Wine...too drink or not too drink.

I recently read an article in Food & Wine magazine on the calorie content of wine. While I enjoy my share of wine, I am also not dillusional in thinking it doesn't take a toll on my diet. I know...I know. I am a powerlifter...who the hell cares? Well, old habits die hard, and honestly, most powerlifters - at least the good ones - do care about what they put in their body. That said, we have our vices and mine is wine. So everytime I see an article that alludes to wine's health benefits, I am quick to read it. This was one of those cases.

Before I begin, this article reeked a lot of the "Eat This, Not That" guy, so please take it in with the "no duh" factor. But even so, it was interesting.

First with the obvious. The amount of calories in a glass of wine is dependent - primarily - on the amount of its alcohol. Like carbohydrates with 4 calories and fat with 9 calories per gram, alcohol has 7 calories. So logic tells you, the higher the alcohol, the more the calories. Now comes the article...

A Krispy Kreme doughnut has approx. 190 calories. This is the equivalent to one and half glasses of pinot noir. Not so bad. Some of you may choose the doughnut...I mean, those things are pretty delicious. But man, a glass of pinot ain't bad.

Moving on...one large McDonald french fry equals 500 calories...this equals nearly 4.3 glasses of cabernet sauvignon. Wow. But here is a big kicker...a taco bell taco salad equals 775 calories, which, my friends, is the equivalent of a bottle and a quarter of chardonney. Hey, if I had the chose of drinking a bottle of wine or eating a fat laden taco salad, there is no question....oh waiter...

But before we break out the bourdeoux, in the famous words of college football's Lee Corso..."not so fast my friend." There is more to this story.

As we know, wine has its health benefits. Red wine has resveratrol; a known antioxidant tied to prolonging cell life and overall health. Wine - in moderation - also does a fine job reducing the stress of the day. Wine, however, lacks the macronutrients of some of the magazine's comparisons. For example, a taco salad may be high in fat...but that fat is also an essential nutrient your body can use. Also, and most importantly to the powerlifter, it has protein...and quite a good amount. In my own research, I learned your standard fiesta taco salad has 27 gms of protein. Yes, it comes with 42 whopping grams of fat. But considering alcohol calories are empty and basically worthless, it might be worth a second look.

So, what is the purpose of the entry? The purpose is to show that it is okay to drink a glass (or two) of wine; and enjoy life. But also realize that wine is not a substitute to food. The "Eat This, Not That" guy will use these comparisons like they are apples to apples. But if you have a hard workout, eat the fricking taco salad and save the wine for your social hour.

You can be strong and lead a happy life...neither wine or a burger will kill you. Just be smart about it.