Your Health and Hy-Vee Wine and Spirits (Part Two)

Last week we covered the health benefits of wine. This week we cover the benefits of Beer. That’s right drinking one beer per day may be good for your health because it has been associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Why? Some experts suggest these reasons: Beer contains vitamin B6, which prevents the buildup of homocysteine, a chemical linked with heart disease. Moreover, studies have shown that one serving of beer provides roughly the same amount of heart-healthy antioxidant protection as red wine, and that consuming moderate amounts of beer lowers one's chances of coronary heart disease by 30-40 percent, compared to those who don't kick back with the occasional brew. Lab studies have found constituents in beer that lower triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol in mice. Drinking one beer per day reduces blood clotting so some studies found that cardiovascular patients who drank one beer per day also lived longer. Other studies have found that women who consume one beer each day have improved mental health. Drinking beer and other alcoholic beverages in moderation may also improve bone density.

What about liquor? Drinking moderate amounts of any kind of alcohol -- be it beer, wine, or hard liquor -- will raise your good HDL cholesterol levels, says Lisa Young, adjunct professor of nutrition at New York University and author of The Portion Teller Plan.Most of  the information about hard liquor benfits are home remedies for ailments so here they are. Feel free to post any of your own remedies and recipes in the comments section of this post.

Angostura bitters are used for sluggish digestion, poor appetite, or flatulence, try taking a teaspoon of Angostura Bitters before or after meals (experiment to see which works best for you). If you do not like it straight, try diluting it with sparkling water to make a (relatively) nonalcoholic "mocktail." Gentian root is quite harmless and quite effective. Also try eating a slice of lemon which has been soaked in angostura bitters to cure your hiccups.

One of the Remedy’s we get a lot in our store is brandy for a cold. A lot of people choose a fruit flavored brandy like blackberry. There is also another cold remedy the Hot toddy.  To make this drink bring approximately 3 oz. of water to a boil-enough to fill a teacup nearly to the top. You may want to use tea instead to add a different flavor, but plain hot water allows you to enjoy the mellow taste of the brandy mixture. Pour 1 1/2 to 2 oz. of brandy into a teacup, depending on your preference. Brandy has several properties to recommend it as a treatment, such as the antimicrobial properties of the alcohol and its ability to thin the mucus built up by the cold. In proper amounts, it can also be very calming. Add the hot water to the brandy and then stir a spoonful of honey (to taste) to the mixture. Honey is soothing for sore throats and irritated mucus membranes; it is also believed to have sedative properties and relieve coughs and stuffy noses. Cut a wedge of lemon and squeeze it into the Toddy. Lemon has loads of citric acid and vitamin C to help loosen phlegm and boost the immune system. Lemon also has astringent qualities, which will reduce swelling in the throat and is an excellent anti-oxidant. Drink the hot brandy just before bed to help you relax. You'll sleep more easily and the ingredients will help you to breathe more freely, cough less and ease the pain and irritation from the cold. You could also use whiskey or rum instead of brandy.

Here is another home remedy that we have people coming in for Gin raisins to help with arthritis. How to Make Gin Raisins for Arthritis. Although there are several variations of this arthritis remedy, the basic recipe goes something like this: Get a box of golden raisins or as many as you want to make at one time (they are sometimes called white raisins, the key being not ordinary black raisins).  Put the raisins in a container (shallower makes it easier).   Pour gin over the raisins just enough to cover them (how much depends on how many raisins you have).  Let the raisins soak for a few weeks until the gin evaporates.  Then eat approximately nine raisins per day. (you will see this number change for different variations of the recipe)
What type of gin you use doesn’t really matter as long as you don’t buy the cheapest bottle. You can make any amount that you feel comfortable with using a ratio similar to one cup of raisins to every 2 cups of gin.

Last but not least Tonic water. A Medline search turned out that quinine may help in the treatment of muscle spasm.

Your Health and Hy-Vee Wine and Spirits (Part One)

Last May Wine Spectator Magazine did a whole issue about the Healing Power of Wine. Most people have heard that wine is good for you, but do you know why? This was a very informative issue. Many studies are being done on wine right now and some of the results might surprise you. Wine contains a compound found in the skins of red grapes, called resveratrol that protects us from heart disease, cancers and other diseases and ailments.

According to recent studies, it has been found that red wine with regular and moderate use (1 glass for women and 2 glasses for men per day) promotes good health. It can reduce heart disease up to 35 %, because the resveratrol prevents the formation of protein that reduces heart pumping efficiency. It also reduces production of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the bad stuff) and boosts high density lipoprotein HDL cholesterol (the good stuff). Lastly the alcohol protects the heart mainly by acting on platelets to prevent clogging, thus helping your blood pressure. The resveratrol in red wine also helps with the reduction of cancer by boosting the immune system and blocking cancer formation with chemical components acting as antioxidants. It also prevents molecules from doing cellular damage inhibiting tumor development.

Studies are also being done that show how wine can cut your chances of getting a cold or the flu. There are even studies being done that show that drinking wine can increase your lifespan by 5 yrs. The most beneficial red wines are Cabernet, Pinot Noir and Petite Syrah. Now there are studies being done to show the benefits of white wine, I found an article on Web MD that states that whites maybe just a beneficial as reds.

Here in Yankton our Hy-Vee Wine and Spirits Manager Lynn Schieffer has done speeches for Heart Healthy events at our store and Avera Sacred Heart Hospital. Before starting any new diet changes be sure to consult with your doctor and do your own research. There are tons of studies out there.

Next Week we will discuss some health benefits of other wine and spirits products.

Does grape juice provide the same benefits as red wine?

This was a Question posted on Wine Spectator.com

Does grape juice provide the same health benefits as red wine?
Posted: September 2, 2009

Q. Does unfermented grape juice from red grapes contain the same beneficial compounds, such as resveratrol, as red wine? —Bob W.

A: R. Curtis Ellison, doctor and professor of medicine and public health at Boston University Medical School, responds: "Grapes, especially Concord red grapes, have many of the polyphenols present in red wine. Some studies have shown that large amounts of red grape juice decrease the stickiness of platelets [in the blood], which would lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. The effects of grape juice, however, are much less than those of red wine, as fermentation increases the beneficial effects. Further, much of the protection against heart disease from moderate drinking come from the alcohol itself. So, grape juice is good for you, but wine is better."

Have a question about wine and healthy living? E-mail Wine Spectator

Drink Beer or Wine, live longer

I ran across an article in Draft Magazine that talked about this study. A study by Dutch researchers suggests that beer can extend you life by as much as 2.5 years and wine can extend it by 5 yrs. The researchers cataloged the eating and drinking habits of 1,373 men for more than 40 years and found that men who had about 20 grams (0.7 ounces) of alcohol daily had 2.5 years added to their life expectancy at age 50, compared with those who didn’t drink at all. Check out bloomberg.com/apps/news to read the full article.

Anti-Viral Abilities of Wine (Wine Spectator)

This article caught my eye, it talks about how red wine can help against virius like the common cold to H1N1.

Resveratrol Shows Anti-Viral Abilities Health News News & Features

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