Black Grapes

For the first time ever, I tried some black grapes this past weekend. They were the most delicious type of grape I have ever tasted, and they weren’t too unreasonably priced, either. ($1.99 for a pound.) The black grapes were much sweeter than red or certainly green grapes, and offer a really nice snack that you don’t always get.

One source I checked said grapes are very good for your heart. They have “flavonoids, which have compounds called quercitin and another compound called resveratrol.” These components are said to help ward off blood clots. Anytime you reach for a fruit, go for the one with the deepest color. They are said to be the best for you.

Image: sxc.hu

Red Wine Resveratrol On 60 Minutes

It is a well known fact that a glass of red wine is beneficial to heart health.

Doctors Christoph Westphl and David Sinclair a biochemist at Harvard, studying the genetic components on aging for the past five years have discovered some exciting news about resveratrol.

The doctors focus their study on a gene (Sirtuin) found in almost all life forms.  This gene is normally inactive but when activated the doctors believe that it will trigger several mechanisms that will extend life.

Doctors Westphl and Sinclair have randomly tested thousands of compounds that might do more than protect the heart. These compounds could also be effective in preventing a number of age related illnesses as well.

Dr. Sinclair stated that he was shocked when he Goggled resveratrol and found that red wine hit the top of the list for this component.

The doctors feel that in short span of time a simple pill containing resveratrol could change the aging process and age related illnesses that go with it.

The giant pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline has purchased Dr. Westphl and Sinclair’s small start-up company for 3/4 of a billion dollars.

To find more information go to this site, 60 minutes.

Artist Profile: Margo Spellman

Tools of the Reinvention Trade 1

Artist: Margo Spellman
Location: Seattle, Washington
Website:
Margo Spellman

Margo, how do you describe your work?
Abstract mixed media paintings. Crazy. Often dark. Sometimes ugly. Truthful.

Menopausal Midwife

What is your creative process like?
Every year I write down a list of topics or events that are on my mind.
I don’t have a visual image in mind before I paint.
I might have a color that I want to use.
I prefer listening to music with no lyrics or with voices in a foreign language.
I try not to use brushes, but rather any tools/ instruments that make marks.
I prefer painting large so I am not in my head.
I have plastic bins containing lots of bottles/jars of paint.
I use a lot of paper towel.
I am very messy.
I like painting outdoors. Whatever blows into my work stays there.
I like to squirt and throw things. Sometimes I slip because I tend to work with the canvas on the ground.
I use a spray bottle of water to break things up.
I build up layers of stuff and then wipe or scratch them away. Over and over….

What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry?
No formal training. I take an annual painting class in another city. I’ve been doing this for over 10 years. I’ve also taken a variety of adult education type classes in pottery, oil portrait painting, watercolors, collage etc.

Incubator Chick 1

Is there a tool or material that you can’t imagine living without?
Paper towels

What inspires you to create?
Life. Death. Birth. Nature. Travel. Personal issues I am grappling with. The search for truth, authenticity, and meaning.

What inspires you to keep going when the work gets frustrating or tough?
My work is always tough, frustrating and painful. I rarely like what I’ve done until many moons later, if ever. What inspires me is knowing that I’m learning something along the way. And that sometimes my work speaks to others who get it, understand it, and value it. However ugly it may be.

Let’s Start at the Very Beginning

What is your best piece of advice for those who would like to rise in their level of artistry?
This is so hard. Find your voice. Tell the truth. Avoid pretty.

What takes up the majority of your time besides your art?
I run a small marketing and public relations company with my youngest sister (The Spellman Company).

Incubator Chick 2

What are some of your other favorite things?
Food: A big bowl of Penn Cove mussels.
Beverage: A big red wine, with luck the resveratrol in it will keep me young and flexible.
Book: Too many to choose from. Current fav: Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo. Anything by Annie Dillard.

Slow Cooked Argentinean-Style Pot Roast

Guest author: Jennette Turner
Website: Dinner with Jennette

Dinner with Jennette is an online subscription meal planning service. All of Jennette’s meals are made with natural foods (nothing processed or refined) and are nutritionally balanced. all of Jennette’s recipes are suitable for gluten-free diets, plus she provides adaptations for subscribers who are vegetarian or dairy-free. She is very knowledgeable about food’s relationship to health, and she’s always concocting delicious ways to make eating a treat.

Slow Cooked Argentinean-Style Pot Roast
Makes 6-8 servings
(Jennette’s full meal plan for this balanced dish includes baked squash and roasted cauliflower)

With the paprika, the wine and the natural color of the meat, this tasty pot roast takes on a lovely red hue.

2-3 lbs. beef chuck or arm roast *see Notes
1 onion, sliced
6-10 cloves garlic, halved
1 tsp. salt
2 T. brown rice flour
1 T. paprika
1⁄2 tsp. black pepper
1 T. dried oregano
1 c. red wine
1 c. chicken stock OR beef broth

1. Put meat, onions and garlic in the slow cooker.
2. In a small bowl, combine salt, flour, paprika, oregano and pepper. Rub the spice mixture all over the roast. Let any extra mixture fall on the onions.
3. Pour the wine and stock over the roast. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Note: Don’t worry about having too much—leftover pot roast freezes well.

Note: Chuck roast has more fat; arm roast is leaner. Your choice.

Nutrition Tip: Red wine is an excellent source of a flavonoid called resveratrol, which supports heart health, the healthy flow of blood throughout the body and brain, and protects against heart disease and stroke.

BioBeer: Resveratrol-Containing Beer

That’s the entry of some Rice University students to the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition to be held on Nov. 8-9, 2008 at the MIT:an anti-cancer brew.

