EAT LIKE THE FRENCH FOR A GORGEOUS GLOW
I could never have been a model in the way actresses today are expected to be; I was never thin enough. I love a wonderful meal at the end of the day and a good Bordeaux. I try to be careful but I am not American—I am not always worrying about calories and working out.
—Catherine Deneuve
Good skincare starts the moment you wake up in the morning—with what you eat and drink. Ideally, a balanced diet full of antioxidant-laden vegetables and fruits, with only minimal amounts of processed or junk food, will give you the healthiest possible skin.
The typical French diet follows the guidelines of the Mediterranean-type diet: fresh vegetables and fruit, whole grains, nuts, legumes, olive oil, and fish, with some dairy, little meat, and even less processed food. A study called “Nutritional Skin Care: Health Effects of Micronutrients and Fatty Acids,” published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in May 2001, supported the finding that eating a Mediterannean-type diet will make you live longer. What’s most important about this kind of eating is that these wholesome foods are not just powerhouses of nutrition but are loaded with omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids, which are needed to keep your cell membranes healthy. And these foods are loaded with antioxidants, too—which you’ll read much more about in part 2.
Because your skin is the largest organ in your body, it reflects what’s put into it when you eat—and not just what you eat, but how you eat. When you drink lots of good mineral water and tea and stay away from junk, your digestive system works as it should, and you glow (being constipated definitely has an unfortunate effect on your skin). When you eat enough of the good fats your body needs for energy and to produce the oils that make your skin look healthy, you glow. When you don’t go on starvation diets that make you feel and look pinched, you glow.
Read on, and I’ll show you what to eat and how to eat for optimum skin health.
THE BEST FOODS TO EAT FOR YOUR SKIN
For the healthiest skin, you should eat food high in two categories: antioxidant and essential fatty acids (EFAs).
ANTIOXIDANT FOODS
You’ll learn much more about this in chapter 4, but for now, all you need to know is that when your body uses oxygen, cells naturally form by-products called free radicals, which can damage cells and contribute to and accelerate the aging process. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, which is why they need to be a regular part of your diet and skincare regimen.
According to the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, the fruits with the highest antioxidant levels are wild blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, prunes, plums, raisins, red grapes, oranges, and cherries. The highest levels in vegetables are found in kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, broccoli florets, and beets.
Vitamins A, C, and E are the antioxidant vitamins and selenium a mineral; lycopene is an antioxidant compound that is especially good for your blood vessels; and polyphenols are powerhouse antioxidants that you’ll read about in depth in chapter 4. Choose these foods for high antioxidant levels:
Broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, egg yolks, fortified grains, fortified milk, liver, low-fat dairy products, mangoes, peaches, pumpkin, squash, tomatoes, yams
Broccoli, cantaloupe, citrus fruits and juices, collard greens, green peppers, kale, kiwi, papaya, parsley, raw cabbage, spinach, strawberries
Broccoli, dried apricots, fish, fish oils, fortified cereals, nuts, seeds, shrimp, vegetable oils, whole grains
Tomatoes
Grapes (especially red and especially the skin and seeds), red wine, all berries, goji berries
Eggs, garlic, seafood, whole-grain cereals
EFA FOODS
Another important nutrient for your skin are the EFAs, particularly omega-3 and omega-6. They play an important role in the regulation of your immune system, lessen inflammation, and also have a skin barrier function. EFAs can be a tremendous help if you have dry skin, reactive and sensitive skin, eczema, or skin irritations. They’re also particularly good when the seasons change or before sun exposure.
The best sources of EFAs are cold-water fish like salmon, herring, and mackerel; olive oil and grape-seed oil; walnuts and almonds; dark green leafy vegetables; whole-grain foods; and eggs.
DO YOU NEED TO TAKE SUPPLEMENTS TO HAVE HEALTHY SKIN?
There is no magic pill or vitamin for skin health. If you eat like the French, you are likely getting the nutrients you need, especially if you regularly consume food high in antioxidants and EFAs. While our bodies must have the RDA (recommended daily allowance) for most vitamins and minerals so that our metabolisms work as efficiently as possible, true deficiencies are rare. That’s because Americans tend to eat a lot, especially processed food, and these foods have been supplemented with different vitamins and minerals.
