Good news for tea drinkers!

Have a look at this article from the UKs Telegraph

I thought that UCLA’s Dr. Arab made a great point that “if we can find a way to prevent the stroke, or prevent the damage, that is simple and not toxic, that would be a great advance.”

I am not opposed to conventional medicine, but if there is something natural that works, it’s a great thing.  For example, if I have a bad headache, I take advil or tylenol…but I wash it down with a cup of strong tea.  For me, the heat of the tea is very comforting.  Plus, if I have a bad headache I’m sensitive to some smells so anything strong smelling or sweet smelling (like some herbal teas) make me feel nautious.  I drink less tea since the cleanse, I think three cups of tea sounds reasonable…especially if it reduces my chances of stroke!

Thanks to Flickr for this pic!

Friday Food Face-Off: Decaf vs. Coffee

I may be picky, but decaf coffee is a little bit like washing-up-water, no?  I was totally disappointed.

I love the idea of decaf–all the flavour of real coffee without the caffeine, but it does not have the same flavour at all!

Much like “cheese” and/or “meat”, I would rather go without coffee then have “coffee.” Plus, decaf coffee is expensive!  1 kg of ground regular breakfast blend at Timothy’s sells for just under $9, while the decaf equivalent is just under $11.

$2 may not seem like a huge deal, but I would rather just monitor my caffeine intake and enjoy the real thing.

Final verdict: Decaf coffee gets a hearty two-thumbs down!

Thanks to Simply Photo on Flickr for the pic!

Starbucks: Health Food on the Go

I know a lot of people hate Starbucks, but I have to commend them for providing some healthy food.  Fortunately, there are a lot of healthy alternatives to the donut.  Not only do they have raw, unsalted nuts, but they also let their customers customize their drinks.  This means that you can elminate fat and calorie-laden extras like cream, flavour shots and syrups.  2%, skim and non-fat milk are always available and can make a difference of up to 300 calories.  

In addition to the usual breakfast foods like the healthy cookie, yoghurt and fresh fruit salad, Starbucks is now offering oatmeal!  

I have yet to find nutritional information online for this new treat, but I can tell you for sure that it should be low in fat and full of fiber.

I’ll try to find out how they make it–hopefully it’s just with hot water and not milk.  If it is made with milk, try  nixing the dried fruit that they put on top, don’t add any sweeteners save for honey or raw sugar.  And, if you must top it with something, try cinnamon.

If you have info, pass it on!