Health Benefits of Red Wine!
As you might know by now, I am in Germany on holidays. Unfortunately that means all the good and rich food that I was so accustomed to (and loved!) when I was still living here. As a result, my weight is slowly creeping back up again right now. I mean, who can say no to all the goodies you remember from when you were young and can’t get any more now? It would be ridiculous to walk away from them, right?
Another part of the problem is that every time you see old friends or family it is combined with some champagne, or wine, or something else alcoholic. And I am a social drinker, I have to admit. I don’t drink often, but I like to do so in nice company if the occasion allows. And as we all know alcohol has many, many calories, so should be avoided when trying to lose weight. 
Well, I think tonight I just about emptied a whole bottle of red wine myself (if I combine all the half glasses I have had) – so had quite a calorie intake, but on the other hand I had an absolute fantastic night with some of my oldest girlfriends, and we had so much fun retelling all the memories from 30 odd years back, it was all worth it.
So whilst in general I think drinking alcohol and losing weight do not go together well at all, the occasional glass of (red) wine is said to have quite substantial health benefits, and I have to say tonight even more than one glass was certainly of good health for me, as I had a great evening!
As said in some posts before, if you try to lose weight through a healthy diet, don’t do it very restrictive, but allow yourself some of the things that you like occasionally; your weight loss might take longer, but it will be for good!
So, I should really adjust my weight loss ticker right now and put it back up to 77.5 (78?), but as I am very confident that I will beat the beast back home in Australia (when normality hits me and the kids again) I am refusing to do that – and I hope you will forgive me!
A vegetarian diet should bring down any disease.
Unfortunately I am a carnivore so it wouldn’t work for me – give me lots of protein in form of meat, fish and eggs any day instead of just veggies.
But I am sure it is very healthy to eat vegetarian. And there are lots of vegetables you can get your protein from, too. Or iron, for that matter. To me, what works best is lots of veggies and fruit and some meat (but I like it so much that I have some nearly every day).
I do believe in the health benefits of red wine now. I’ve lost a great deal of weight, and have been drinking a little red wine every night. I feel much better, and I really believe the wine has something to do with it.
@Jeff, I have started to do the same, instead of indulging in chips or chocolate at night I sometimes sip on a glass of red wine during the whole evening until I go to bed.
I do drink red wine a few times a week because my family has a past of heart conditions. I do also eat chocolate every few nights as well, but only ones that contain high percentage of cacao. I have heard of the positive health benefits, but only as long as it has a 75% or higher of cacao.
.-= healthy intake´s last blog ..Bits and Bites for June 5, 2010 =-.
In my opinion healthy diet still the best way to reduce weight. No matter what people say about red wine, I still think that alcoholic drink is not healthy for us.
@Ruri, if you can avoid alcohol, do it. But if you like to have the occasional drink, have red wine instead of white or beer.
It is very important to give yourself some “treats” while your watching what you eat. It’s a lot easier to stick to your weight loss program knowing that you can have a treat occasionally but at the same time monitoring how often you consume it. A glass of red wine a week with a Sunday night meal is a great alternative to an entire bottle of wine twice a week.
I agree 100%, I’ve always believed red wine to have positive health benefits (in moderation of course!). I love a glass of red in the evenings and many people I know have reported red wine helping them to resist food cravings at night.
.-= Linda@Slimming´s last blog ..The Dangers of Yo-Yo Dieting =-.
Sometimes I find that, too – I can replace my food cravings with sipping a glass of red at night.
Red wine in moderation is good for the heart. I always enjoy a nice glass of red wine during a steamboat dinner.
Yeah, I must agree. Red wine has lots of benefits. People should really have to take a glass or two, guess it wouldn’t hurt.
THIS IS ALL TRUE !!
but the most important thing is exercice and workout !!!
dont miss it if you want to have results…
In my opinion people should not drink even a little alcohol. It has many many health benefits. If you are addicted to alcohol or any drug for that matter you should visit a detox center for help.
My father was an alcoholic so I am personally against any consumption of alcohol. Thanks for the post!
.-= Safflower´s last blog ..Safflower Oil =-.
Thanks for your honesty, and I can fully understand where you are coming from.
yes i think red wine really helps to reduce weight ,i always enjoy glasses of red wine and i have always believed that red wine got health benefits.
Obviously everything to a certain extent is bad for us, but you cant have anything nowadays with out someone telling you it is bad for your health. I too have always believed red wine can be a healthier option than any other alcohol.
I think any red wine, preferably a moderately priced one and up will provide some health benefits. The compound called Reservatrol is in red wine which is derived from the grape skins. It reportedly will make one’s platelets in the blood less sticky, thus preventing clotting and (reportedly)reducing heart related illnesses. Check the Wine Spectator magazine, they are always running stories on the benefits of drinking wine.
Well – again something new I have learned today! Thanks, Ryan!
HI,
Well i think wine is good for health if you are taking it in limit and you can see the effectiveness of it. So i think this is really a great thing for the people because here you have presented all the hidden qualities of the wine.
Anyways keep it up and keep continue with your valuable thoughts.
Ill be sure to show my mom this post, she loves red wine.. a little too much! haha
.-= Ron´s last blog .. =-.
