Red Blend Wine Nutrition Facts
Obesity has surpassed smoking as public enemy number one. Today, close to 90 million American adults are overweight and another 70 million are obese. And, with this in mind, what red blend wine nutrition facts should we know? What are we looking at in terms of red blend calories per glass of wine?
Let’s Talk Calories
The first fact to appreciate is that all red blend wines have calories, and the number of red blend calories depends on the type (and amount, of course) of wine consumed. Both sugar and alcohol have calories. Each gram of sugar contains 4 calories. The amount of sugar in red blend wines varies from 1-15g.
Alcohol contains about 7 calories per gram. On average, a glass of red blend wine will have anywhere from 70-140 calories (110 is about the average). To put this into perspective, a can of coke contains about 140 calories. Therefore, if you drink three glasses of wine in a day, that amounts to approximately 330 calories (on average) or about 1/6th of your daily calorie needs.
What can you do to burn off 120 calories? Studies have shown that, based on a 140-pound person, walking for 32 minutes at 3 mph can burn 120 calories, as well as running at 6 mph for 12 minutes or bicycling for 17 minutes at 10 mph.
The American Heart Association recommends that an adult American male should drink no more than two glasses of wine per day and that women should have no more than one glass of wine per day. Many wine drinkers don’t try to keep count of how many glasses of wine they consume, and, during the holiday season, everyone typically drinks much more than one glass.
Do Red Blend Wines Have Health Benefits?
The answer is a resounding, Yes! There is ample evidence that red blend wines are rich in antioxidants that can scavenge free radicals and lower the risk of heart disease. The substance resveratrol found in red wine is known to lower “bad” cholesterol and raise the levels of “good” cholesterol. The key is to drink red blend wine in moderation to derive the health benefits. If you drink wine in excess, you run the risk of damaging your liver, which can be very serious.
Do Your Research
To drink red blend wine safely, do your research. Look for the content of sugar and alcohol in the wine. You preferably want a red blend wine with low residual sugar. Some dry wines have residual sugar levels of 1-2g per liter and sparkling wines can have 10-12 g/liter. Unfortunately, not all wine producers state the amount of residual sugar in their wine.
You should also look at the alcohol content of the wine, which is stated as ABV (alcohol by volume). You want to select a wine with an ABV of less than 11 percent. The higher the ABV, the greater the number of calories.
Avoiding High Sugar in Wines
If you are a diabetic and/or want to reduce your caloric intake, avoid sweet red wines; instead, opt for dry wines. In general, wines that cost less than $12 tend to have more sugar than those that cost more than $15. Winemakers tend to add sugar to make up for the lack of flavor in cheaper wines. There are a few exceptions, but, for the most part, avoid wines less than $10.
How To Choose Healthy Red Blends
In general, avoid red blend wines made in warmer parts of the country. The reason is that with warm weather, the grapes do tend to get riper, and that means more sugar, which, in turn, means more alcohol - neither of which is good in excess for health.
If you are overweight, a diabetic, and/or have liver problems, look into white wines, as they generally have lower alcohol content.
Conclusion
Red blend wine nutrition facts conclude that wine drinking is safe as long as you drink in moderation. In order to enjoy wine drinking and be healthy, watch the red blend calories and consider changing your lifestyle, if needed, to find a healthier you. This means, stop smoking; eat a healthy diet, and work on becoming more physically active. If you have any questions about red blend wines, the passionate wine experts at Pacific Rim & Company will be happy to help. Call them today at 1-503-863-5454.