Taking lots of vitamin or mineral supplements might seem like a good idea, but it worries me that American women tend to self-diagnose and go for the pills much more than Frenchwomen do—we’d rather cook up a delicious soup with kale, leeks, onions, potatoes, and garlic that will not only satiate our appetites but give us lots of nutrients that are easily assimilated by our digestive systems. Never take mega-doses of any supplement without checking with your physician first. This is important, as some vitamins like A and E are fat-soluble, meaning they stay in your body, whereas any excess vitamin like C is excreted in your urine. Have your iron and vitamin D levels checked regularly by your physician, as many women are lacking in both, which can cause serious health problems. If your skin suddenly becomes very dry, and you don’t think that it’s due to environmental changes, such as dry heat in winter or other irritants, it can be an indication of diabetes, hormonal changes, or a thyroid condition and warrants prompt medical attention.
If you do want to take supplements:
THE BEST WAY TO EAT FOR YOUR SKIN
My grandmother was famous for the homemade preserves she made from the wild raspberries we’d pick in the forest every summer. I didn’t realize then how lucky I was to have lived on that farm where nearly everything we ate was fresh from our garden or the local marché and full of nutrients and flavor. I was even luckier that the farmer next door grew the most fabulous leeks. Oh, how my grandmother craved them! She’d go to our local village every morning for a fresh baguette and other goodies, and when the leeks were in season, she’d pick up a small lemon cake at the boulangerie for this farmer—and they’d trade. He got the lemon cake and we got the fabulous leeks. In the winter, when he took extra care to grow even more leeks in his greenhouse, my grandmother had to give him two cakes in exchange!
That my grandmother preferred leeks to cake is just one example of how she instilled in us a deep understanding of what it truly meant to enjoy and appreciate a “treat.”
I’m sure you’ve read that some French, even Parisians, have started to succumb, like citizens of so many other countries, to a diet filled with fast, packaged food—even factory-made baguettes (what a sacrilege!)—and all the attendant health issues that can come with a diet that relies on preservatives and junk. But the French, as a nation, still have a much more sacred attitude toward nourishment. For us, eating right isn’t just about good food, but about the importance of mealtimes (yes, they are a family affair), not depriving yourself of delicious things to eat, and always striving for balance.
In other words, Frenchwomen like creamery butter slathered on a fresh-from-the-bakery baguette (saturated fat and white flour, mon Dieu!) and café au lait (hold the soy milk, please). We don’t think gluten is the devil. We like stinky ripe cheeses oozing off the plate and a rare steak with a few frites on the side.
And when I tell my American customers how much I love to eat, that I don’t deprive myself of anything, and that I have a glass of my family’s Bordeaux at dinner every night, sometimes they look at me as if I’ve sprouted six heads. How can I love food so much yet stay slim? How can I drink every night and not become an alcoholic?
The answer is simple: The essence of eating like the French is to eat very well, but in moderation. No one food can keep you looking young, but eating a well-balanced diet will help you maintain a stable, healthy weight without resorting to crash or fad diets. Besides, delectable, flavor-saturated food is very satiating. So is fresh food, loaded with nutrients and fiber that fill you up quickly. So are “fatty” foods like cheese and butter. Eating savory food this way makes the French disinclined to snack between meals. It also allows us to have much less of a taste for or cravings for sugar, which many recent studies have shown is far more responsible for weight gain than much-maligned fat. After all, what replaces the fat in fat-free foods? Sugar, of course! Other studies have shown that processed foods are one of the biggest causes of obesity because our bodies don’t know how to metabolize all those preservatives and chemicals. Again, natural and real is best.
The excellent skincare tips you’ll read about in the rest of this book show you how to take care of your beauty from the outside in. Following my suggestions for how to eat as the French do will allow you to enhance your beauty regimen from the inside out.
DIETS AND DEPRIVATION NEVER WORK
Diets don’t work. They don’t work for your weight-loss goals and they wreak havoc on your skin. In fact, they often cause more harm than good.
