Drink | Green Tea

Some mice get the right treatment.

Researchers at Penn State fed a group of Mickeys high-glycemic meals, those meals with the non-fiber carbohydrates that are broken down quickly during digestion, hence releasing glucose into the bloodstream rapidly – not recommended if you are a diabetic and to be looked out for if you are watching your weight – with an antioxidant extract from green tea. The spiking in blood glucose levels was tempered by the extract by a half compared to what happened in the Mickeys that missed out.

The potential of green tea to lower the glycemic index of the food eaten while gulping the brew may be the simple and tasty blessing for diabetics and weight watchers. Hey, anyone! Not just the mice. “Downing 1.5 cups of green tea will do the trick – try it with your morning bagel or a Chinese dinner.” 

 SOURCE: SARAH C. FORESTER, YEYI GU, JOSHUA D. LAMBERT.
INHIBITION OF STARCH DIGESTION BY THE GREEN TEA
POLYPHENOL, (−)-EPIGALLOCATECHIN-3-GALLATE.
MOLECULAR NUTRITION & FOOD RESEARCH.
56 (11): 1647–1654, 2012
VIA MEN’S FITNESS

At Home | Benefits of Travel – Accidental Collections

©MAK

Few days ago I took a random stock of my kitchen cupboards and noticed a selection of mugs recently eschewed in favor of simple white ones (no reason in particular). Those mugs had something in common. Travel is all about collecting memories, stories and education. