Is Wine Right for You
We all have read about, heard about & talked about the "health benefits" of red wine or wine in general. There are studies that say "red wine, in moderation, has long been thought of as heart healthy. The alcohol and certain substances in red wine called antioxidants may help prevent heart disease by increasing levels of "good" cholesterol and protecting against artery damage. While the news about red wine might sound great if you enjoy a glass of red wine with your evening meal, doctors are wary of encouraging anyone to start drinking alcohol. That's because too much alcohol can have many harmful effects on your body. Still, doctors do agree that something in red wine appears to help your heart, though it's unclear just exactly what that "something" is. Researchers think antioxidants, such as flavonoids or a substance called resveratrol, have promising heart-healthy benefits." You can read the full article from the Mayo clinic website at the link above which explains the pros and cons to the research & drinking wine in more detail.Today, the point I want to make is that even if you decide to drink alcohol IN MODERATION (1 five ounce glass a night), you still have to account for the calories. Five ounces of red wine is approximately 130 calories & 15g of sugar. If you have a 5 ounce glass a night, that amounts to about 900 calories a week or about 1 pound (3500 calories) of weight per month. Now, I am not telling anyone to not drink their 5 ounce glass of wine per night BUT like all other foods/liquids, you have to account for it in your daily planning if you are trying to lose weight otherwise it may derail you with that 1 pound per month. If you are an alcohol or wine drinker & have not been figuring that in AND are not losing weight, you might want to take a look at this & the calories you are consuming in alcohol form. If it is creating a problem, maybe you can cut back the number of glasses per week.
The other thing alcohol does to a person is increase their appetite, lower their inhibitions & sometimes make you care a lot less about what you are eating. Also, it can also make you depressed if you end up in a situation that leads to that & we all know about emotional eating. You could care less about what you eat.
Also, studies show that cortisol rises after bouts of drinking. I know many of us have read about how cortisol plays a role in abdominal fat accumulation. It also increases the breakdown of testosterone. YES, women do have testosterone and it helps us build muscle which as we all know protects our bone health as well as we burn more calories at rest. Not to mention the fact that tighter & toned makes us look better & also feel better about ourselves.
Lastly, recent studies show that alcohol does not decrease breast cancer risk. From this article on WebMD:
In the study, published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, researchers interviewed 6,327 women with breast cancer and 7,558 age-matched healthy women about their drinking habits. Equal proportions of women reported drinking white and red wine in both groups. After controlling for other known breast cancer risk factors, such as family history, researchers found that wine drinking was not associated with any higher or lower risk of breast cancer, regardless of whether the wine was red or white. However, women who drank more alcoholic drinks in general (14 or more per week), especially liquor, had a higher risk of breast cancer. Researchers say this was one of the largest studies of its kind to examine the relationship between wine and breast cancer, and the results suggest neither red nor white wine is related to breast cancer.
OK, please don't yell at me!!! I am not telling you that you have to give up that small glass of wine after a long hard stressful day at work BUT just remember that like all other foods, you have to plan for the calories in your daily food program. And if you are drinking wine only for the "health benefits", you can substitute real foods that have the same antioxidants like grapes, blueberries, peanuts and more. The article does state that they don't even know whether the foods are comparable either BUT for me, I am going with food. That is just me because I am not fond of wine or many alcoholic drinks. For you, find what is right for you BUT do make sure you know what you are adding to your daily allotment of calories if you are one that is a calorie counter. If not, just be aware.
I am not a drinker so I know there may be some feedback to this. Let me have it OR let me know how you work it in!
This is a great post, and you did such a good job at not telling people what to do, but rather giving them some really good facts.
We don't drink alcohol (aren't you surprised?!) but I think that if you do, counting the calories in your daily total is really important.
Thanks again!! Great post!
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When I was in high school, I think I (illegally) drank enough for the entire lifespan of two people combined. I don't want it anymore! Yuck!
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Being Italian, I love me some wine! I grew up with wine always around during meals and holidays. I don't drink it excessively but have my occasional glass or 2 per week. But, drinking too much, you are right-the calories will start to climb up up uppp. And that is never good!
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Meh, nothing wrong with a glass or a bottle of cold golden heavenly brew every now and then.
The rule is simple, if your body can afford to take it, then take it. People need to remember that the more muscle you have, the better your tolerance.
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I'm like you! No alcohol! If you need a designated driver, I'm your ride!
Here's my column on the topic.
http://calorielab.com/news/2008/09/19/alcohol-bad-for-you/
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Dr. J, thx for commenting AND for your post! It was a great one!!!!!
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