Glad to know, I love a bit of red wine in the evenings.
Growing up in a family of teetotalers, I find it hard to believe that red wine is good for you in any way, shape or form! LOL! Maybe the wine industry wants everyone to believe that so they can sell more wine… but then again, everyone in the Bible drank wine and they lived hundreds of years, if we are to believe the Bible literally.
So I just don’t know what to think…
Moderation is the key, but unfortunately alcohol sometimes turns into an addiction…
It’s a lot easier to stick to your weight loss program knowing that you can have a treat occasionally but at the same time monitoring how often you consume it.
A glass of red wine a week with a Sunday night meal is a great alternative to an entire bottle of wine twice a week.
.-= Josef Habrock@Mirror Aviator Sunglasses´s last blog ..Ray-Ban Aviator Gold Mirror Sunglasses – RB3025 W3276 58mm eye =-.
I agree with Petra that everything in moderation is the key. I believe that red wine is good for you and can happily form part of a healthy diet. However, if you drink too much it will be like all things you do to excess – it will be bad for you!!!
.-= John @ Jazz Dance Shoes´s last blog ..Privacy =-.
Hey, I grew up on a vineyard and have studied wine casually for some time now as a hobby. Red wine has a high anti-oxident content which is great for fighting heart disease. It also helps to prevent LDL cholesterol which is the bad cholesterol….there are a heap of other benefits but these are definitely a couple of good one
Ash
.-= Ash @ Affiliate Gameplan Bonus´s last blog ..About Me =-.
Apart from having a range of health benefits – it just tastes great! I have just been on a trip to Argentina and we went to a place called Mendoza – its really famous for the wines and they are delicious!
Both red and white wine have a positive effect on the digestive system in moderation – one glass of wine with your meal will probably be beneficial to you.
Any medical practitioner that prescribes alcohol to you as a means of burn down fats or calories is like to kill you , because alcohol itself contain large amount of calories so alcohol is out of the list, the way to reduce your fat is by eating a very good balanced diet with a good exercise like seat up , push ups jugging or even aerobic exercises will do the job.
Well, i didn’t know that Red Wine can give a health benefits!
.-= Slim Weight Patch´s last blog ..Proactol Review =-.
Red Wine is a kind of beverage which composes of less alcohol content. However, I’d never been thought that red wines has many advantageous effect to our body.
Well one side of my family is Italian and they have wine, usually red, at lunch and at dinner without fail every day. So far that side of the family is the longest lived. I have two relatives left one is 92 and one is 87. The other who are all gone now lived into their late 80′s early 90′s as well. On the English side of my family, red wine once in a while, most died in their 70′s. Not sure if wine or the Med. diet has anything to do with it or just living in Italy. Big fan of red wine myself, everything in moderation though, at least that’s what I have to remind myself.
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Red wine apparently does have a lot of health benefits so if you are going to drink something you might as well make it red wine. As for weight loss, I find that if I have a little glass of wine before dinner it actually makes you feel less hungry and, therefore, you can eat less calories (just don’t drink the whole bottle – LOL)
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The best tool I have found to lose weight has been the Omron walking style pro pedometer. The great thing about this pedometer is that it comes with free software that you upload your data to and track your progress.
It has motivated me to increase my step count from 3000 steps a day to over 9000. I love it so much, especially if it means I can drink more red wine ha ha ha
My modo is “everything in moderation”, the problem is some people have addictive personalities and one glass of red wine isn’t enough. I would not recommend my husband have a glass of red wine every night. That would make him an alcoholic, and that would also make him single. My Dad is an alcoholic and right now he is not on speaking terms with the entire family. He sits in a wheelchair as he can’t feel his feet. The sad part of this whole thing is that we all make choices in life and as we grow older we have to answer to those choices. It’s too late for my Dad, but the word healthy and alcohol do not mix.
I am so sorry to hear about the problems with alcohol in your family. Truth to be told, it happens im my family, too. And it’s not pretty. Alcohol NEEDS to be kept under control, you are right. If there is a chance that one glass might not be enough, just rather leave it.
I am in severe diet to reduce my calories and to shed off my extra flesh all over the body. But none of my family members or friends will forgive me those who know that I am in diet. Yeah, I did a blunder by drinking red wine in the party yesterday forgetting about my diet at all. Of course red wine has health benefits against heart attacks but sadly it is an enemy to weight loss. All that I am going to do is to getting me back in diet with veggies and fruits forgetting my red wine. So sad to forget the red wine for a good cause in my future.
Great article – I like it very much – too bad taht I´m fan of white wine
probably i should give red wine one more try 
I have a glass of red wine ever day with my dinner. I don’t see what is wrong with that. As long as it’s done in moderation.
Why is it that when red wine is harder to drink due to the strength of the wine, that it is healthier for you than white wine is??
Thanks for the article.
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I think red wine is more for the older generation, white whine all the way for me, sparkling is the best
thanks for the article
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There are some really yummy red wines out there, I would not say it’s only more for the older generation – makes me feel too old
Wow, wonderful blog layout! How lengthy have you been blogging for? you made running a blog look easy. The full look of your site is fantastic, let alone the content material!
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