North Bay Woman

F A L L 2 0 2 0 NORTH BAY WOMAN 51 Weight loss, newfound clarity, stronger family communication among the benefits Giving up Wine Strength I 've been told that when you tell your doctor how much alco- hol you drink, they are trained to automatically double the amount. I find this intriguing as I think about my own wine con- sumption over the years. The nightly glass to relax turns into two then three, and sometimes more. Then there's the self talk to only drink on weekends, but Thursday is the start of the weekend, right? Monday is close and it's a really stressful day after the weekend so a few glasses won't hurt, right? Now mind you, I'm the (self appoint- ed) president of The Tasting Divas, and by no means an expert or health prac- titioner. I'm just here to offer my story. I do love my wine, especially Chardonnay and "Bubbles" as I affectionately refer to sparkling wine or Champagne. However, after my husband stopped drinking in early 2019, (his passion was beer and he was diagnosed with a bacterial infection that was feeding on sugar, and alcohol is mainly sugar,) and after my breast cancer surgery, I have limited my wine intake. It wasn't necessarily intentional; it just happened as I learned about the probable correlation of wine and breast cancer. I also saw an inspirational change in my husband as he so graciously just quit drinking. He never made a big deal about it; he didn't stop socializing, and he didn't harp on me about my daily glass(es) of vino. There were noticeable differences in his demeanor that I truly admired. Was it easy? At first it was very easy. After surgery my friends set up a meal train, so I had nightly visitors with food and wine. I was afraid to partake as I didn't want to get too relaxed and move incorrectly or tear stitches. I also wasn't bothered if they enjoyed the wine. After and Gaining Tips from Lori It's still fun to enjoy your beverage in a fancy wine glass or the trendy mason jar. Try adding a rosemary sprig and slice of lime to a glass full of crushed ice and flavored fizzy water to quench the wine thirst. Your favorite spiced iced tea (vanilla chai is recommended) topped with orange slices, cinnamon sticks and mint is a tasty holiday mock- tail. Mix in a splash of orange flavored seltzer to take it to the next mocktail level. Cheers.

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