Thursday, February 21, 2008

Wine: The good and the better

The first thing that came to mind when I started this post was that my original thought for a title was Wine: The good, the bad and the ugly. The fact is - I couldn’t write that. It wouldn’t be true. Wine is one of the good things in life that you all can enjoy without feeling one iota of remorse. That’s right, even dieting, you can have a glass and not feel bad. At. All. No catch. No rules.

Since this is Wicked Weighs though, I am going to educate you. I want to say upfront, I am NOT a wine professional. I purchase my wines off of the shelf at my grocery store shelf. I sometimes even...drink it chilled. *gasp* But, I do know a thing or two about what happens on your insides when you consume things.

Have you guys ever thought about what wine can do for you? Besides, give you that lovely light headed feeling. Think about this, the FRENCH are the biggest wine consumers in the world. The French whose diet typically consists of cheese, bread, butter, and thick gooey sauces all over everything. Yet, these people are not keeling over dead from heart attacks. (ponder it, you know you are) The reason? They are also consuming moderate amounts of wine on a regular basis. Interesting isn’t it?

Wine (particularly red) is full of these lovely things called flavonoids. Flavanoids act as antioxidants. Antioxidants enter your bod and fight all these other things called free radicals. In essence, free radicals are the bad guys. They break down and steal vitamins, nutrients and other important things that your body needs to function properly and then they attack your cells and cause damage. Damage that is sometimes also linked to certain cancers. Scary little things aren’t they? In addition to being loaded with antioxidants, wine has all the lovely benefits of grapes and fruit. Clinical and statistical evidence and laboratory studies have shown the contents in wine, particularly red wines, to boost the immune system, block cancer formation, and possibly protect against heart disease and even prolong life.

I am not telling you that it is aok to down a whole bottle by yourself each night. That would lead you to a whole mess of other troubles aside from a big ass. But, I am telling you that if you are enjoying a little romance with your significant other or if you are enjoying the company of your BFF’s..it’s actually good for you to have a glass of wine or two.

I, of course, am partial to organic wines. Mainly because they aren’t made from chemically treated grapes and fruit. As I mentioned, I purchase my wine from my grocery store shelf and guess what? The organic and sulfide free wine at my grocery store is actually cheaper than the non organic. So all of you...go....not only can you drink wine and feel good about it...you can purcahse something organic without it killing your pocket book. It is a great day today.
Ciao.