This morning is a glorious morning indeed. For one thing the weather is almost back to normal in South Florida and I can wear Capri pants without a jacket. But most importantly, research has finally shown that drinking wine in moderation doesn’t make women gain weight over time. Dr. Lu Wang’s research team from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston looked at 19,220 women over 39 years of age who were within their normal BMI (body mass index) range (18.5 to 25) for a period of 13 years. They found that women who drink wine, especially red wine, on a regular basis gained the least amount of weight over time compared to non-drinkers.
During the 13 year study, 41.3 % of the women became overweight (BMI 25 to 30) including 3.8% who became obese (BMI above 30). Non-drinking women gained the most weight, but as the alcohol intake increased to one glass a day, the weight gain decreased. The good news for Mediterranean diet promoters is that women who drank red wine gained the least amount of weight. I cannot quote the exact details of the study yet but what I can do is share my experience with you.
As a promoter of the Mediterranean diet and someone who lives this lifestyle as much as I can, I drink wine on a daily basis and mostly red wine. But last spring I decided to stop drinking in an attempt to get ride of the 5 extra pounds I have been carrying for the past year. So I didn’t drink at all. I tried some non-alcoholic wines, which tasted the same as grape juice so I avoided them. I drank sparkling water with a few drops of Angostura bitters when I went out and that was fine. My eating habits remained the same and so did my habit of not exercising. During those three months I didn’t loose one pound! And all these years I convinced myself that if I didn’t drink I would be a twig. What a relief when I heard about this study.
Here is my take on this. It’s all about moderation. When we drink wine with our meals it’s all about the enjoyment. We eat slower, we sit at the table longer, we are more relaxed and we will slowly finish the wine without having the desire for a dessert. We compensate; if we have wine, we don’t have desserts. It’s the Mediterranean lifestyle where eating is a joy that we share with others. It’s not sitting at a bar after work pounding sweet martini concoctions and stopping at the drive thru afterwards. It’s about having a glass of wine after work followed by a nice dinner comprised of small portions of freshly prepared foods followed by a salad indicating the end of a satisfying meal. Drinking wine is a way of life. For other people it’s chocolate or others need some kind of fried food or their favorite “junk” or whatever treat.
So ladies, if you avoided wine just because of the 100-125 calories per glass it contains but you have a sweet treat or crackers and cheese when you get home; you may want to rethink it. Maybe the glass of wine (one) would give you much more guilt free enjoyment compared to whatever else you were using to unwind.
Cheers! Or as we say in French, Santé, which means to your health. Maybe they knew it all along?
Peace and Love,
- Josée
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Labels: Josee, Women's Health
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