We all already know the vast benefits of wine on our health. They have been well documented over the years. Grapes have healing and protective qualities that affect our hearts. Whether it’s the skin, the flesh, or the seed, all the parts of a grape are beneficial for us. Medical science has told us that red wine contains a substance called antioxidants that give us huge benefits by helping us fight heart diseases and increasing the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. And this is the good cholesterol that our body requires. It also protects us against artery damage.
The antioxidants that are responsible for fighting against diseases in our bodies are called polyphenols. Grapes contain polyphenols in huge quantities, and they protect us against various fungi, bacteria, frost, and other conditions. When you drink wine, these polyphenols also neutralize free radicals that damage our systems and put stress on our cells.
WHAT IS A BLUE ZONE?
A blue zone is a region where the people live the longest. Almost every blue zone has mild to moderate alcohol consumption, and it is treated as part of the culture. The difference is that the wine that they drink is not your average, commercial wine. They mostly drink organic and natural wine. If you are looking for natural wine, Australia is one of the best places to visit. These wines don’t contain any chemicals or additives and have various types of polyphenols that include, but are not limited to, Resveratrol, Procyanidins, Ellagic acid, and more. These polyphenols help our bodies fight inflammation, regulate our blood sugar, and so much more. Plus they greatly lower the risk of dementia, and you will live longer as compared to those who consume other types of alcohol regularly.
TRUST YOUR GUT
Natural wine doesn’t only affect our good cholesterol; it also has benefits for our gut. Since natural wine is a living product, it contains a wide variety of bacteria and other beneficial compounds that enhance our microbiome. If you are wondering what microbiome is, it is the name that refers to the complete set of genes that exist within the microbes that live in and on our bodies. These microbes greatly influence how our body works. These microbes and the microbiome that exist within them are determined by the things that we come into contact with and are in a constant state of flux. Things that affect our microbes are our geography, health status, diet, age, gender, and more.
The bacteria that exist within natural wines protect our gut from different types of pathogens and decrease inflammation. They can also affect us by bringing probiotic benefits like other fermented foods, although you shouldn’t keep wine as your primary source of probiotics.
It doesn’t mean that you should overdose on wine. The mantra is Everything in moderation. Stick to it and keep your drinking to 2-5 drinks per week. If you drink any more than this, you might disrupt your microbiome by thinning the gut lining and causing inflammation and increasing the level of your LDL cholesterol.
The Problems with Most Wines
These are the wines that are usually available easily and can be purchased from a store or can be ordered in a restaurant. Most of these wines that are produced contain glyphosate. Most of the wines that are produced in the US have traces of glyphosate in them since the soil is so contaminated. That is why people are now approaching Australia and different countries in Europe as well as other parts of the world to get their hands on cleaner and natural wine. You might think that if you are experiencing a headache, dizziness, brain fog, or some other negative effect, this is from a hangover, but it could also be from the chemicals or the additives in the wine itself.
Common Wines May Contain a Host of These Additives, Including:
Mega Purple & Ultra Red
The deep red and purple colors don’t need to be natural. The manufacturers of the wine might have added them by adding highly concentrated coloring agents. According to some sources around 10,000 gallons of these concentrated coloring, agents are added to 25 million bottles of wines in a year. It might be the case that you react to the colors and dyes that are added to your wine.
Sawdust
If you think this is a typo or some other type of mistake, then it isn’t. Adding sawdust or wood chips is another hack that wine manufacturers use to add flavor to the wine. Since it is easy to come by and it is very cheap, it becomes a great way to add the oak barrel flavor to the wine.
Commercial Yeasts
If you have headaches, then commercial yeasts might be the reason why this is happening. And this can especially be the case if you have issues with histamine. Commercial yeast is added to the wine so that the manufacturers can speed up the fermentation process and produce wine faster. Many of these yeasts used in the fermentation process are GMO.
Sulphur
Sulphur is a very controversial additive that is used by manufacturers as a stabilizer. It can also decimate the bacteria and the wild yeast that is present. However, if a manufacturer is adding sulfur to the wine, then they must disclose it as some people are highly sensitive to it and they might have a negative reaction.
Sugar
Sugar is used to help speed up the fermentation process and increase the alcohol content in the wine. It is not added as a wine sweetener like Mega Purple and Ultra Red. That is the reason why natural wines have a lower alcohol content as they don’t add sugar.
Natural Wines Are:
Organic or biodynamically grown
Natural wines don’t contain pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or other harmful chemicals. These chemicals have been linked to various cases of cancer around the world, among other diseases. Natural wines are organic and healthy and are made on farms that are sustainable due to the soil, the diversity of bacterial life in the land, and the natural process that is used to make them.
Dry Farmed
Dry farming means that farms get their water from natural rainfall. Dry farmed plants have roots that can grow up to 50 feet and go deeper than irrigated plants. And this means that they absorb nutrients that other plants don’t have access to as well as save water.
Made without artificial additives
Natural wines don’t contain Mega Purple and Ultra Red or any other additive that is usually put into wines. That means that no metals, toxic chemicals, sugar, or any other material are present in natural wines.
CONCLUSION
Natural wine might be a little more expensive than the normal, cheap kind but it takes a whole village to manufacture them and bring them to you. This way, you know what you’re getting. Remember, your body is a temple, and if you want to take care of it, you have to prioritize quality over quantity.