The Wine Diet by Professor Roger Corder
90 out of 100

Published Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Overview

I originally read this book about two years ago and found it just as interesting this time as then. The Wine Diet is a catchy name that conjures up similarities with the Atkins diet or other fad diets. In fact the opposite is true. Professor Roger Corder looks to wine and chocolate for the magical chemical procyanidin, which he believes to be the solution to the French Paradox and one of the keys to a healthy life. Roger’s advice is not far from government health guidelines around diet and alcohol consumption but he identifies wine styles and types from around the world that have the most beneficial effect.

At times the book is very heavy going, I have read the book twice, interviewed Roger about these topics and I found some of it very hard to understand. But as an academic Roger has got the science out. Thankfully he warns you about the difficult chapter 3 and the rest of the book is much easier to follow. His style is friendly enough and very factual.

In the first 11 chapters of the book Roger tells the story of how he discovered what he thinks is the solution to the French Paradox. That is the French have a relatively high fat diet yet do not die of diseases related to this. Roger’s conclusion is that dark tannic red wines they drink that are rich in procyanidins are the answer. He explains the science behind his beliefs, debunks a number of myths and suggests both a diet and lifestyle that will serve you well into your 100th birthday.

Wine is one source of procyanidins but food can be high as well. Chapter 12 has 48 recipes that Roger believes re both high in procyanidins but also full of vitamins and essential fats. I tried 4 recipes that took my fancy and by far the best was the nut roast. Many of his recipes use nuts and they give a very satisfactory texture to food.

The type of person who would love this book needs to be interested in science, wine and health, in which case this book is brilliant. Two of the categories and the book would be ok, only one and I would suggest reading another book. I’m into all three so I rate this book 90 /100.