They got a sample of the yeast from Houston’s Saint Arnold Brewing Company, and they are modifying it with two sets of genes. The first set allows the yeast to metabolize sugars and excrete an intermediate chemical that the second set can later convert into resveratrol.

I get the resveratrol part; this compound has repeatedly been shown to reduce risks of cardiovascular disease. What I don’t get is, why beer? Why go through all the effort of genetic engineering, when high levels of resveratrol are naturally found in red wine, grape juice and even chocolate? Anyways, it’ll be a loooong while before you see any of this in the market, if at all.

Resveratrol, Also in Chocolate and Cocoa

According to a study sponsored by the Hershey Company, the antioxidant compound resveratrol found in grapes skin (and thus red wine) is also present in substantial amounts in cocoa and chocolate products. In fact, they say cocoa/chocolate products are second to red wine among known sources of resveratrol.

In the study, top selling retail products from six categories were tested for the level of resveratrol and its sister compound, piceid. The six product categories included cocoa powder, baking chocolate, dark chocolate, semi-sweet baking chips, milk chocolate and chocolate syrup. Gram for gram, cocoa powder had the highest average amount of resveratrol and piceid, followed by baking chocolates, dark chocolates, semi-sweet chips, milk chocolate and then chocolate syrup. In the products studied, the level of piceid was 3 to 6 times the level of resveratrol.

That could mean that chocolate is doubly good for cardiovascular health: resveratrol, plus flavanols! And, it’s alcohol-free, so it’s perfectly suitable for those who need to stay off alcoholic beverages such as wine!

Resveratrol May Help Against Fatty Liver

Resveratrol is a compound that has been featured quite often in this blog, mainly for its benefits on cardiovascular health and other aging-related maladies.

A new study indicates that its powers extend to liver health, too. According to the results of an animal trial, resveratrol, a compound naturally found in grape skin and berries, may also help treat fatty liver, a condition associated with excessive alcohol consumption. It is characterized by the build-up of excess fat in the liver cells, which may lead to inflammation and liver damage.

Could the resveratrol in red wine protect the liver form the negative effects of the alcohol in the same drink? The alcoholics will rejoice if it were so, but I doubt it.

Red Wine May Lower Lung Cancer Risk

The benefits of red wine on cardiovascular health and cancer have been thoroughly documented, and apparently, its antioxidant powers also lower lung cancer risks.

Among the study participants, there was on average a two percent lower lung cancer risk associated with each glass of red wine consumed per month. The most substantial risk reduction was among smokers who drank one to two glasses of red wine per day. The researchers reported a 60 percent reduced lung cancer risk in these men. Researchers warned men to stop smoking as the best way to reduce lung cancer risk; noting that even men who drank one to two glasses of red wine per day still face higher lung cancer risk than do non-smokers.

Let this not be misconstrued as encouraging alcoholism. One to two glasses of wine hardly constitute as overindulging, does it? For those who want to avoid alcoholic drinks altogether may perhaps turn to non-alcoholic sources such as resveratrol supplements, grape juice, and resveratrol containing beverages. Can’t say whether they would work the similarly in lung cancer prevention, though.

Embodi Beverages: Red Wine Antioxidants Without the Alcohol

I’ve repeatedly blogged about the health benefits of red wine and it’s purported active ingredient, the antioxidant resveratrol. But how about those who cannot or do not want to drink alcoholic drinks? There are resveratrol supplements available, and now, Embodi beverages. According to the press release I’ve received:

Introducing Embodi™ beverages, a unique approach to healthfulness and longevity. Embodi is a refreshing, all-natural fruit-juice blend packed with red wine antioxidants to create a non-alcoholic drink that offers the same health benefits of red wine – sans the headache.

Each bottle of Embodi is packed with the unique antioxidant power of red wine grapes. The secret to Embodi is a special pomace extract made from the seeds, stems and skins of the red wine grapes. This extract contains the full-spectrum of polyphenols antioxidants found in red wine. Polyphenols are natural plant compounds that have been scientifically proven to help the body support cardiovascular wellness and healthy cellular growth.

There are three variants available at Whole Foods Market nationwide. I haven’t tried them myself: let me know if you have!

Image Source: Embodi website

Comparison Chart of Alcoholic Beverages

Although I’ve written several entries on the health benefits of wine consumption because of its resveratrol content, I hope the posts did not come across as promoting excessive alcohol consumption. I’d like to take this opportunity that while there are scientific evidence supporting the so-called French paradox, most suggest that moderate regular wine consumption is most beneficial. What does moderate mean? One glass? Two glasses? How big a glass?

And what about for those who are watching their alcohol consumption? The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) has published Alcohol Facts, a side-by-side comparison of the alcohol, calorie and carbohydrate content per serving of the top 26 domestic and imported alcoholic beverage brands sold in the US. According to their press release:

Designed to help consumers follow the Dietary Guidelines’ advice that men limit their consumption to two drinks a day and that women restrict their consumption to one drink per day, Alcohol Facts further explains what constitutes a “standard drink” — 12 ounces of regular beer, 5 ounces of wine and 1.5 ounces of 80-proof (40%) distilled spirits. According to the Dietary Guidelines, these amounts represent moderate drinking. Public health officials warn that consuming too much alcohol contributes to dependence, obesity and a range of diseases, such as liver cirrhosis and cancers of the upper gastrointestinal tract.

Want to know how much alcohol is in that bottle of Guinness or glass of Merlot? Click the image above to see a larger version, or download the poster here.

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