You get home from work and your spouse makes a delicious steak dinner for you along with wine. You are trying to lose weight and do not know if wine is on your eating plan. I have good news. It can be. Wine in moderation has many health benefits. The key word is moderation. Moderation does not mean drinking an entire bottle or two.
There are many health benefits of drinking a glass of wine a day. Wine is made from grapes and grapes have a ton of antioxidants. Antioxidants are compounds that prevent cellular damage caused by inflammation and oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is an unbalance between antioxidants and useable molecules called free radicals, these damage cells in the body.
Grapes also have high levels of polyphenols. Polyphenols reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the body.
Drinking one serving of wine a day has these health benefits:
- Reduces inflammation in the body.
- Prevents heart disease.
- Helps with mental health.
- Promotes longevity.
- Helps with having healthy gut bacteria which helps digestion.
- Reduces high blood pressure.
What is a serving of wine? That depends on the wine. Here is a small list, I am providing a bigger list with the link below if you want more information.
- Cabernet Sauvignon: 1 glass is 4oz and the calories are 91.
- Cava: 1 glass is 4oz and the calories are 90.
- Champagne: 1 glass is 4oz and the calories are 90.
- Dry red wine: 1 glass is 4 oz and the calories are 100.
- Chocolate wine: 1 glass is 4 oz and the calories are 302.
- Marsala wine: 1 glass is 4oz and the calories are 118.
- Merlot: 1 glass is 4oz and the calories are 98.
This is a small sample. So, when you are planning your meal plan and want to drink be sure to add the calories from the wine you will be drinking. Also remember a serving is between 3oz to 4oz depending on the wine you consume. It is recommended that women only consume 1 glass of wine a day and for men it is two glasses a day. That is all you need to get the health benefits.
When you overindulge in drinking wine there are some harmful things that can happen. Here are the harmful things that can happen:
- 87,798 people a year die from drinking in excess.
- Excessive drinking causes cancer.
- Excessive drinking causes diabetes.
- Excessive drinking causes liver disease.
- Excessive drinking causes heart disease.
- Excessive drinking causes pancreatic disease.
- Excessive drinking causes gout.
In conclusion, it is important to be intentional when choosing to drink wine or any type of alcohol. Yes, there are health benefits, but just like anything else if you eat too much or drink too much water there are harmful effects. There must be a balance. Karen and the Wellness Works NW team is happy to guide you to including wine or alcohol in your eating plan. We will help you be intentional with your choices. Remember to like our YouTube Channel and follow our Facebook page to get more ideas. We even have a Pinterest page for recipes and articles. We look forward to helping you.
If you would like help in creating a Wellness Plan, Karen and the Wellness Works NW Team are here to help you. Like our YouTube channel and our Facebook and Twitter pages and check out our website.
Here are some links I would like to share with you:
- Alcohol calorie calculator by National Institutes of Health U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Staff
- Are There Health Benefits to Drinking Red Wine? by WebMD Editorial Contributors for NOURISH by WebMD
- Can a Glass of Wine Benefit Your Health by Ashley Sobel, RD, CDN on August 27, 2019 for Healthline
- Photo Credit: Is red wine actually good for your heart? by Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter for Harvard Health Blog
- Wine Calories by Calories.info Staff
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- How to Eat a Mediterranean Diet
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- Wellness with Drug & Alcohol Addiction
- The Popcorn Article
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Jamie Holloway is a co-owner of Wellness Works NW and she is also our Research Manager and writes our Chasing Wellness with Jamie Holloway and Dear Jamie columns. Jamie is also an Independent Wellness Advocate at dōTERRA. She lives in the Portland, Oregon area. Since October 2011 she has been sharing her Journey Toward Health and Wellness with Vasculitis through her blog at JamieChasesButterflies.com. We hope you are as inspired as we are with the raw candor Jamie uses in her writing. If you would like to help support Jamie’s writing efforts please Donate now.
