Red Wine – Delicious low-carb Fountain of Youth?

Today. I’m going to talk about something that is near and dear to my heart. That’s right. Red wine – Specifically dry red wines. While it technically does have carbohydrates in it, it could have health benefits that far outweigh the 3-4 carbs each glass contains.

I mean, c’mon, just because we don’t eat bread and sugar (god forbid), doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy other heavenly indulgences..

The science community has been talking about the possible health benefits and anti-aging properties of red wine for quite some time now. Red wines contain resveratrol which comes from the skin of the grapes (which is why white wine doesn’t have it – no grape skins). Just recently I ran upon a link to an article where scientists from Scotland and Singapore found out exactly HOW it controls and prevents inflammation.

From the article:

“They found that resveratrol used a one-two punch to stop inflammation in the mice by preventing the body from creating two different molecules known to trigger inflammation, sphingosine kinase and phospholipase D. This finding suggests that resveratrol may be harnessable as a treatment for inflammatory diseases and may also lead to entirely new resveratrol-based drugs that are even more effective.”

Now that’s what I call “bringing the thunder”.

What does this all mean? Well for me it means you can now enjoy those 3-4g of carbs with a little less guilt now. Hell, you can even tell your friends that its time to uncork your “grape medicine” (just remember to count the carbs toward your daily total).

Not a “wine person”, well neither was I until a few years ago. I though wine was “ok”, but generally just stuck to more fruity “sugar bomb” type wines and even them I was not enthralled with them (and they’ve got a butt-load of carbohydrates as well). I didn’t really “discover” wine until I stumbled upon a little online video show called Wine Library TV. Its a wildly entertaining and informative show hosted by Wine Retailer and Internet Marketing Powerhouse Gary Vaynerchuk. I’m not going to go into his story, here – he can tell you himself – but his delivery style and personality is one of those “love it or hate it” (personally I’m in the “love it” camp) but either way you can’t deny the power of the message and his expertise on the topic. It doesn’t matter if you know NOTHING about wine or are the resident wine snob on your block – I (virtually) guarantee that you’ll enjoy and learn something from the show.

If you’re curious, or looking to get into wine a bit – definitely check him out. In wines he’s all about “giving new things a try and leaving your comfort zone”. Which is sometimes, pretty healthy advice for life to.

What does everyone thing about wine?

Any particular ones that “tickle your fancy” these days?

I’ve been drinking a lot of Chilean Carmenere for the past month or so. Its got this pungent aroma and taste that can best be described by “Green Peppers”, “Dirty Vegetable Garden”, and “Bare Feet” – except in a good way. Sound good? Probably not. But trust me, it is.

(amazing wine pour photo by arlo bates)

Related posts:

1. Top Ten Reasons to go Low-Carb Today
2. Wednesday Question: Whats are your preferences on alcoholic beverages when eating low-carb?