This is the time of the year when we’re inundated with advertising that’s designed to make us feel bad about ourselves — under the guise of helping us feel better about ourselves.
Oprah expounds on the benefits of Weight Watchers. Marie tells us about her success with Nutrisystem. Local newspapers are packed with ads from local gyms.
After the season of indulgence (office parties, big dinners, lots of sweet treats), it seems as if each January, we are expected to pay penance.
So, we look for ways to cut back on calories. The good news is: Wine need not be part of that endeavor.
In the grand scheme of things, a glass of wine does virtually nothing to harm one’s waist-watching diet. Check out the chart posted by the website PopSugar, and you’ll see that the calorie count for a typical 5-oz. glass of wine ranges from under 100 to only 157 — and the high end is for a sweet dessert wine.
I’m big on wine-and-food pairing, and when you embrace certain types of wine at this time of the year and pair them with healthful foods, your post-holiday diet can be almost pain-free.
For instance, as PopSugar notes, a glass of Sauvignon Blanc includes only about 120 calories.
I love pairing the 2015 El Tiburon Cellars California Sauvignon Blanc with lemon-herb chicken. It’s a juicy and refreshing wine that seems to dance on the tongue between bites of the tart and well-seasoned chicken.
Another pairing I love is the 2015 Ashfield Cellars California Sauvignon Blanc with a tropical salad. This is a wine with enough acidity that it melds perfectly with the tasty — and calorie-saving! — ingredients that make up a tropical salad.
Life should not be about deprivation. Even if you’re counting calories this month, wine should be included in — not excluded from — that count.
