Wine Talent Yui Teaches: Wine and Dieting!

"I have a class reunion coming up, so I need to go on a diet!!"

To women all across Japan: have you ever made a resolution like this?
When you have an important event, it's only natural to want to look as pretty as possible. I'm sure many of you are constantly conscious of dieting.

However, reality strikes:

"When there's good food, I just end up eating it."

"I want to lose weight, but giving up alcohol is too stressful."

Have you ever resolved to lose weight, only to give in to temptation?
(As the author... this happens to me all the time. Tears!)
After all, drinking delicious wine is when I feel happiest in life!

Our theme this time is "Dieting and Wine."
If you want to drink while losing weight, this is a must-read!
We'll take a closer look at the relationship between wine and dieting.

"Does drinking wine make you lose weight?"

The answer isNO!Life isn't that sweet! (lol)

However, here's good news!

While drinking it won't automatically make you lose weight, as long as you pay attention to how you drink it,"a weight-loss-friendly drink"there's no doubt about it.

Why is wine a "weight-loss-friendly drink"?

Carbs are said to be the number one enemy during a diet.

Have you ever heard the term "low-carb diet"? It's a popular dieting method these days where you reduce carb intake to lose weight. I hear Lawson's low-carb breads come in many varieties and are huge hits with dieters.

Many people seem to imagine that wine is high in carbs, but did you know that wine is actually low in carbohydrates?

For example, when compared to beer and sake:

Per 100 ml:

Red wine: 1.5 g
White wine: 2.0 g
Beer: 3.1 g
Sake: 4.1 g
(These are average figures.)

As you can see, wine is low in carbohydrates among fermented beverages.
Also, wine is served in smaller glass portions compared to other alcoholic drinks, so as long as you don't overdo it, you can enjoy it without worry even while on a diet! ♪

Polyphenols are compounds found abundantly in grape skins. They appeared in our previous column on boosting feminine charm (if you haven't read it yet, please check it out ♡).

And guess what? This compound is fantastic for diets too!!

Polyphenols help thin the blood and improve circulation.
Furthermore, moderate alcohol consumption also promotes blood circulation, so drinking red wine"Boosting Metabolism"is what this leads to.

"I'm not eating any more than usual, so why do I keep gaining weight year after year?"

If you share this concern, a drop in your metabolism might be one of the causes. Women have more body fat than men, making them more prone to cold sensitivity and constipation.

When your metabolism increases, your body's calorie-burning power gets a boost ⤴️ Boosting your metabolism is essential for dieting!

"After drinking, my face is super puffy the next day!"
Almost everyone has experienced waking up in the morning with swelling...

When you drink alcohol, your blood alcohol concentration rises, causing your body to retain water. That's why you end up bloated the next day.
Also, mindlessly eating salty snacks is another cause.

For those troubled by swelling, white wine is recommended ♫
That's because white wine contains a nutrient called potassium.

Potassium has a detox effect that promotes a diuretic action, flushing excess water out of your body.
In addition, because the organic acids in white wine improve intestinal health, they are also good for relieving constipation.

Even if you have an important event the next day, white wine might help keep your body and face looking refreshed ♡

Up to 2 Glasses of Wine a Day While Dieting

Thank you for reading this far ♡
"Wine contains ingredients that help you lose weight, so I can drink as much as I want even on a diet, yay!!"
→That is a huge misconception!!

I have been writing about wine and dieting, but wine is ultimately just there to help you along. As I mentioned at the beginning, drinking it doesn't mean you will automatically lose weight.
Life just isn't that easy!

Also, if you drink in large amounts, wine's health benefits won't function properly anymore. Even with white wine, you'll naturally get bloated the next day, and you'll end up consuming excess calories, so overdrinking is a big no-no for dieters.

So, based on my personal opinion, here is my recommended way of drinking while on a diet:

"Up to 2 glasses of wine a day"
(Since alcohol processing ability varies from person to person, please take this merely as a guide.)

Keeping it to up to two glasses prevents excess calorie intake, and because it puts less strain on the liver, the beneficial compounds in wine can work more effectively.

When I have an important event or photo shoot, I make a point of drinking one glass of white wine before going to bed so my face doesn't get bloated the next day.
Last year, I competed in a beauty pageant called "Miss Wine." Because wearing a gown clearly shows off your body line, I worked hard on my diet. At that time, I drank 1 to 2 glasses of wine every day and successfully lost 3 kg in two months. (Of course, I also paid attention to my meals and got moderate exercise.)

The hardest part of dieting is dietary restriction.

"Don't eat that, you shouldn't drink alcohol."

Holding back too much can cause stress to build up and potentially lead to a weight rebound.

Instead of holding back, as long as you change your mindset to "It's okay to drink wine♪", alcohol is perfectly fine to enjoy even while dieting.
If you diet while having fun, you can naturally stick with it♡

Here is a recommended Japanese wine for those of you on a diet!

Rubaiyat Koshu Sur Lie
(Dry white wine)

Rubaiyat is a winery in Katsunuma Town, Yamanashi Prefecture, founded in 1890.
They focused early on producing dry wines from the Koshu grape, passionately crafting wine through ongoing trial and error from grape growing to winemaking.

Made with 100% Koshu grapes from Katsunuma Town, the theme of this wine is "wine that pairs well with Japanese food."
It has a lovely green apple aroma with a hint of ginjo sake-like fragrance. The taste is crisp and dry, making it a wine that truly lets you enjoy a perfect pairing with Japanese food.

For example, I think it pairs broadly well with healthy diet foods such as tuna sashimi, blanched spinach (ohitashi), and boiled eggplant.

Enjoy dieting while enjoying wine!

Please give it a try♡