Dear followers – this is the first time I’ve let someone contribute to my blog. Why? Because I spoke about the 5 Changed to My Diet I made to lose 5 pounds. However, the struggle? The oh, so delicious wine. Sarah Marjoram is a registered dietician and has a great take on the wine topic. Since she’s an expert on health, I felt her thoughts may be food for thought (ba dum bum) for you guys. So without further ado….meet Sarah! xo, kelly
Author: Sarah Marjoram, Registered Dietician, Nutrition Made Simple
I am a Registered Dietitian and I love wine.
As a Dietitian, I am often asked – Is Wine Healthy? As much as I want to answer that question with an emphatic – YES! – I am professionally obligated to review the science and formulate a credible answer. We hear about how healthy the Mediterranean Diet is and we know they are drinking plenty of wine. You know……the whole French Paradox. Should we start ordering a glass of wine with our lunch?
Here’s what we know:
- Red wine and white wine are different. The obvious difference is the color of the grapes. From a nutritional standpoint, the more important difference is whether the grape is fermented with or without the skin. Red wine is fermented with the skins and white wine is fermented without.
- Grape skins hold the power. The skins have powerful plant compounds – particularly resveratrol – that research suggests offer the health benefits.
- Most research highlights red wine but white wine also offers health benefits. Because red wine is fermented with the skin, it offers more benefits. White wine also offers healthy plant compounds but generally lower amounts.
- Resveratrol has been shown to have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Some research has shown that it slows mental decline, improves joint pain, helps with diabetes and may help prevent and treat cancer. As a result, it is being studied for its potential benefits as a supplement. There is a lot more to learn here….
- Moderate wine consumption – red or white – is linked to reduced risk of heart disease and improved cholesterol levels.
What is Moderate Consumption
Naturally, the next question I’m asked is – What is considered moderate consumption? The CDC defines it as 1 drink per day for women and 2 drinks per day for men with a drink being a 5-ounce glass.
Bottom Line
So back to the original question – Is wine healthy? The research suggests that drinking moderate amounts of wine does offer health benefits particularly with heart heatlh. As with all things nutrition, they key to those benefits is balance. If you enjoy wine, do so in moderation and consider it a part of the bigger picture of a healthy lifestyle. Cheers!
Author: Sarah Marjoram. Follow her at Nutrition Made Simple!
(It’s Kelly again – whew. Cheers, ya’ll. )
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