Using red wine vinegar in cooking is a wonderful way to spice up a dish with some flavor. The two active ingredients in red wine vinegar that have received the most attention in this ingredient are acetic acid and resveratrol, both of which have been linked to some impressive health benefits.
What is Red Wine Vinegar?
Red wine vinegar is a type of vinegar that is directly derived from red wine, once the alcohol begins to turn into vinegar, thus losing much of its alcoholic content. However, the increase in vinegar gives red wine vinegar a very good level of acidity, which can help to tenderize meat, and also provide a unique flavor to many dishes. Red wine vinegar is safe to consume in moderate quantities, although due to its potency, you don’t need much to have an impact on your meal. [1]
Benefits of Red Wine Vinegar
The top benefits of red wine vinegar include its ability to slow the signs of aging, regulate blood sugar, aid in weight loss, and improve the appearance of your skin and hair, among others.
Red wine vinegar gives a robust flavor to red meat and vegetables. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Body Fat
Unlike many other salad dressings or ingredients that provide such strong flavors, red wine vinegar is low in fat and calories, so you can avoid taking in unnecessary lipids. Furthermore, vinegar is known to kickstart the metabolism a bit, which can also help to boost your natural fat-burning potential. [2]
Serving Size : Nutrient Value Water [g] 94.47 Energy 19 Energy [kJ] 79 Protein [g] 0.04 Ash [g] 0.17 Carbohydrate, by difference [g] 0.27 Calcium, Ca [mg] 6 Iron, Fe [mg] 0.45 Magnesium, Mg [mg] 4 Phosphorus, P [mg] 8 Potassium, K [mg] 39 Sodium, Na [mg] 8 Zinc, Zn [mg] 0.03 Copper, Cu [mg] 0.01 Manganese, Mn [mg] 0.05 Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid [mg] 0.5 Sources include : USDA [3]
Slow Premature Aging
Resveratrol is one of the most discussed antioxidants in the medical world today, and it is found in high quantities within red wine vinegar since it comes from the skin of grapes. As a powerful antioxidant, it can stop oxidative stress in its tracks and prevent signs of aging, such as wrinkles, blemishes, and age spots, among others. [4]
Appetite Suppressant
Research has found that using red wine vinegar can help to affect hormonal release in the body, thus suppressing the appetite. If you are trying to lose weight, using this as your salad dressing of choice might be an excellent idea.
Blood Sugar
A handful of studies have identified a positive relationship between red wine vinegar and the release of insulin and glucose into the bloodstream, which is good news for diabetics and those at high risk for the condition. [5]
Digestion
Red wine vinegar not only tenderizes the meat, which can make food easier to digest, but also helps to stimulate the release of other gastric juices and normalize digestive processes.
Anticancer Potential
According to a study published by a team of Vietnamese and Korean researchers in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, resveratrol, an important and natural phenol found in red wine vinegar, could be more suitable for use as an anti-carcinogen, particularly when it comes to slowing or reversing the growth of tumors. [6]
Calcium Absorption
This vinegar variety delivers certain key minerals to the body, such as iron, but it can also improve the body’s ability to uptake calcium. This is important for the development and maintenance of bone mineral density, among many other critical bodily functions. [7]
Protects Heart Health
Recent research reports promising health benefits from red wine consumption. Evidence from different experimental research, including from the author’s laboratories suggests that these beneficial effects occur due to the presence of polyphenols found in red wine, especially resveratrol in grape skins. These benefits include a decrease in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, lung cancer, and prostate cancer by approximately 30% to 50%, 57%, and 50%. Polyphenols have antioxidant, superoxide-scavenging, and angiogenic properties. Some of these properties of polyphenols explain their protective effects on cardiovascular health, as well as other body organs. [8]
Substitutes for Red Wine Vinegar
If you don’t have any of this vinegar on hand, there are some good alternatives, including:
- Red wine
- White wine
- Apple cider vinegar
- Rice vinegar
All vinegar varieties will have some level of acidity, making it appropriate for its cooking properties. However, when it comes to flavor, the impact of vinegar can vary. Start with small amounts of vinegar, so you don’t overpower your dish.
Word of Caution: Cooking with alcoholic beverages results in only some loss of alcohol content. Foods baked or simmered in alcohol can retain anywhere from 4 percent to 85 percent of the alcohol, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Nutrient Data lab. Also, if you are following a total avoidance of alcohol, you may want to skip using different kinds of wine vinegar as they do still contain some level of alcohol. [9]
