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5 Things About Red Wine

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:00:00 -0800

This month is all about showing your heart some love by learning how to keep it healthy, and red wine fits in nicely with its known heart-healthy benefits. My wine rack is full of red wine, but I try to limit myself to no more than one glass a day so that I'm not counteracting the positive effects of drinking this fine beverage. In case you needed an excuse to share a bottle over dinner tonight, here are five things about red wine.

Antioxidants in red wine called flavonoids have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering LDL (bad cholesterol) levels and increasing the production of good cholesterol.
According to researchers at the University of California, Davis, certain varietals have more concentrations of flavonoids than others. Of the most common red varietals, Cabernet Savignon has the most flavonoids, followed closely by Petit Syrah and Pinot Noir, then Merlot and red Zinfandel.
Moderate consumption of red wine has been known to raise heart healthy omega-3 levels, and these fatty acids play a role in reducing the risk of heart disease.
Resveratrol, another antioxidant found in red wine, could keep you slim.
Polyphenols, also found in tea, nuts, berries and cocoa, may decrease the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

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10 Healthiest Drinks

FitSugar — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 05:30:00 -0700

When the heat of Summer has you looking to quench your thirst, it's a good idea to do so with a healthy beverage. The question is: What are healthy beverages? Health.com is reporting on a new study that ranks 10 beverages by their levels of disease-fighting antioxidants. Here are the top 10 healthiest beverages.

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5 Reasons to Stop After One Glass of Wine

FitSugar — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:00:00 -0700

When drinking red wine, I enjoy my glass knowing I am reaping some health benefits with each sip. As with everything, moderation is key, and drinking more than one glass a day can tip the balance and be detrimental to your health. Here are five reasons to stop after having just one glass of wine.

One glass of wine a day can reduce you risk of having a heart attack, but two glasses of wine a day increases your chance for developing breast cancer.
One glass of wine a day can increase bone strength, but two or more glasses daily can weaken bones. This decrease in bone density can put you at risk for developing osteoporosis.
One glass of red wine a day may help you stay thin, but two or more glasses a day may raise the fats found in your blood.

To see my final two reasons, read more.

Drinking wine in moderation may help improve your ability to create and maintain memories, but two or more glasses, especially when coupled with tobacco use, can hasten the onset of Alzheimer's.
Drinking one glass of wine a day can lower your chances of having a stroke, but drinking more can raise your chances of having one.

If you use the health benefits of wine to justify or rationalize having a glass, stick to the one 4-oz. glass. Moderation is key when it comes to drinking alcohol. A little bit does the trick, but a little more than that can be risky.

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Fight Aging With Wine?

FitSugar — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:30:00 -0700

Are you looking for the fountain of youth? So is GlaxoSmithKline, and the pharmaceutical company is betting that it has found it - in red wine no less. Researchers have found a compound in red wine that slows the aging process, possibly prolonging life. American biotechnology company Sirtris discovered the compound, but Glaxo wants to own it and plans to buy the pharmaceutical start up for $720 million in cash. The company is gambling that this compound really works and hopes to reap the profits on many types of antiaging products.

Dr. David Sinclair of Harvard Medical School isolated the longevity compound resveratrol when experimenting with yeast. While helping yeast live longer may not seem that exciting, that same compound also countered the effects of a high-fat diet in mice and lengthened their little mouse life spans. Drugs modeled after this compound might help safely treat many deadly diseases that shorten our lives. So far, preliminary tests have shown the compound could lower blood sugar for people with diabetes. Sirtris hopes to develop compounds that have even stronger effects on slowing aging. Pretty cool, huh? Scientists are not encouraging us to drink more red wine, but this seems like pretty great reason to drink a glass tonight - just one glass, of course.

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Wine, Nationality, and Antioxidants

FitSugar — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:30:00 -0700

You all know I am a fan of red wine. But did you know that some reds have higher concentrations of the beneficial antioxidants? So if you are drinking wine for, among other things, its health benefits, do you know which country produces wine with the highest amount of antioxidants? Take this quiz and see.

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Wine May Be Good For Your Teeth

FitSugar — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 02:00:00 -0700

One of the reasons I love red wine is it is full of polyphenols, an antioxidant that fights cancer and heart disease. Well, Italian scientists might have discovered a new reason to love both red and white wine, - it may fight bacteria that cause cavities, even with the alcohol removed.

Now before we all start toasting for our teeth, the tests were only performed in test tubes and not on real teeth. The researchers marinated cavity-causing streptococcal bacteria in the wines that had been stripped of their alcoholic content. Both types of wine countered those cavity-causing bacteria as well as other streptococcal bacteria that cause some cases of throat infection.

