benefits of red wine

[nick]

My dad was saying how a glass of red wine a day can improve cardiovascular health.

Apparently, resveratol has blood thinning properties.

http://www.red-wine-and-health.com/html ... ction.php3

I was just curious as to how this fits in with this diet approach...

I would think the best thing to do is to stop ingesting the damaged proteins and fats which prepared food originates. Isn't drinking wine just another myth for heart health, just part of problem without fully addressing the true cause????

[Oscar]

Why would you want to make your blood thinner if your vessels are in good shape? Not to mention the daily extra work for the liver to detox the alcohol...

[Chin-Chin]

Mmmm, depends on if you believe that food only exists so that we can ingest the nutrients, or if it serves other social functions as well?

Personally, I think that food serves greater purpose than just providing us with the nutrients. It definitely helps us form social ties. Incidentally, this forum is the best proof...

It's well-proven that moderate drinking of red wine is beneficial for the cardiovascular system. But I have no idea how this fits into the diet approach - so it probably doesn't. What about green tea by the way? Do I have to use cold water?

[Cairidh]

green teas not allowed!!

red grape juice is better than red wine anyway.

if you want alchohol drink kefir.

if you want to socialise with people drinking red wine, can't you just drink red grape juice instead? they'd never know the difference.

[Oscar]

Mmmm, depends on if you believe that food only exists so that we can ingest the nutrients, or if it serves other social functions as well?

Personally, I think that food serves greater purpose than just providing us with the nutrients. It definitely helps us form social ties. Incidentally, this forum is the best proof...

I think it's far more a question of tradition associated with big meals, plus the connecting of the social circumstances to the addiction. Social environment can become a kind of cue to the brain reward system, which might explain why the intake of certain foods/drinks are so closely related to social circumstances.

Why would we need food/big meals to get social anyway?

It's well-proven that moderate drinking of red wine is beneficial for the cardiovascular system.

This is actually not true. The two generally mentioned beneficial effects of red wine on the cardiovascular system are:
1) lowers LDL and boosts HDL cholesterol
2) reduces blood clotting

ad 1) We've discussed the cholesterol question in another thread, but when consuming raw, healthy cholesterol, there is no 'bad' cholesterol. Plus the fact that the LDL/HDL lipoproteins are only the cholesterol transporters.

ad 2) If the arteries and veins (and blood) are already unhealthy, and their diameter is reduced because of the arteriosclerosis, then thinning the blood of course reduces the chances of a blood clot. Aspirin has the same effect. This doesn't mean that red wine or aspirin is healthy for you.

What about green tea by the way? Do I have to use cold water?

If I remember well, all teas contain protein (and come from plants/herbs/etc), which means it's classified as a munchfood.

Sorry!

[RRM]

Green tea is claimed to be healthy because of the anti-toxins they contain, which are anti-nutrients as well.
All plants contain anti-toxins, and therefore have anti-cancer properties, when you isolate the effects of those anti toxins.
Consuming food is however never just about isolated ingredients.

In the currently accepted way of thinking, its healthy to consume as many anti-toxins to compensate for the large intake of toxins.
In our view, its much better not to take in the toxins, nor the anti-nutrients (anti toxins). (prevention rather than partial cure)

Wine, by the way, is one of the least harmful 'bad foods'.

[Chin-Chin]

Just wanted to clarify, are you implying that wine is less evil than green tea?

Would you kindly rate the following on a scale from less harmful to most harmful:

Coffee (D'adamo says it's beneficial for blood type A)
Green tea
Red wine

[RRM]

Just wanted to clarify, are you implying that wine is less evil than green tea?

Yes. There are no nutrients in green tea, only anti-nutrients.
At least red wine supplies you with energy, and wine is taken from grapes, which are more natural food for us than green leaves.

Would you kindly rate the following on a scale from less harmful to most harmful:

Coffee is worst, since caffeine has mutagenic properties. Red wine is the least evil.

D'adamo says it's beneficial for blood type A)

What mysterious compound does it contain that is specifically beneficial for a certain group of people, specified by their blood type?