final white wine product. Bioflavanoids are strongest in darker, richer colored fruits, so minimizing the effects of the amazing grape to produce a white variety will reduce the health benefits as well.
How We Love to Enjoy a Healthy Serving
Since moderate consumption of up to five glasses of red wine a week is all that is suggested as part of a healthy diet, we make sure that every sip we pour up is beautiful and worthy of the experience. Here is how we like to serve up a delicious glass of pinot or cab:
Use a striking decanter to hold the tasty beverage, making even a weekday evening glass special.
Break out the wedding crystal or fancy serving glass to celebrate all of the health benefits the serving is going to provide.
Try a new dinner recipe to coordinate perfectly with a rich red wine, doubling up the flavor for the evening.
Grab whatever wine glass is clean, put on our loungewear, and pour up a serving of the bottle that is open, knowing that our drink of choice is not just tasty but it’s just as healthy for us as going to the gym. Or almost.
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.
