It's 19 degrees here in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and the snow is coming d-o-w-n.
The weather man is calling for close to three feet of snow this weekend and us Virginians don't quite know what to do with this information. So far, it seems as though we're following the protocol fairly well - snow shovels are out of stock, the staple foods are no longer on the store shelves and talk about losing power has everyone cooking meals to last for a few nights.
I, and many other college girls in town, took snow preparation a slightly different route. Instead of leaving Walmart with bags of bread and milk, I was bogged down with wine bottles and chocolate (dark chocolate, of course)... snow = wine night, right?
With this in mind, I decided it was time to write a Girl's Guide to a Healthy Wine Night!
Let's start with some background research on the main health benefits of wine.
1. Heart disease. For starters, the American Heart Association (AHA) suggests that drinking one to two glasses of red wine a day decreases the chance for heart disease. Maybe you've heard this statistic before or maybe you haven't, but let me dig a bit deeper. It's the polyphenolic compounds present in red wine (and white wine... but not nearly as much) that relax the arteries, helping them keep tonicity and prevent blood from clotting.
2. Cholesterol. There's HDL cholesterol and there's LDL cholesterol. What do these mean? When you hear HDL, think good... happy... cholesterol. LDL, bad... lame... cholesterol. When LDL cholesterol is built up, the chance for a heart attack or disease increases. In a study performed by National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), both the alcohol and polyphenolic found in wine "increases HDL cholesterol by 12%," helping to remove LDLs and keep healthy blood circulation.
3. Cancer. The same phenolic compounds mentioned above have been found to slow the growth of various types of cancers (breast cancer, liver cancer, prostate cancer, oral cancer, liver cancer). With that being said, the Journal of the American Dental Association found that antioxidants in wine (there's a ton in red wine) have cancer-fighting abilities. Drink up!
Now, the fun stuff... some of my favorite, healthy wine night essentials.
2. Chocolate: Boom Chicka Pop (Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Kettle Corn), Brookside (Dark Chocolate Crunchy Clusters, Dark Chocolate Fruit-Filled), Lindt (Dark Chocolate Sea Salt)
3. Snacks: Wheat Thins, cheese slices, grapes and fruit, cinnamon-flavored walnuts
5. Extras: Mags on mags, rom coms, onesie, fuzzy blankets (and socks), candles and great gal pals
Comment below with your favorite wine night essentials!
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