I just read this really interesting info about wine, Atkins and carbs.



"Where carbs and sugars normally RAISE your blood sugar level (causing those spikes and perpetuating the problem), alcohol acts to LOWER your blood sugar level. The importance of blood sugar is that, when the pancreas sees you have too much sugar in your system, it starts releasing insulin to bind with those sugars and get them into your cells for storage until "later". But again, while most carbs cause that blood sugar level to go up, alcohol is actually a case where the blood sugar levels drop. So while you might want to keep wine out of your diet for the first two weeks on the Atkins and other low-carb diets, be sure to enjoy it after that! The USDA lists carb values of 0.8g to 1.8g for each glass of wine. The wine will help your meals taste better, will bring you many other health benefits, and its blood-sugar lowering effect might nicely counteract any extra little carb-treats you give yourself."
This is the link:

http://wine.about.com/library/weekly/aa061603.htm


Wine is something I have not had since I started Atkins and it is something I truly miss. I was wondering if anyone else drinks wine on Atkins and what they think of this fellows thoughts on the carb counts. He makes some really interesting points.

Wine in moderation is fine on Atkins. Just be aware of certain things, although as low alcohol as wine is if you just have a glass these won't come into play as much. If you have more then a few glasses or harder liquer they are good to remember.

1. Your body will turn the alcohol into keotens and burn them first. Anything eaten will besotred for later. Worse the fat can be stored in your live (or is it around?)

2. Inhabitions are lowered if you drink and it may be harder not to snack or cheat

3. Alcohol dehydrates you. Be sure to drink plenty of water.

4. Your tolerences may be lower. Alcohol can effect you more, and if you don't drink enough water the morning after can be worse.

If you don't over consume on a regular bases then there is nothing wrong with a glass of wine here and there. Make sure to get the dry wines are they are lower carbs. Red wines also have other health benifits as well. Have a glass of water with your wine to help aovid dehydration.

Like most things in Atkins and life, moderation is the key.

I have been drinking wine regularly since I finished my first 2 weeks. I also drink vodka with a squirt of lime and soda water. I only drink on the weekend, and I made the decision that even if it slowed my weight loss it was worth it, because I love red wine and was not ready to sacrifice it! I'm happy with my rate of weight loss, but I did overdo the alcohol over the holidays so have gone back to no alcohol during the week.
Enjoy!

I am fairly certain that drinking red wine AFTER induction, caused me to stall in a big way.

I am testing that theory by going back to the basics and not having any wine for one month.

LadyBelle is right...when you have some wine, you tend to throw caution to the wind and snack afterwards. I always snacked on nuts or cheese, technically legal foods. I was eating late and night and more in total than I would have, had I not had the wine.

Thanks for listening.

Karen

Thanks everyone for replies....I guess I will have glass and see how it goes...I haven't had ANY problems with snacking or cravings so if it starts I will know where the problem is coming from..I just find a nice glass of red wine and some old cheddar is such a nice treat.....

Also keep in mind that those carb counts are for probably a 3-ounce or a 4-ounce glass of wine. This is far smaller than what a typical wine glass holds.

I've always said that if I can have only one glass of wine (or whiskey) a day, let me pick the glass!

Seriously, though, be careful. Each of us is different. I can maintain and drink a glass of wine a night, but I can't lose. That's why I've stopped drinking for a while. I might have one small glass on one weekend night, but maybe not even that. When I drink, even a little, I eat more. Simple as that.

And just to make it clear, all wines are not made alike...

If you're drinking a white wine, check the bottle for a "residual sugar %". You'll usually find it in rieslings, white zins, gewurztraminers, and dessert wines. If it's there, then there's more carbs.

I haven't figured out the math for residual sugar -> carbs, but maybe someone else out there has.

~Ryan

Hi Ryan,
Check the URL i linked to..that is what I found so interesting...this article states the residual sugars are next to none......there is a lot of interesting stuff in the articles..I would really like to know what you think....

http://wine.about.com/library/weekly/aa061603.htm

I (even during induction, I know bad girl) never gave up my wine. I lost 10 lbs the first two weeks on Atkins so it didn't slow me (or not much anyway). I have however given up all alcohol for the month of January because I was DRUNK too many times (like 4) between Thanksgiving and New Year's. I also restarted induction because I did have "a cheat a week" during that period and want a fresh start so I can achieve my goal. I have found that I need to be careful - drunk more quickly, but not on my usual amounts, just if it's more. I drink about 2 drinks (be it wine or a vodka martini or vodka and soda) 2-3 times per week and have lost fairly steadily. About 5 lbs per month average. So in MHO it did not stall me, maybe i could have lost faster, but I love my wine and 5 lbs a month is worth it. YMMV

I read the article you linked to, but I have to fundamentally disagree with the author. The author doesn't take into account the fact that a winemaker can stop the fermentation process at *any* time by raising the level of Sulfur Dioxide in the must. I can't remember the chemistry behind it off the top of my head, but it does stop the yeast from converting the remainder of the sugar.

With fortified dessert wines, they get the same effect by raising the alcohol level with brandy or cognac or whatever they're fortifying with. Most yeast can't survive in an environment where the alcoholic concentration is above 15%.

So, she's really making a blanket statement that she can't back up. Are there some dry white zin's on the market? Probably. But can you be sure that the one that *you're* drinking has no sugar in it? Nope.

For those who aren't wine people, here are some definitions:
Fermentation - the conversion of sugar to alcohol by yeast
Sulfur Dioxide - Chemical used in the production of most wines. Usually represented on a wine label by the phrase "Contains sulfites"
Must - What the mix of grapes, seeds, liquids, and yeast is called during fermentation

~Ryan

(Yes, I know too much about wine )

One more thing...

After fermentation, some wineries will add concentrated unfermented grape juice to the mix to sweeten the wine. So even if they get all the sugar during fermentation, they add more sugar in afterwards.

~Ryan

Sheesh Ryan, youv'e dashed my hopes! It sounded so good...I would think the more established recognised wineries would make wine without adding the grape juice. And the more expensive the wine.....

Plus I could alway go back to making my own...that way I could control the sugars better...

I am going to keep researching it....
May I ask how do you know so much about wine?

Please don't misunderstand, there are plenty of wines out there that have little to no residual sugar. If you go out and buy an average Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or any other red wine, chances are that you'll get a wine that's got negligible sugar in it.

White wines like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are also pretty good bets as long as you're buying from a well established wine maker.

It's wines like Reisling, Gewurztraminer, white blends, etc. where you start to play a guessing game.

I wouldn't trust any rosé wine unless you verify that it's dry. People often expect a white zin or white merlot to be sweet, and wineries play to this perception. Same with jug and box wines, for anyone who's drinking them.

As for why I know any of this... I got interested in wines about 4 years ago, and ever since I've been reading, taking classes, tasting (obviously!), and in general just enjoying the wine world. It helps that I'm only an hour from Napa. With any luck someday I'll have my own winery and I'll be able to verify that we don't sweeten any of our wines!

~Ryan

What no jugs?

I was totally in love with sangria for a while. I'm going to have to figure out how to make my own LC version of it maybe. I don't trust the bottled ones. Esp the one I loved because it tasted too good. There was another one that tasted like complete crap, maybe it has less sugars (I just assumed it was because it was an ultra ganeric cheap brand)

I've been regularly using marsala in cooking to add flavor. While any carbs remain, at least the alcohol burns off.

Hey Ryan, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignons are my faves so I should be OK.....
good talkin to ya....
I live close to Niagara Falls here in Canada...