Red or white wine? Is one healthier?
Red or white wine? Is one healthier?
Red Wine is better, but don’t start drinking for your health.
We’ve been told a daily tipple is good for heart health and lowers cholesterol, but this applies more to men than to women because women metabolise alcohol much differently. A study in America found that drinking two drinks a day increased the chances of getting breast cancer by 20-25%, so if you are having a drink for heart reasons and are at risk for breast cancer, you’ll get better protection from heart disease by taking up exercise and leaving out the wine.
Drinking wine in moderation can have a place in your healthy lifestyle when you enjoy it in small amounts with food. The recommendations associated with a lower risk of heart disease are based on one standard glass of wine per day which is only 100mls, chances are, you’re drinking four times that amount if you are drinking at home as most wine glasses are double to triple that size.
Why is Red Wine Better?
The health benefits associated with red wine are due to the higher level of antioxidants, polyphenols and a substance called Resveratrol.
To make red wine the grape skins, which contain nearly all of the grapes pigmentation remain intact with the juice during all or part of the fermentation process. The pigmentation and the tannins help preserve the wine, allowing most red wines to be aged longer than white wines.
How does wine really impact our health or our health?
1. Pure alcohol contains 7 calories per gram nearly twice as much as carbohydrates or proteins and almost as many as fat. Alcohol is metabolised differently to foods, it is absorbed quickly and used as energy, this means any carbohydrates or fats eaten will have to wait in line and be stored as body fat. If you are exceeding more than one drink daily you could be sabotaging your weight loss goals.
2. The first glass may act as a stimulant but alcohol is actually a sedative and a depressant. Alcohol causes a deficiency in Vitamin C, and B group vitamins it interferes with medication and can destroy brain cells. Alcohol may give us a quick fix but in the end it leaves us more depressed and dependant.
3. Alcohol lowers your inhibitions so after two glasses of wine it is easy to say yes to those cheese and crackers or another top up of wine. Alcohol works as an appetite stimulant you’ll eat more when you drink and the peanuts and salty chips offered in bars are designed to make you thirsty so you’ll drink more.
4. Alcohol is a diuretic causing water loss and dehydration. Along with this water loss you will lose important minerals like calcium and zinc. One side effect of dehydration is that you will retain water which will again slow down your weight loss efforts.