In preparation for the holidays,
I always try to drop a few pounds. You
know, just give myself a little playing
room. Generally speaking, I don't like
diets, and I don't like diet books. Actually,
make that I hate diets. I am a firm believer
in moderation. But, I was looking for
some inspiration, and given the recent
media frenzy around the high protein/low
carb diets, I decided to check out Protein
Power. While skimming through the book
and munching on a bag of sour cream and
onion potato chips (oops), I spotted the
following heading: Bottoms Up: Wine and
Spirits. And, then, Drs. Michael R. Eades
and Mary Dan Eades had my attention. Here
is what the good doctors have to say about
weight loss and drinking wine:
If
you like, have a glass of dry, not sweet,
white or red wine with your meals. Several
recent studies have shown wine (particularly
red wine) to be an effective agent for
increasing the body's sensitivity to insulin
-- the main goal of this program. Since
we are shooting for lower insulin levels,
it not only doesn't hurt to add the wine
to our regimen it actually helps. In our
research files we have the report of an
old study done by a New York physician
back in the early sixties in which he
divided his dieting patients into three
groups -- wine drinkers, hard-liquor drinkers,
and nondrinkers. He kept all thee groups
on the same reducing diet and found that
the wine drinkers lost the most weight.
He had no idea why; he just reported his
results. They make sense now because we
understand that wine improves insulin
sensitivity. Many researchers believe
the disparity between the levels of heart
disease found in France and other southern
European countries and those of the United
States and Britain -- the so-called French
paradox -- can be laid at the doorstep
of increased wine consumption. And so,
like the French, Italians, and others
living around the Mediterranean, we can
increase our insulin sensitivity, decrease
our insulin levels, and enjoy life more
by adding a moderate amount of wine to
our program. -- From Protein
Power: The High-Protein/Low Carbohydrate
Way to Lose Weight, Feel Fit, and Boost
Your Health-in Just Weeks!
by Michael R. Eades, MD and Mary Dan Eades,
MD
The book goes on to discuss
the meaning of "moderate," but
around this time I start thinking how
great a Chardonnay would taste with my
chips, so I haven't quite finished the
book. I get the sneaking suspicion potato
chips aren't on the diet. Apparently,
though, pork rinds are acceptable snacking
on a high protein/low card diet. What
pairs well with pork rinds? Riesling,
perhaps?
