It’s a new year and that means many of us are looking to lose weight or at least to have a healthier lifestyle. This year why not do both with the help of science and fine wine?
Thanks to Dr. Roger Corder we can now understand how these two seemingly diverse disciplines work together. You just have to read his very insightful book, The Red Wine Diet.
During a recent interview he explained that red wines contain polyphrnols, which can help the heart to function better. But it’s important to understand which red wines offer the best benefits.
Dr. Roger’s research, conduced over a period of fifteen years, has clearly documented that the rich red wines of southern France and the Mediterranean Sea area offers the highest levels of polyhrnols. Called alternately the “French Paradox” or the “Mediterranean Effect”, red wines have been shown to increase both health and longevity.
Sardinia, Crete and Greece all have very low levels of heart disease while still enjoying a fairly high fat national diet. The same is true of southwest France. The secret of the wine’s benefits is linked to two factors.
First, the grapes pressed there contain a large amount of resveratrol. This key red wine element can reduce "bad" cholesterol and also prevent blood clots. The second factor that further increases the benefits of red wine is the length of fermentation time when there is extended contact of the grape liquid with the skins and seeds.
As a result, white wines (which are white because the colored grape skins are quickly removed from the pressing process), do not contain as many health benefits as do red wines.
One should, of course, enjoy wine. Wine isn’t a medicine. It’s part of life and that includes food and friends. Generally one to two glasses daily is fine for women while men can enjoy two to three glasses a day.
Does all this sound French? Well, it is as Mireille Guiliano’s delight book French Women Don't Get Fat:The Secret of Eating for Pleasure points out. It’s a must-read for the New Year. Just be sure to have a rich glass of fine red wine nearby as you turn the pages and read your way to health. Enjoy!
Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2010