Your Health, calories and heart

     There has been a lot of research coming out about how great a glass of red wine is for your heart.  There are also a lot of articles out there talking about how many calories alcohol has, including wine.  So what to do? Hopefully I can help break this down.
   Red wine is good for your heart.  Research has also found some evidence that the social aspect of drinking wine is good for your health.  In working in wine I have had people ask what red wine they should drink because their doctor says they need to start drinking a glass of red wine a night.  If a doctor tells you to do something it must be healthy, right?
   Well what about the calories, the belly fat.  The fact is that alcohol turns to fat.  A stander glass of wine is 5oz (restaurants pour more than this sometimes).  Weight watchers points goes by 4oz a glass.  From the research I have done wine used to be 2 points, and now with the new system it is 4 points.  All of the numbers I use will be for a 5oz glass.  Of all of the information I have looked at I have not found one red wine that has more than 130 calories.  Most sites do not have red wine going below 99.  Most red wines ranges from 110-125  For beer 130 is when it starts becoming a light beer.  There are a few key things to remember; all desert wine, port and both sweet and semi-sweet wine, are all higher in calories.  They can clime up to 200 calories, and more.  Of the four different types semi-sweet has the least calories.  Some are barely higher than red wine (maybe even the same as the higher calories red wine)  If the wine says it is semi-dry it might mean it has less sugar the semi-sweet.
    Next is, do different varietals have more calories than other varietals.  The answer seems to be yes, however what the calorie count is, and which has the most calories is difficult to answer.  Every place I have looked gives different calories count for different wine.   I looked at many list and found that red wines that have the highest calories.  Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Zinfandel, appear in the top three spots of many list.  White wine just about always has less calories than red wine.
    So what to do, weight vs. heart?  Well as I am trying to lose weight I am going to try and only have one glass a night. I do not drink much white wine, but I will start now.   I do truly believe that red wine is good for you.  I am currently trying to get my grandmother to switch from white to red wine.  To me the benefit of red wine is worth the few extra calories.   If I had high cholesterol (and whatever else red wine helps with) I would not worry about the few extra calories of red wine. The decision between red and white is up to you.
   So really I have no new news, moderation is key.  Keep it to one glass a day.  These are the tips for health.  More than one glass of red wine does not increase its benefits.  Red is healthier then white wine.  I hope I did offer something new with how calories are differ between wine.

  But please do not drink red wine, and say well this blogger told me it what make me better.  I am not a doctor, or even that involved in the medical field.

On that note Enjoy wine!