Can I Diet and Drink Wine

Can I Diet and Drink Wine

Diet and drink wine?! Sounds absurd! But getting healthier need not mean giving it all up and live a life without friends, dining out and a glass of wine. So in answer to the question, Can I Diet and Drink Wine? The simple answer is yes, we can lose weight and still drink wine. The real question is how much wine can I drink whilst on a diet? That is much more complicated and we will try to give you an overview in this article.

Harvard medical school suggests that you can drink as much as two glasses of red wine a day if you are a man and one if you are a woman. Wait up- do not reach for that pint glass or the largest wine glass you can find. That is where you have been going wrong in the past – not all wine are the same and not all wine glasses are the same size. Firstly, we are looking at red wine here as it has some additional potential medical benefits.

If you want to diet and drink wine, you need to find a moderately sized glass and then remember that the WineWeaver is designed to help that one/two glasses to taste better. Savour the moment, enjoy that delicious glass of wine and be mindful as you drink.

Now onto the next issue, wine is wonderful because it is so varied. On the other hand that can be one of the issues to consider when dieting and considering living more healthily.

Those of you who have travelled to Spain, France or Italy might recall having the local vino. It is sold cheaply compared to the bottled wine from local vineyards which are laid down and are generally more complex wines.

Why do the Europeans serve what used to be called Table Wine?

Simple, everyone can grow grapes if they want to and often the wine is pressed in a co-operative where you get back a share of the wine. As there is a market for the product, it is also produced for sale in the supermarkets. This local or table wine has a very low alcohol content which is best for the heat of summer and explains why the Mediterranean diet includes indulging in wine when eating. In essence, some wines have high alcohol content and other wines have a lower alcohol content so be aware of your glass size and the alcohol content so remember to check the alcohol and sugar content of the wine. Usually, the higher the alcohol content the higher the sugar content.

How or where do I check the alcohol content in a bottle of wine?

On the two photos shown, which are both European wines, you can see the alcohol content of the wine on the label. It may be on the front of the label as it is with the Chateau Burgrave 1999 French Pomerol or it might be on the back as in the case of the Barbera D’Asti 2011 from Italy. The labels also show you that there is a range of alcohol content in wine – 12.5% and 14.5% in this case.

I also looked at several bottles from excellent wineries in the Napa Valley and I couldn’t find a single label with the alcohol content on the label. However, in the USA wine is legally defined as any fermented alcohol beverage that is made from grapes or other fruit and contains not less than 0.5% of alcohol by volume and not more than 24% and is not for industrial use see (https://bit.ly/2QVijHe). Complicated, just remember that in Europe we generally think of wine as being between 10-15% and in the USA it is up to 24%, so if in doubt check it out.

To make it a little easier for you to calculate how many calories in your glass of wine Drinkware suggests you think about units of alcohol and the link https://bit.ly/2ZWwD6o provides an easy way of calculating the calories in a glass of wine. The Drinkaware top tip is not to save up your units and drink them all in one go but to spread it out over the week which leads us nicely onto our top tip.

Top Tips Whilst You Diet and Drink Wine

Our top tip is to buy the best wine you can afford, enjoy every glass perfectly served though the WineWeaver and use a product to save the wine so you can enjoy another perfectly prepared wine the next day. That way you can enjoy wine whilst dieting.
Remember dieting can be serious so always seek your physician or dieticians help.

References:
https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/understand-your-drinking/unit-calculator
https://www.health.harvard.edu/topics/diet-and-weight-loss
https://definitions.uslegal.com/w/wine/