Resveratrol In Grapes And Wine #114

Yes, you read it correctly. The last posting number was #112 and this is #114.  There is no #113.  How quickly you have forgotten.  There was no posting #13.  Go back and read #15 getting back on track.  We must not test or tempt the dark forces of 13.  Not that I am superstitious, I just don't want to put you in a uncomfortable situation knowing how you feel about the dark forces of number 13 and all.

Grapes are a favorite of mine which we discussed in an earlier posting.  I have long eaten grapes and consider them a regular part of my current heart healthy diet.  Grapes are a low glycemic index food, which is good.  See #103 Good Carbohydrates.  If you are eating grapes you should know to eat the skin of the grapes.  The grape skin contains some very healthy phytonutrients such as resveratol which researchers believe play a major role in your longevity genes.  Few foods rank as highly as grapes in their amount and variety of healthy nutrients.  In general terms, the health benefits derived from eating grapes include, cardiovascular, protects from free radicals, blood sugar regulation, cholesterol control, anti-aging and longevity, lowers the risk of some forms of cancer.

Drinking red wine and the French Paradox.  I was not at all familiar with, nor had ever heard this term until I begin to do more research on grapes.  I read several sources and most agreed with what I initially found. "French Paradox is a description of the low occurrence of heart disease in French people who have a diet containing high amounts of saturated fats."  Some medical studies indicate that this low incidence may be the result of the regular consumption of red wine.  This has chiefly lead to the theory that moderate regular drinking of red wine, as the French do, will reduce the risk of heart disease.  The theory is somewhat based on the effects of resveratrol from the grapes found in the wine.  Several articles I have read state that red wines are a source of "low levels" of resveratrol and contradict the cardiovascular benefits of drinking wine.  They dispute the positive effects of resveratrol, not in the grapes, but in the low levels found in wine.  Grape skins are rich in resveratrol content but apparently are not fully processed in wine making.  The health benefits from eating grapes are not challenged, only how strong the benefits of red wine. Therefore, you can decide for yourself.  I do not think it would stop me from drinking red wine (which I do not) for possible health benefits or enjoyment.

Now, for what I found more interesting for us as heart patients, and more practical.  Two books and authors offer the following reasons for the French being more heart healthy.  The Fat Fallacy by Will Clower, and French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano.   Good fats versus bad fats.  Most of the fats (80%) found in the diet of the French are dairy and vegetable based.  Cheese, yogurt, whole milk.  They eat more fish.  Their full fat foods have a lower sugar content.  Americans eat low fat and no fat foods which tend to contain much more sugar.  The French diet avoids snacks between meals.  French consume less food items as soda, snack foods, and deep fat fried foods.  Smaller portion sizes.  French tend to savor food at a meal along with the pleasure and satisfaction of the meal.  More emphasis on freshness, quality, and variety of food consumed.  The following is what I got from all of this:    Mark out the word French everywhere you see it, and enter heart healthy.  No offense to the French please. This is all about eating the foods, and living the heart healthy lifestyle we have been talking about for months.

We have readers from around the globe and we all share the same heart difficulties and desires to be healthy.  You do not have to be French and have access to fine dining and expensive wines to eat healthy.  Americans are probably the worst when it comes to having a choice of eating good healthy food or the complete opposite fast food way.  We all have some amount of capacity and reasoning power to research and determine what healthy food choices and alternatives are best for us.  Quite frankly, I write with little or no knowledge of what foods are easily available in other countries.  But I will bet most of you do your homework like I do and find the foods that work best for you.

Thanks for your interest and sharing with the rest of us in striving to be heart healthy individuals.  A word of caution. Grapes are noted for being one of the most insecticide applied on during growth, fruits or vegetables. Grapes should be thoroughly washed to rid them of all pesticide residue before eating.