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(More customer reviews)This interesting book might have been more accurately titled "The Procyanidin Diet", but that would probably not help sales. Furthermore, it is not a weight loss book, or just a book about red wine.
Author and UK researcher Roger Corder makes a persuasive case in the book for the many health benefits of diet high in procyanidins, one of the phenols found in red wine, chocolate, apples, cinnamon and other plant sources. He gives specific recommendations for wines and foods, as well as recipes, that are high in procyanidins. It is possible to follow his recommendations without drinking any wine at all, but probably not as enjoyable.
Oddly enough, procyanidins are produced by plants in their skins and seeds for protection from rot and insects, and not for human benefit. Corder makes a convincing case that wine procyanidins are the solution to the "French Paradox" rather than the highly touted resveratrol; and their benefits to the human circulatory system have also been identified in certain red wine drinking populations in Sardinia, Crete, and Sicily, as well as Southwestern France. Other confirming evidence comes from the Kuna natives of Panama who drink large quantities of cocoa containing a similar dose of procyanidins, and who achieve the similar beneficial health effects.
Corder rates many red wines from * to ***** in order of their measured procyanidin content, with his highest ratings going to tannic and acidic wines such as tannat grape wines from the Madiran region of France. These wines tend to be the kind you want to drink with food. He suggests that two glasses of these highest rated wines give you 250-500 milligrams(mg) of procyanidins, his recommended dose per day for optimum health benefits. Since the procyanidins come from the grape skin and seeds, and they deteriorate over time, the highest concentrations are found in younger wines fermented for weeks in contact with the skins and seeds. As a general rule he found higher levels in Cabernet Sauvignon wines.
Corder also rates various foods in terms of his 4 oz glass of "good" procyanidin wine which contains about 60 mg. For instance:
2 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder (non alkali processed)
1 Tsp. cinnamon powder
1 apple
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup cranberries
1.5 oz walnuts
All the above foods rate equivalent to Corder's "good" glass of red wine, so any four of them together would give you about 250 mg of procyanidins, his recommended minimum daily dose. Note that the estimate of the typical USA consumption of procyanidins is less than 100 mg per day, mainly from chocolate and apples. Corder argues that you should eat a diet with many sources of procyanidins because of the complexity of the chemistry and our incomplete knowledge of all the potential benefits.
Corder's book made me rethink the way I select wine and many foods.
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Wine is good for you, and we finally know why. Wine drinkers are less prone to heart disease, diabetes, and dementia than non- wine drinkers. But what exactly is it about wine that keeps us healthy? Which is better for you, a California Cabernet or Syrah from the south of France? How can you choose wines that both suit your tastes and benefit your health? In a landmark study, Roger Corder revealed that compounds called procyanidins are the key components of wine for preventing illness. Now, in The Red Wine Diet, he argues that drinking the right kinds of red wine and eating procyanidin-rich foods such as dark chocolate, apples, and berries can help us live to a ripe old age-while enjoying all the pleasures of life. Corder's own tests show that, as a result of grape variety, wine-making style, and other factors, some red wines contain much higher levels of procyanidins than others. With a unique personal rating system, he describes the most beneficial wines he's found to date. And to round out his lifestyle plan, he includes fifty delicious recipes featuring foods that are high in procyanidins. Corder's prescription is an easy pill to swallow: Drink red wine every day and live a long and healthy life.
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