I’ve discussed countless diets with my customers, especially when I travel around America, and I am always shocked at how regimented and terribly difficult so many of them are to follow. A highly restrictive diet may work for the very short term and can be fine if you need to lose a few pounds for a special event—when we want to do that very quickly, we stick to the PP/PS plan (pas de pain/pas de sucre, or no bread/no sugar), but only for a few days. We know that eating a super-structured, do-not-deviate, you-must-suffer diet that restricts what you eat to a few tasteless things is a recipe for disaster. I love broccoli, but I certainly don’t want to eat it with a piece of broiled chicken and nothing else for dinner. This makes no sense to the French because deprivation so often leads to bingeing, and all those days or weeks of suffering can be undone in one evening of raiding the ice cream shelves in the supermarket.
Furthermore, when you restrict calories, your body goes into starvation mode, meaning that it actually needs fewer calories to run its metabolism, so you’ll pack on the pounds and then some as soon as normal calorie intake is restored.
My philosophy is that if you are craving a piece of chocolate, buy the best possible chocolate you can afford and eat a small piece of it. (Note: I did not say the entire chocolate bar.) Savor it and enjoy every morsel. Do not berate yourself for this little indulgence.
One of the chefs at the Caudalie Spa in Bordeaux has a saying: Eat when it’s worth it. If you start eating a cookie and the cookie’s not very tasty, why would you want to keep eating it? The French who go out for a special meal at a gastronomique restaurant might consume 2,500–3,000 calories in one meal—but they don’t beat themselves up over it. They talk about how delicious it was, how it was worth the trip, and then make sure to skip breakfast and not overdo it the next day.
Punishing yourself over food is counterproductive and the exact opposite of what the Pleasure Principle is all about. I hear my American friends say things like, “I know I shouldn’t, I really shouldn’t, okay I will,” driving themselves crazy over a few spoonfuls of dessert. And then they add, “I can’t believe I did that, I’m so bad, I’m horrible. I’m such a pig. I’m going on a diet tomorrow.” C’est de la folie! That’s crazy!
Next time you’re tempted to jump on the latest fad diet bandwagon, remember that constant weight fluctuation can have an unfortunate effect on your skin. This is an important point if you’re a yo-yo dieter. Think about it: If your face expands, then shrinks, then expands and shrinks again with your weight changes, over time your skin will stretch and lose its elasticity. As you get older, it just doesn’t bounce back as easily. I’ll discuss this at length in part 2.
EAT REAL FOOD, ESPECIALLY VEGETABLES
Packaged foods are anathema to the Frenchwomen I know. We go to the local marchés at lunchtime or after work and buy whatever looks fresh and delectable, and then we make a simple meal. I have an American friend who rented a house in the Dordogne Province one summer, and she told me that her friends and family staying with her ate and ate and ate, yet they all lost weight. They walked to the nearby village for a fresh baguette and café in the morning, then went out exploring. They didn’t snack. They tried all the local delicacies. They drank red wine with dinner. They lost weight without even trying because they were eating the French way—good, real, fresh, super-tasty, local food, eaten with pleasure.
It’s easier to eat real food when you don’t buy junk in the first place. I was astonished when I moved to New York City and went to the supermarket and saw what was targeted toward children. Prepackaged “lunches” with deli-type meat laden with preservatives, chemicals, and sodium; crackers made with high-fructose corn syrup guaranteed to send their blood sugar soaring; and a sweetened drink that was nothing but more high-fructose corn syrup and food coloring. And then there’s pasta with tomato sauce in a can, or a vinaigrette in a bottle (when it takes no more than a minute or two to whip up a fresh one that makes any salad fantastically delicious). That is American ingenuity and “convenience” at its worst.
I am such a stickler for proper nutrition that I don’t want to send my kids to playdates with some of their junk food–loving classmates on weekends anymore—even though, of course, I do send them sometimes and I bite my tongue! But at home we bake together—my kids love to help me make my chocolate mousse or batches of cookies. Sweet treats are fine, of course, in moderation, and it’s a wonderful time for my children and me when we spend happy hours making a mess in the kitchen and eating the results. They can learn good cooking and food-choice habits simply by watching what I’m preparing and helping me do it. And they’re very happy with their snacks of fresh fruit, yogurt with jam or honey, or homemade smoothies with fruit, milk, and maple syrup.
If you need any more incentive—and want to lose weight, too—just watch Fed Up, a documentary by Katie Couric that the food industry doesn’t want you to see. Or read the book Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss about the chemicals and preservatives food companies put in their most popular snacks to make sure you become addicted to their empty calories. And then start cooking!
