Surprising Reasons to Serve Red Wine with Dinner
In the swirl of daily health news, there are some surprising new reasons to serve red wine with dinner. Researchers say moderate amounts of red wine may help us live longer and look better.
Living Longer
Red wine has been singled out for health benefits for a while, but this is new. Lifehack says researchers believe red wine’s resveratrol component may help us live longer and stay smarter. I can’t think of a better combination! Resveratrol is also found in blueberries, cranberries, peanuts and pistachios, but not in white wines, just red.
Some populations, such as those on the island of Ikarios, drink red wine daily and eat less animal based foods and more plant based foods. They also live longer than most other people in the world. Red wine has also been shown to improve short term memory, improve heart, brain and bone function and help chase depressed moods away.
But the list does not stop there. It also may reduce the risk of liver disease, help regulate blood sugar levels, be good for our eyes, fight colon, prostate and breast cancer, and fight teeth bacteria. Red wine may also lower the risk of ischemic stroke. (This benefit did not show up in beer or hard liquor.)
Age Better & Look Better
WebMD reports Richard A. Baxter, Seattle MD and plastic surgeon says a glass of red wine a day for women, with two for men, may help us age better and look better. The antioxidants in red wine sop up damaging free radicals that affect aging and age-related diseases. There is a much higher concentration of these antioxidants in wine compared to grape juice.
Baxter said reducing stress may be part of the effect too and the Mediterranean diet may come into play. Filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, yogurt, seafood and olive oil this diet is also linked to longer, healthier lives. The Mediterranean Diet has been in health news for a couple of years as researchers tell us how much of a difference it can make in our heart health. When you look closer, it is a pretty tempting choice for your table. Fresh seafood dishes paired with wine and cheese link up with all sorts of fresh vegetables and fruits. Before I head out to shop I make a list of red wines and look for new seafood, veggie and fruit recipes to try.
Baxter wraps up this new information with some important cautions. Drinking a glass of red wine a day may be the single most important thing we can do, other than nonsmoking. But if we overdo the one or two glass rule, wine can have the opposite appearance on health and appearance.
As always, when considering changes in diet, start with you physician.