Preliminary research indicates that red wine may be slightly more effective at fighting the bacteria than white wine. Scientists were also able to isolate the bacterial fighting acids, and the isolated acids were more effective against the bacteria than the wines themselves.

If you are interested in reading more about this study, you can find it online at the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Healthy Gift Ideas for Father's Day

FitSugar — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 08:45:00 -0700

Forget the tie this Father's Day. How about getting your dad something that will encourage a long, healthy life? Here are some healthy gift ideas:

A massage to relieve stress and ease sore muscles, especially if dad has chronic pain.
1 year subscription to Men's Health magazine

Dark chocolate golf balls (Set of 3 for $6.00) - remember dark chocolate is good for us!
A bottle of red wine - full of healthy antioxidants that fight disease.
A Grill Basket, also called a Wok Topper ($24.99), so he can cook up some healthy veggies instead of a steak every time he BBQs.
Home visit from a Personal Trainer - The trainer can come to your dad's home and show him exercises and routines to help him reach his health and fitness goals. You can get 1 session or a few, depending on your budget.
Surprise your dad and plan a day hike, long bike ride, a doubles tennis match against your mom and sibling, a fun run, an afternoon of golf, or whatever sport or exercise your dad is into. It's great to support and encourage each other to be active.

You have only a few more days to buy a gift - Father's Day is Sunday, June 17th.

Which Drink Has Fewer Calories?

FitSugar — Fri, 11 May 2007 12:30:00 -0700

In light of actress Sienna Miller's diet philosophy, I thought I would test your knowledge on the caloric content of both red wine and vodka.

Stained Teeth? Coffee Is Not the Only Culprit

FitSugar — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 11:00:00 -0700

We all want our teeth to be bright and white. There are so many whitening products and toothpastes on the shelves at my local drugstore. Dentists, for a pretty penny, professionally bleach stained and colored teeth.

There's nothing wrong with wanting to have pearly whites, but these products can make your teeth sensitive to cold and hot temperatures. Which can be surprisingly painful, so why not prevent the stains before they start?

If you're concerned about your teeth becoming stained, try to avoid these as much as possible:

Coffee, tea, cola, and red wine - consider cutting back if it's not possible to ditch these altogether, and brush your teeth immediately after you drink them.
Smoking - Don't you have enough reasons to quit?
Certain fruits and veggies - apples and potatoes can stain your teeth, so brush after eating them. Teeth, like people, are unique and not everyone's teeth will react the same way to the same foods.
Minerals in the water you drink can also discolor your teeth. Some cities add fluoride to the water supply - excessive fluoride from water or mouthwashes can also cause discoloration.

Fit's Tips: Anything that can stain your carpet can stain your teeth - so brushing after each meal and snack can help prevent stains. Keep toothpaste and a toothbrush in your desk drawer at work, so you can brush after your morning coffe.

Also, make sure to floss your teeth daily and get your teeth professionally cleaned every 6 months. It's good to know that some of these stains can be gently scraped off by your dentist.

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Eat Your Antioxidants

FitSugar — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 07:30:00 -0700

When our mothers told us to eat our veggies because they were good for our health, they weren't lying. Moms all over the world intuitively knew broccoli was a super food, and now intricate nutritional science is backing them up - broccoli is chock full of powerful antioxidants.

Here are a few foods you should be adding to your diet, as well as the reasons why.

Blackberries, and I am not talking about the PDA. I am talking the actual fruit, the yummy berry. They are high in proanthocyandidins and while it sounds like the name of a dinosaur, it is really a type of antioxidant that might prevent cancer and heart disease. These berries also contain ellagic acid that combats carcinogens.
Tomatoes are high in the hard to come by antioxidant lycopene, which is also found in pink grapefruit. Lycopene has been associated with decrease risk of prostrate, lung, colon and breast cancer. Tomatoes also contain glutathione, which boosts the immune system. Interestingly enough, cooking tomatoes helps make the antioxidants available to the body.

There's a few more, so read more

Walnuts may just be the new wonder food - they beat out all the other nuts when it comes to antioxidant content. Plus they are high in Omega 3 fatty acids, low in sodium, and they're cholesterol free. Even though they are a super food you should limit yourself to just a handful of nuts a day though.
You knew it was coming - broccoli is super high in indole -3-carbional (sounds like something my car engine needs), as are other cruciferous veggies like cabbage, cauliflower, kale and Brussels sprouts. Broccoli seems to reduce the risk of breast cancer and other estrogen-sensitive cancers. It is also super high in fiber.
Red wine and grape juice are both high in the antioxidant resveratol that boost heart health by scavenging those pesky free radicals. Resveratol helps keep blood vessels open and flexible. So raise a glass of red wine and toast to your health. If you don't drink, have some tasty grape juice.