'Tis the Season - Many Benefits Of Raising A Toast This Christmas!

25th December, an excellent time to celebrate love with your family and close ones. It is one of the most widely celebrated festivals around the world. From decorating homes with lights to erecting Christmas trees or organizing a special meal, there is no end to the celebrations. Christmas celebrations in India are no longer limited to the Christians, people from all religions engage in the festivities. Children, in particular, enjoy this time of year as they are often showered with gifts from parents and elders in the family. 

Wine an essential ingredient of Christmas

No festival is ever complete without a hearty meal. The Christmas meal often consists of turkey, plum cakes, pies, gingerbreads, chicken dishes and most importantly wine. Since, the turkey is a white meat it is light enough to be paired with white wines, and very flavorful at the same time to be paired with delicate red wines. Apart from being an essential on the meal table, a whine toast holds high regard for Christians during Christmas. It is the Last Supper that Jesus shared with his Apostles in Jerusalem just before his crucifixion. Apart from its significance to Christians and its importance with meals, wine comes with a host of health benefits as well. Let us read on to know more about them: 

Benefits of Red Wine: 

1. Boosts Heart Health: Red wine contains active compounds, including resveratrol, polyphenols, and quercetin which are known to have cardioprotective properties. It has been proven that drinking moderate amounts of red wine can go a long way in protecting you against cardiovascular diseases. 
2. Boosts Immune System: Wine contains resveratrol compound obtained from the skins of red grapes and cranberries that boosts the body’s immune system and treatment of acne. 
3. Controls Diabetes and Cholesterol: Ethanol found in wine metabolizes glucose, which is crucial for diabetes type-2 patients. Red wine also contains procyanidins compound that helps in keeping the blood vessels healthy and lowers cholesterol levels in the body. 

Benefits of White Wine: 

1. Helps Prevent Diseases: Owing to antioxidant content present in white wine, it goes a long way in preventing breast cancer and lung disease. 
2. Reduces Hangover: Chemical by-products of alcohol fermentation, congeners are responsible for giving you hangovers. It is the congeners that give alcohol its aroma, taste, and color. The congeners present in white wine are must lesser than any other alcoholic beverages which reduce the chances of a hangover and its symptoms including nausea, headache and confusion. 
3. Nutritional Content: White wine is considered highly nutritious as apart from the antioxidants, it also contains potassium, fluoride and phosphorus. If watching weight, it is advised to go for dry white wines than the sweet ones as the dry ones contain the least calories and sweet ones contain the most. 

So, this Christmas raise a toast to health and happiness.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!