Alcohol intake is always a tricky and sometimes even taboo subject, because it is open to all sorts of abuse. The threshold that people have to alcohol is going to be different in different people. For some people, having a certain amount of alcohol is no big deal; for others, having the same amount of alcohol is enough to get them drunk or present real problems for them, psychologically and emotionally. For these reasons and more, it is a good idea to set some benchmarks for what constitutes sensible alcohol intake relative to your diet. In general, anything done in moderation shouldn't hurt you, so applying that rule to alcohol intake is not a bad idea.
Striking the Right Balance
Because drinking too much alcohol and developing a dependency on it (alcoholism) is such a social taboo and can lead to stigmatization, there is a tendency to overreact and abstain from it completely. However, this can lead to other problems, though less severe, like social ostracism, stress and the intensified feeling of peer pressure as your colleagues drink while you don't. To strike a healthy balance, exercise moderation in your alcohol intake with regards to your diet. If you are eating a type of meat for dinner that goes particularly well with a certain wine, then have a glass or two, but then stop. However, if you are in a reckless social situation like an event at a bar or at a party where the alcohol flows freely, then don't have any, especially if you're not having anything to eat.
Alcohol and Health
Numerous studies show the benefits of alcohol intake, and these benefits are correlated mainly to drinking wine. Even just one or two glasses of wine a day, which you can easily work into your diet by having a glass during mealtime, has been shown to lessen the jeopardy you may face from coronary heart disease. Even such a moderate amount can reduce your coronary heart disease risk by increasing the amount of HDL cholesterol in your body, the so-called "good" cholesterol. Just a few glasses of wine can also relax the walls of your blood vessels, which has the effect of improving the flow of your blood. This is a process known as vasodilation. If your alcohol intake is moderate enough so that it gives you these benefits, then it is a sensible amount for your diet.
Oxidative Benefits
Your alcohol intake is also sensible for your diet if you are receiving oxidative benefits by drinking. Again, this is only going to occur if you moderate your alcohol intake. Oxidative benefits relate to protecting your body against free radicals that cause oxidative damage. Oxidative damage is manifested in the process of aging in your body, as well as the onset of diseases like dementia and heart disease. More than any other alcoholic drink, red wine is a great source for these antioxidants.
