Flu season is the season often not mentioned, nestled right snug in-between the harsh winter and verdant spring. These past two weeks, so many fellow Athenians and Ohio University students have been — or will soon be — struck by illness.
Due to the nature of this article, I’d like to make a point clear: I’m not recommending drinking while sick. Alcohol dehydrates the body, depriving it of the splendid gift of water that it uses to heal. That being said, I have an idea or two to ward off the nasty feelings to the sick and some wine-related preventative maintenance for the bodies that are still running strong.
To the weary and ill-stricken, I feel your pain. This is written by someone with the flu. To deal with this powerful foe of a virus, the stomach deserves something that’ll fill it, but not upset it. For this sick columnist, the choice was potato and leek soup. It’s so easy to make that if your roommate is equal parts generous and literate, you can expect a pot of it ready in less than an hour. No wine pairing for the soup, though a nice glass of tap water on the rocks would pair well with the main course.
For the healthy roaming Athens, eat and drink whatever is on the menu. Consider, for a moment, the health benefits of red wine. There isn’t a single Facebook user that hasn’t seen the post “How I lived past 100 by drinking red wine and eating chocolate.” At some fundamental level, a lot of us would like to believe that to be true.
Thankfully, smarter and more decorated people have done the work: “Phenolic compounds present in red wine have shown antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, being able to reduce insulin resistance and to exert a beneficial effect by decreasing oxidative stress. As a consequence, a clear effect on the reduction of risk factors and the prevention of cardiovascular diseases have been observed.”
This does give hope that perhaps all this pairing isn’t a fool’s errand. In fact, maybe it’s those who stay true to the grape’s gifts that will reap the rewards to come.
Noah Gruenberg is a junior studying music composition at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Noah? Email him at ng119217@ohio.edu.
