I LEARNED from nationaldaycalendar that Feb. 18 is National Drink Wine Day, and National Crab-stuffed Flounder Day in the United States. It’s important that people eat fish rich in Omega 3 and drink it with red wine, which is rich in resveratrol.
Red wine
According to the website, red wine has many benefits. The first, helps people avoid Alzheimer’s disease. Red wine has the powerful antioxidant resveratrol, which protects against cell damage and prevents age-related mental decline.
Resveratrol also improves muscle strength and mimics cardiovascular enhancements similar to exercise.
Here’s a big one for the Big C. The website notes that researchers at the American Cancer Society reported that another active antioxidant in red wine known as quercetin fights against cancer cells. Quercitin destroys cell growth in some types of cancers, particularly colon cancer.
Who wants to have long life? Drink and be merry, just don’t drive. Red wine according to the website gives its drinkers 34 percent edge over vodka or beer drinkers in mortality rate. Based on a 29-year-long study, polyphenol that may be be responsible for its longevity benefits.
It’s not by stroke of luck that red wine lowers risk of stroke and heart disease. The tannins in red wine give it its rich color. It contains procyanidins, which protects against heart disease. Resveratrol also helps remove chemicals that cause blood clots.
One glass of red wine is the recommended amount for your health, but pour no more than five ounces, sorry to disappoint you.
You can enjoy red wine my way. I usually mix red wine with clear cola and half a lemon juice on the rocks.
Fish day
Flounder is also known as Indian halibut and sole or flat fish, and locally as dapa. Grill the fish, stuffed with diced tomatoes, red onions and chili. Since flounder might not be too readily available in the market, substitute it with Omega 3-rich fish like salmon, grouper (lapu-lapu), swordfish (malasugi), tuna (tambakol), mackerel (alumahan) and apahap (sea bass), which looks a bit like bangus or milkfish.
Celebrate the fish day in spirit. Stuff mackerel or lapu-lapu with a mixture of crab meat. You can pre-cook the crab meat by sauteing minced garlic and sliced onion in olive oil. Add minced carrots and minced parsley. Grill six inches from hot coals.
Another way would be to stuff fish fillet with crab meat. Prepare the crab meat by mixing it with seasoning, grated carrot, lemon juice to taste and minced parsley. Fill the fish at the center and roll into logs. Secure with toothpicks and bake till golden brown.