SAVOR YOUR FOOD
We named our company Caudalie after the unit of measurement of wine left on your palate after you take a sip. The more caudalies, the more intense the flavor. Leave it to the French to come up with a poetic word for something so intangible—but it’s what savoring your food is all about.
When we lived in Paris, my local marché in the Seventeenth Arrondissement was famous for its fresh fish like sole and bass, its gorgeous fruit and vegetables, and the truffle Camembert at the fromagerie. There was nothing more wonderful than strolling through the market in search of the freshest ingredients of the day. My local poissonière (fishmonger) knew that we liked sole; the baker handed me a pain complet (whole-grain bread); and La Dame de l’Auverge, the nickname we gave to the plum-cheeked fruit and veggies lady, always pointed to the peaches and homemade apricot jam that Bertrand especially loved.
The French love their food. We talk about meals and cooking the way Americans talk about sports. We know it’s easy to savor what you eat when it is full of flavor. It’s impossible to do when the food is full of chemicals, fake ingredients (ever read the label on your children’s macaroni and cheese box? It’s pretty scary!), high levels of sodium, and way too much sugar. When food is delicious, you want to inhale the divine aromas, chew it slowly, and enjoy every morsel. In fact, recent studies have shown that chewing and the enzymes saliva contains are deeply connected to proper digestion and maintaining a feeling of fullness after even small meals.
MODERATION, PLEASE!
Too much of anything, even the red wine I love, is never a good thing. When you’re savoring your food, and when your food is savory, you will not want a lot of it. This can be hard to achieve in America, as our eyes (and stomachs) have adjusted to super-size portions, even if they’re actually two or three times an intended serving. One easy way to shift this is to use smaller plates and utensils, clear them off the table when you’re done, and not go back for seconds. Serve any leftovers the next day, so nothing goes to waste.
Not surprisingly, people tend to grossly underestimate the amount of calories they eat and drink during the day, and it’s hard to fault them when they’re served such enormous portions when they go out to eat. I was shocked when we arrived in America and a meal on my plate was enough for four people in France. I was even more shocked when I saw restaurants with salad bars or all-you-can-eat buffets. I know that an adult serving of protein is three to four ounces of steak, chicken, or fish—and that’s only the size of your palm. A cup of cooked rice or pasta is only the size of your fist. When was the last time you saw that in a restaurant?
Plus, food labels can be very misleading. They break down the nutrients and calories, to be sure, but it’s easy for your eyes to bypass the “Serving Size.” You might think what you’re eating is only one serving when it’s actually three.
My thin and trim Parisian friends eat everything they want—they just eat small portions of it. They leave food on their plates if they aren’t hungry. They don’t ask for doggy bags, unless they have a doggy at home who likes leftover steak.
MEALTIMES ARE MEALTIMES
One day, not long ago, I was walking through our Bordeaux vineyard with someone from my American team, and she looked at her watch with a frown. “It’s time for my protein,” she told me as she pulled a PowerBar out of her purse. She ate it within seconds, and I realized that she’d just consumed what to her was lunch! I didn’t have the heart to tell her that packaged protein bars aren’t real food and they’re loaded with sugar; it’s a fallacy that they’re really nutritious. She would have been much smarter to have eaten a crunchy green apple that would have given her phytonutrients and lots of fiber and taken more than a few seconds to eat and then had a nice, relaxed meal with me an hour or so later. By the time dinner rolled around, she was ravenous. And you know what that means.
One thing you will rarely see walking down a Parisian street is a Frenchwoman eating while they walk. I see this all day, every day, however, when I’m walking to my office in New York. People are eating and they don’t even know what they’re eating. If you’re munching on the run, or standing up at your kitchen counters, or watching TV or streaming video or checking social media during meals, then mealtime becomes mindless eating time, and you won’t have any idea how much you’ve actually consumed—or if you were even truly hungry for it.
The French sit down to eat. In the kitchen or the dining room. We see each mealtime as an important part of the day, as a time to enjoy each other’s company, or, if we’re alone, to enjoy our own company. No matter how fraught our workload, we stop and have a proper meal. It helps us calm our brains and bodies, and we know we will work more efficiently afterward.
It’s very, very important to take that time to disconnect, no matter how busy you are. Don’t eat at your desk. Find a space to sit down away from your computer and your phone and your devices. Even if it’s just you, set the table, use a lovely plate and silverware, and relax. You need this time. You deserve it. It will help your digestion and it will help your mind and spirit, too!
YOUR STOVE IS NOT THE ENEMY
It is a sad truth that the next generation of Frenchwomen is being raised on more fast food, but the majority of French people I know like to cook. I spent countless, happy hours in our cuisine when I was little, watching my grandmother whip up her delicious meals. She handed me a knife when I was only ten, and I was bursting with pride that she wanted (and expected) my help.
Because I grew up eating home-cooked meals every day, learning how to cook wasn’t something that was difficult or a chore. I just knew what to do. So did my husband, who loves to make meals that are quick and satisfying, as I do. I have to admit that he’s much better at making traditional dishes like osso buco à la Milanese than I am, so we tag-team our kitchen duty, as I prefer to cook veggies or seafood, make salads, and once in a while whip up my famous dark chocolate mousse.
I believe that cooking is one of those life skills that is truly essential. Not only do you control the amount of sugar, sodium, and fat in your food, but also your costs are far lower than if you bought packaged food or ate out. My children usually keep me company in the kitchen, and they see what I’m preparing, so the actual cooking process is demystified for them, as it was for me. It’s a great time to talk about school and friends and everything else. We often spend a weekend afternoon in the kitchen, cooking our meals for the week that can then be stored in the freezer. If you don’t have children, you can just as easily invite some friends over and cook some meals together. The time will fly by, and you’ll not only have a lot of fun, but you’ll also end up with healthy and nutritious meals that will encourage you to keep at it.
SUGAR IS A MORE LIKELY CULPRIT
Scientists have recently published numerous studies showing that fat might not be so bad for us after all. But sugar definitely is. American food is laden with the white stuff—often hidden in plain sight—and the American sweet tooth is definitely far stronger than the French one. That might be hard to believe if you’re visiting Paris and walk by a boulangerie whose window is filled with almond croissants, all sorts of chocolate goodies, and enough pastries to fill Versailles. But those desserts are not eaten every day—they’re special treats. We’ve never had the tradition of expecting a heavy, rich dessert after lunch or dinner—we’re much more likely to order a cheese course that’s served with some grapes or perhaps an apple. If you don’t get in the habit of seeing something sweet as a reward, you don’t care if you have it or not.
The epidemic of weight gain, metabolic syndrome (prediabetes), and type 2 diabetes is extremely dangerous for the health of children and adults. Dr. Kimber Stanhope, a nutritional biologist at the University of California, Davis, is a well-known expert investigating the effects of different sugars on metabolism, and her most recent study, “Adverse Metabolic Effects of Dietary Fructose: Results from the Recent Epidemiological, Clinical, and Mechanistic Studies,” was published in 2013. Her studies, among others, show that eating simple carbohydrates (a piece of soft white sandwich bread, a bag of potato chips) or food high in sugar, particularly fructose (or high-fructose corn syrup) causes your pancreas to release large amounts of insulin, which then causes your blood sugar to spike as your body strives to find the correct balance. This sends the wrong signals to your brain, so that instead of metabolizing, or burning off, the sugar, it gets stored in your cells. And what is it stored as? You guessed it—fat. What’s worse is that your brain then doesn’t get the fuel it needs, so it sends off more signals telling your body it’s hungry when it really isn’t. This explains why drinking a glass of juice and eating a bagel or a donut for breakfast leaves you starving an hour or two later.
Knowing that, it does no one any harm and lots of people much good to have a Ladurée macaron once in a while. It’s so delicious, and fills you up so quickly, and besides, you deserve a treat. A little bit of sugar is not the problem—eating it thoughtlessly and often is.
DON’T DRINK YOUR CALORIES
Do you know how many calories are in your extra-large latte with whipped cream? Or the fruit smoothie you think is good for you? As many as I ate for breakfast and lunch combined!
The problem with drinking calorie-dense beverages is that they’re rarely filling, as they go down so quickly and easily, and it’s very easy to underestimate the calorie count when you’re thirsty. Frenchwomen are not in the habit of drinking as much juice or sodas as Americans, so it’s easier for us to avoid them. We know they are overloaded with sugar and cause the insulin spikes that leave you even hungrier a short time later. For us, several glasses of mineral water or tea are more than enough.
