Every woman has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of wine night. But what you might not know is that there are actually many benefits of drinking wine with the girls. A glass of wine once a week will not only help you decompress from your hectic schedule and bond with your friends, but it also has some surprising effects on health and general well-being. Without going too crazy on the booze, here's why every girl needs a wine night (at least) once a week.
Reap The Health Benefits Of Drinking Wine
Studies have shown that drinking wine can decrease the risk of heart attacks. Beyond heart health, polyphenols, a component in red wine, have been shown to help prevent gum disease. Foodandwine.com claims that wine can reduce the risks of cataracts and colon cancer, and an article from Medical News Today suggests that drinking wine can even help combat depression. Buzzfeed gives even more incentive for that glass of Merlot, positing, "Wine drinkers [have] lower mortality rates than beer or spirit drinkers." If that doesn't convince you to host a night with the girls, then what will?
Develop Your Palate
Having a glass of wine with your meal not only spices up your dinner, but can also help enhance the flavor of your foods. Check out some great rules for wine and food pairings here! Not to mention that wine itself is delicious. If you don't already have a favorite, I'm sure this mulled wine recipe will win you over. Try it, I dare you.
Speak A Foreign Language More Fluently
This might sound crazy, but drinking wine can help you speak more fluidly and avoid your awkward slip-ups. According to an article from slate.com, "Fear of messing up or sounding silly makes us stutter and hesitate, mix up our verb tenses, and flub our pronunciation. Alcohol can lower your inhibitions enough that you feel more comfortable making mistakes, which makes you less tongue-tied in the first place." So when your mom asks about the Facebook pics from last week's wine night, you were technically "studying French."
Enjoy Wine As A Dessert
Okay, we've all seen wine named after desserts (Layer Cake Shiraz, anyone?), which is an incentive on its own, is it not? But the real deal (and all hail Mercer's, the inventor,) is wine ice cream. Yes, this is seriously a thing, and it combines two of our favorite meals in one -- perfect for girl's night.
So relax. Have your wine and eat it too, develop deeper relationships, beat heart disease, and enjoy your food like the French, while speaking their language fluently. There is no limit to the great benefits of wine night. The only question that's left to ask -- Friday or Saturday?