Stress Free Cooking
by
Barbara Seelig Brown's
Lifestyle Designs

The Health Benefits of Wine

By Barbara Seelig Brown

Over the past few years, we have heard that drinking wine may lower blood pressure and reduce our risk of heart disease and stroke. Recently the discussion has included the mention of the J Curve, a graphic resembling the letter J.

J

The American Heart Association explains the J curve as follows:

When the blood pressure or blood cholesterol levels of large groups of people are plotted on a graph against CVD mortality, it often results in a J-shaped curve. This curve shows that those with higher blood pressure and/or cholesterol levels, closer to the top of the curve, are more likely to die from CVD. The curve also shows that those at the lowest end of the curve (with very low blood pressure and/or low cholesterol levels) also have higher CVD mortality. This accounts for the J shape and is known as the J-curve phenomenon. Most evidence, however, indicates that the group at the bottom-left part of the curve (with very low blood pressure and low cholesterol levels) tends to be different from the general population in other ways. Those differences may contribute to the apparent increase in mortality.

Research performed at Northwestern University Medical School has shown that a chemical in red wine, a form of estrogen, is believed to help reduce risk for heart disease. The substance is known as reservatrol and is highly concentrated in the skins of the grapes, most abundantly in red grapes. Therefore moderate consumption of red wine has been reported to reduce risk for cardiovascular disease. Reservatrol has also been shown to have anti-oxidant, anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory and antic-cancer effects.

The American Diabetes Association recommends that those with diabetes follow the same recommendations as those without; no more than 1 drink a day for women and 2 a day for men. Diabetics must ask themselves the following questions before they decide to have a drink:

Is my diabetes under control?

Does my health care provider agree that I am free from health problems that alcohol can make worse-for example, diabetic nerve damage or high blood pressure?

Do I know how alcohol can affect me and my diabetes?

If the answer to these questions is yes, then it is ok for you to have a drink, but only on a full stomach. As explained by the American Diabetes Association, Alcohol adds to your chances of having low blood sugar. Normally, when your blood sugar level starts to drop, your liver steps in. It goes to work changing stored carbohydrate into glucose. Then it sends the glucose out into the blood, which helps you avoid or slow down a low blood sugar reaction. However, when alcohol enters your system, this changes. Alcohol is a toxin. Your body reacts to alcohol like a poison. The liver wants to clear it from the blood quickly. In fact, the liver won't put out glucose again until it has taken care of the alcohol. If your blood glucose level is falling, you can quickly wind up with very low blood sugar. This is why drinking as little as 2 ounces of alcohol (about 2 drinks) on an empty stomach can lead to very low blood sugar.

Cooking with Wine - Cook with wine that is drinkable. This means that when you decide on a recipe that requires wine, you should select a wine that is good enough to enjoy drinking. A common mistake that people make is going to the wine shop and purchasing the least expensive red or white they can. Cook with the same type of wine you will be drinking. The wine that you will be serving for dinner should complement the food that you are serving so you should cook with the same type of wine you would be serving with the meal. If you are cooking with a dry Italian red, then you want to serve similar with the meal. For those who don’t generally keep wine in the house, white vermouth is a good choice for cooking because it is more herbaceous than plain wine. One of the functions of fat in cooking is to carry flavor. Fat is a place where flavor concentrates. When we are cooking healthy and lowering the fat in our cooking, the addition of a little wine serves the same purpose. Wine can be added to deglaze a pan that has been used to brown, sear, or caramelize foods prior to creating a sauce. The little bits of food that are stuck to the pan are called fond; these bits are quickly and easily lifted when you add a splash of wine (or any liquid) to the hot pan. This creates the basis for your sauce and adds a great deal of flavor to the dish. It is also a good idea to remove the pan from the heat while doing this. Research has indicated that 98-99% of the alcohol cooks out of the dish.

Fillet Mignon and Red Wine Sauce (Reduction)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sprinkle 2 pieces of filet mignon on both sides with salt and pepper.

Sauté in a very hot pan until first side is caramelized. Turn and repeat on second side.

Remove beef from sauté pan and place on ovenproof platter. Place in center of oven and cook/roast until meat thermometer measures 125 for rare or 140 for medium.

In the meantime, prepare red wine reduction. You will need to have an open bottle of red wine available and some beef or vegetable broth.

½ cup red wine
1 cup broth

Make sure that the sauté pan is still very hot but the heat is turned off. Add the wine and whisk to remove the fond from the pan. Turn the burner back on and continue to whisk, adding the broth. Cook until sauce is reduced and thickened to desired consistency. Fresh herbs can be added to sauce before serving.

©Barbara Seelig Brown

Cooking with Wines - Food & Wine Pairing - Italian White Wines

Stress Free Cooking by Barbara Seelig Brown's Lifestyle Designs

The Health Benefits of Wine

Stress Free Cooking
by
Barbara Seelig Brown's
Lifestyle Designs