Sugared drinks like soda have no nutritional value at all; they are made from high-fructose corn syrup and chemicals. In other words, they are the worst kind of junk. Fruit juice also has little nutritional value save for a bit of fiber and added vitamins, but it is still primarily sugar. And recent studies have shown that diet sodas can trigger insulin spikes, too, which could be one of the factors in weight gain for those who are trying hard to lose it. Artificially sweetened drinks often contain phosphorus, which can interfere with the absorption of calcium needed for strong bones. Ridding yourself of a soda habit is good for your body and your budget.
What I suggest is that you make a pot of tea in the morning and sip it all day. Sweeten it with a little raw honey if you need to, but try to taper that off. Many teas, like Rooibos, are full of nutrients and antioxidants and are also caffeine-free. Drinking them unsweetened gives you no calories and a lot of satisfaction.
DON’T SNACK YOUR CALORIES, EITHER
When French children come home from school, they usually expect to have a little goûter—a snack (it translates to “a taste”). This might be some raw almonds or a piece of fruit—nothing more. It fills them up, gives them energy for homework or playtime, yet doesn’t spoil their appetite for a nutritious dinner. Because we tend not to snack, we are hungry for good food at mealtimes. If you haven’t eaten any junk all day, it’s pretty amazing what you can eat at your meals, particularly vegetables, salads, and whole grains that are loaded with fiber that quickly fill you up.
If you find yourself hungry between meals, don’t starve yourself. Eat something nutritious and filling. Just try not to snack after dinner, as that can affect your digestion, keeping you awake.
EATING WELL ISN’T JUST GOOD FOR YOUR SKIN (THE FRENCH PARADOX)
In America, heart disease causes nearly two-thirds of deaths annually—thanks to risk factors such as obesity, diabetes and other weight-related illnesses, smoking, overconsumption of alcohol, and stress. A diet laden with artery-clogging saturated fat, which is found in meat and dairy products, is one of the primary culprits.
So why don’t the French, who love their Camembert and fresh butter and rare roast beef, have the same high levels of heart disease? Despite clinical factors that are comparable to those in other countries (high blood pressure, lots of smoking, not enough exercise), a much lower rate of French people die from heart attacks; statistics show that there are approximately 36 to 55 percent fewer in France than in America.
In 1980, scientists launched a study of seven thousand people to explore the perplexing phenomenon that had been dubbed the French paradox, and other studies have since confirmed the original findings. Scientists found that the more you eat vegetables, fruits, and vegetable oils (like olive)—what’s become known as the Mediterranean diet—the lower your risk for coronary disease. Do you think that this diet rich in antioxidants and EFAs that are so good for your skin might have something to do with that? I certainly do.
Yet even if the Mediterranean diet is partly responsible for this paradox, it does not explain why the French have a significantly lower heart attack rate than its neighboring Mediterranean countries such as Spain or Italy. (The only other industrialized country that has a better score is Japan.) Although the French eat more fresh vegetables than the English or the Americans, the average diet is also often full of foie gras, full-fat cheeses, sausages, and the occasional croissant, all of which contain enormous amounts of saturated fats. The French consumption of saturated fat is, in fact, very similar to countries with a high death rate due to coronary disease, such as Scotland, and the cholesterol rate is similar to many other countries, too.
The only thing that distinguishes France from other countries is its wine-drinking habits. On average, a French adult drinks about one hundred bottles of wine each year. (Italy comes in second, with an average of eighty-seven bottles.) And, coincidently, the lowest level of heart attacks is found in the south of France, particularly in Toulouse, with seventy-eight deaths due to heart attacks per one hundred thousand citizens. This isn’t due to the gorgeous, sun-drenched weather or the splendor of the countryside—it’s because the southern French eat more fruits and vegetables and drink more red wine.
In 1991, a physician named Serge Renaud discussed this paradox in the French media, and his conclusions were eventually shared on a celebrated segment of the CBS-TV show 60 Minutes (the same one that Professor Vercauteren had discussed with us the day he visited the vineyard). “Red wine is one of the strongest remedies in order to decrease death rates related to coronary diseases,” Dr. Renaud stated. Needless to say, wine sales skyrocketed all over America after that pronouncement.
As you’ll learn in part 2, the high resveratrol content of red wine is what provides so many health benefits. That’s what makes a moderate amount of wine so good for you. As well as so delicious!