Wine Figures!

When I lived in Switzerland one of my daily habits became enjoying a glass of wine with dinner. Before every meal a toast would arise with a clink of glasses and a joyful celebratory expression when everyone at the table looked each person in the eye and chanted “sante.’” This, before a fork is ever lifted.
Dinner itself is a celebration of life in Europe and the word “Sante” fits perfectly with that meal. “Sante” means literally “to your health,” and long before all the media scientific research and media reporting the French somehow knew that a glass of red wine literally (and scientifically) means “to your health”.
If you watch the news or read the paper chances are you’ve seen headlines raving about the health benefits of red wine, most notably that it lowers your risk of cancer and heart disease. Scientific studies have revealed the link between red wine consumption and better health while studying what they call the French paradox: Why do the French have less heart disease and cancer, when the typical French diet and lifestyle often includes high-fat foods and wine? Their studies showed that surprisingly it was the French habit of drinking a glass or two of red wine each day that protected them from developing these chronic diseases.

Studies that discovered the benefits of reservatrol…
Scientists at Harvard Medical School and elsewhere are studying this compound found in grapes, wine and nuts. At high doses, it appears to prolong life span and improve health.
The National Institute of Aging reports that this natural substance found in red wine (resveratrol) “offsets the bad effects of a high-calorie diet, and significantly extends your lifespan.”
So tonight when you sit down to a healthy dinner with your glass or two of red wine, you can leave the guilty conscience behind. Go ahead and toast to your health – Sante!