FOCUS: Wine and cheese are for more than a cocktail party

By Dr. McLean Sheperd | For eons, humans have been enchanted by fine wines and the culinary arts. The spell cast upon us by this delicious duo has inspired us, fed us and nurtured communities around the world for generations. Food and wine alone are wonderful, but together they create happiness — and happiness, after all, is the secret to health and well-being.

Here in Charleston, we celebrate this important connection every year at the Wine + Food Festival, a gathering recognizing that what we eat becomes us. Our skin celebrates with us when we respect the balance between feeding our minds, bodies and souls.

Red, red wine

Sheperd

While fermenting, red wine spends more time with the antioxidant-rich grape skin, which in turn brings more antioxidant benefits to the body. Common foods with these nutrients include purple cabbage, blackberries, eggplant, beets, açaí, blueberry and red grapes.

These foods all contain resveratrol, which has been dubbed the “longevity molecule” shown to slow the aging process by up to 20 percent. Of course, the benefits of wine must be balanced against the effects of alcohol to reap the true health benefits. Depending on an individual’s ability to process alcohol, consider a limit of two glasses nightly (or simply follow the old-school rule to not imbibe more than your doctor!). For those with intolerance to alcohol, no amount of wine is beneficial. Not to worry, grape juice also contains the antioxidant power of the grape without the skin drying effect of alcohol.

Where cheese comes from matters

I know what you’re thinking: Don’t forget the cheese! You might also be thinking of the French since after all, wine and cheese is a French staple and so much amazing cheese comes from France.

For years, scientists have noticed lower levels of congestive heart failure in the French even though they consume a cheese rich diet high in saturated fat. What could be the cause of this French paradox? Could it be the wine? We are still not entirely sure, although we do know that overall lifestyle changes – including daily exercise – plays a role in healthy skin and a healthy life.

Cheese crafted from the milk of grass-pastured animals is a particularly excellent source of several important nutrients. The B vitamins found in cheese play a critical role in moisture retention in our skin and for growing healthy hair and nails. And for those that are lactose sensitive, good news: cheese, (especially the hard varieties), have most of the lactose removed with the whey.

Natural, aged cheeses can be a great choice, too. Be sure to include some goat’s milk on your cheese plate. Goat’s milk contains about 89 percent less casein protein than cow’s milk providing a less allergenic and inflammatory cheese option. Sheep’s milk cheese, like Pecorino Romano, is a rich source of the omega-3 fatty acid known as conjugated linoleic acid. Linoleic acid may help reduce high blood cholesterol, lower your risk of cancer and aid in weight loss (although more research is needed). In addition, sheep’s milk cheese is easier to digest than cow’s milk cheese since it contains more short-and medium-chain fatty acid.

The food-body connection

Our connection to food and wine runs deep, not only in Charleston but throughout so many different cultures. New facts are discovered about nutrition every day. The identification of at least 4,000 substances contained in the different color categories of the food we eat and the wine we drink is at the cutting edge of nutritional science. With so many new discoveries on the horizon, now is not the time to limit our diets, but explore the bounty before us acknowledging that what we put in our body impacts our health and well-being.

When we eat a diverse and well-sourced diet, we can be assured that we are covering our bodies in the protection of nature. So, please raise your wine glasses and your cheese crackers and repeat after me: Life is too short to deny yourself of pleasure so eat, drink (responsibly) and be merry! Your body will thank you.

McLean Sheperd, M.D., is the founder of Sheperd Integrative Dermatology in Mount Pleasant South Carolina and has more than 15 years experience in private practice.