There may be more to the old saying “a drink to your health” than just good wishes, at least when it comes to red wine. Red wine gets its colour from the grape skins, which are included in the fermentation process – in white wine they are removed. As grape skin contains an active ingredient belonging to the flavonoid family known as resveratrol, this ingredient is present in red wine. A number of health advantages have been attributed to resveratrol including anti-cancer properties, anti-aging, and cardio-protective. Although resveratrol is also found in low concentrations in mulberries and peanuts, and is produced in insects and animals when under pathogenic attack, grape skins contain the highest concentration by far. So it certainly appears that the French had it right all along! Continue reading →

Although losing weight is never easy, when under stress, it is almost impossible!

Cortisol – our stress hormone
Who doesn’t have stress? We all do, but to varying degrees. Some people seem to have a great gift for completely “turning off” their mental thought processes when they get into bed, despite the very important business meeting they have at 8:00 am the next morning. Most of us, however, are not as fortunate. In order to get everything done, we tend to multi-task. The need to cope with both family and workplace commitments, increases our susceptibility to chronic stress. Combine these factors with the natural rise in cortisol levels as we age, and our bodies are soon at the mercy of this disruptive hormone. Continue reading →