Can a healthy red-wine substitute measure up to the real thing?
I'm a winemaker's daughter, so Embodi, a new non-alcoholic drink that claims to have all the health benefits of red wine - just without the alcohol - caught my eye. The draw of the new drink, which recently launched in Natural Food shops, is access to wine's health-promoting antioxidants, particularly resveratrol, without the worry about who's driving home or falling off the weight-loss wagon.
It's a timely idea, since according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, the antioxidant resveratrol, contained in the skins and seeds of grapes, has the ability to reduce cancerous tumours when consumed in moderation. The American Heart Association also found that a half glass of wine per day lowered rates of cardiovascular disease and raised life expectancy, all because of its antioxidants. These are reasons to continue enjoying wine, not to give it up, so I've embarked on my equivalent of a Pepsi Challenge to see how red wine and its substitute compare, and if I'd be willing to make the switch. (Don't tell my father.)
Here are my findings: While a glass of red wine has about 640 mcg of resveratrol, Embodi doesn't say how much of the antioxidant it contains on its label. (Nor did the company provide the information, when I requested it for this article.) It does claim to have "more than 400 antioxidants" and an ORAC value (a measurement of the antioxidants contained in foods) that is much higher than that of other juices, including grape and pomegranate. But the ORAC study doesn't show how Embodi measures up to wine either.
