Sunday, April 8, 2007

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Should You Drink Red Wine?

You definitely should consider drinking red wine if you drink alcohol. Considering the health benefits of red wine and how enjoyable the experience can be, I think that red wine is the logical choice for the drinker.

Let us begin by looking at the health benefits of red wine. To understand these benefits requires a short explanation: Red wines are a rich source of biologically active compounds known as phytochemicals, which are chemicals found in plants. In particular, phytochemicals called polyphenols are found in red wine. Two polyphenols in red wine are catechins and resveratrol, both of which are antioxidants. Antioxidants are any substance that reduces oxidative damage (damage due to oxygen such as that caused by free radicals). Free radicals are highly reactive chemicals that attack molecules by capturing electrons and thus modifying chemical structures. Resveratrol not only provides antioxidant protection from free-radical damage, but it helps to protect LDL cholesterol against oxidation, promotes optimal cardiovascular health, supports and supports healthy aging and normal cell growth. Catechin, on the other hand, appears to play an important role in reducing the risk of heart disease. Another antioxidant called Saponin, is also found in red wine and it also may offer protective benefits for the heart and is easily absorbed by the body.

Antioxidants may possibly reduce the risks of cancer and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Antioxidants clearly slow the progression of AMD. Please note the benefits of antioxidants listed here should not be considered an exhaustive list. There are many additional benefits that have been linked with antioxidants: I really introduce some here so that you get a sense of the benefits of these substances.

Additionally a fairly recent study has correlated moderate consumption of red wine with balanced blood sugar. This is certainly a noteworthy correlation.

Let me conclude with a caveat: While drinking red wine can indeed benefit your health, only responsible drinking can do so. Excessive drinking can of course have very negative ramifications. On the other hand, moderate consumption can become an enjoyable hobby that allows you to really experience a variety of red wines and the amazing flavours that red wine has to offer. There are thousands of different red wines out there (well more like hundreds of thousands); which in turn means there is an abundance of flavours out there - for you to enjoy and at the same time benefit your health. Once you develop more of a palate for red wines, you will subsequently improve your ability to distinguish between the various aspects of wine. Once you begin to drink red wine, you should get yourself a beginner's guide to wine and should consider taking some courses on wine. That way you can have a really enjoyable hobby and it can be quite fun to learn the dialect and really experience the nuances of distinction. Before I conclude, let's look at what moderate consumption of red wine means: One to two glasses a day for men and one glass a day for women. Also note that abstaining from drinking red wine throughout the week and then drinking these amounts on the weekend does not constitute moderate intake; that would be unhealthy.

About the Author

Matthew Wagner's passion involves researching and sharing useful information with others via the internet to help them improve the quality of their life. Matthew's website (shown below) on red wine allows anyone interested in knowing more about red wine, whether a novice or seasoned wine drinker, to do so. Best of all, the site focuses on teaching, and providing useful information and resources concerning red wine.

http://www.redwineacademy.com

As you check out this link shortly, be sure to come back here so that you can read the following article:

How to Gain Weight Fast and Retain It as Muscle Mass

Many people who are asking the question, how to gain weight fast, are being misinformed and confused by all the conflicting information. How to gain weight fast is one of the most talked about questions in the bodybuilding world. It is being discussed on television, in magazines, diet books, and on the Internet.

How to gain weight fast and build muscle mass is simply a matter of diet and exercise. Many people are not eating enough proteins and eating too many simple carbohydrates. Although, it is very important to achieve a balance between protein, carbs and fats, it's how many overall calories you consume not what type that is important. You must also subject your body to exercise that stresses your muscles. This is necessary to grow and keep muscle mass.

To gain weight fast and retain the weight gain (muscle mass), there are many factors that will come into play.

* You must eat enough protein, carbs and fats. You must consume all 3 groups in order to build and retain muscle mass. You should also drink lost of water, it is essential if you want to gain weight fast.

* Don't train too hard. When you train you actually break down muscle cells. Your muscles must have time to recover and grow. Train each muscle group only once or at the most twice a week.

* Don't train too long, keep your workouts to an hour or less. After about 45 minutes of exercise your cortisol level starts to increase. Cortisol is known to destroy muscle cells.

* Try to increase your reps or weight every time you exercise a particular muscle group. If you don't, your muscles won't have any reason to grow.

* If you can afford it use nutritional supplements to help you gain weight fast.

When you ask the question "how to gain weight fast", there are all kinds of recommendations all throughout the bodybuilding magazines and web sites. One thing that most have in common is they recommend a high protein diet. While I agree that protein is important and necessary to gain weight fast, you must also eat enough calories. Calories are what will give you the energy needed to digest and process the protein into muscle. Calories also give you the energy to exercise which also builds muscle.

As you can see, you need a well balanced diet in order to gain weight fast and to turn that weight into muscle mass. Don't be taken by all the low carb, high protein, low fat, etc. that are all the rage today. A well balanced diet, consuming lots and lots of calories from carbs, fat and protein will give you the edge in your search for how to gain weight fast.

About the Author

For more information on how to gain weight fast and turn that weight into muscle mass, and also to see some excellent resources please visit: http://www.howtogainweightfast-review.com/

You may not want to click on this link
right away. Take time to think about what you have learned here. Once you have done so, you can always come back to this site.