Good News for Coffee Lovers
I just love when good news comes out about my consuming passions. Yesterday was Drink Wine Day, today I have good news to share about coffee, so I’ll call it Drink Coffee Day.
This week the results of studies were released that show coffee drinking lowers the risk of stroke in healthy women. The results were released for the March 3 issue of “Circulation”, and were based on 25 years of research. Not only does drinking coffee help lower stroke risk, but the more cups a day, the better. However, as one might suspect, if you smoke a cigarette with that cup of coffee, you’ve wiped out all of the good benefits. On the other hand, coffee had no impact on stroke risk, positively or negatively, on women who developed high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol.
Finally, these studies don’t show the same benefit from drinking caffeinated tea or soft drinks. There’s just something in that cup ‘o joe that works its magic on us. But I could have told you that without any scientific studies.
It’s Drink Wine Day!
Drink Wine
Fortunately I decided to read the February issue of Bon Appetit today, otherwise I would have missed that today is Drink Wine Day. And why should we drink wine? Well, for one, because it tastes good. Next, it’s been found that the polyphenols in red wine have strong antioxidant properties that may help protect our cells from potential cancer-causing damages due to free radicals. There is also evidence pointing to the anti-inflammatory benefits of red wine that help to prevent strokes and heart attacks.
On the other hand, drinking too much alcohol presents its own set of challenges including liver, pancreas, and nervous system problems. In addition, alcohol raises a woman’s risk factors for breast cancer.
So now that I’ve tossed a wet blanket on this celebratory day, I recommend that readers should determine their own personal risk factors in order to decide how much wine to toss back this evening. And if it’s safe for you to indulge in a glass or two, we can raise a glass together to toast the power of the grape.
Chocolate Coated Love – Photo of the Week 2/18/09
Chocolate Valentine's Day Card
How could anything else beat this photo of the week? This is the 2 pound chocolate card I received from Annie on Valentine’s day. I guess she wanted to make sure I got the message. This giant chocolate card is so thick you need a knife to break it apart. And should I discuss the calories? The total caloric content, as calculated from the product insert, is 5,040. So, theoretically, I would put on less than two pounds if I ate the entire card without sharing, since 3,500 calories equals one pound. How come I don’t believe those numbers?
P.S. I’m enjoying every caloric bite of this card. The large dash of love makes it taste extra good.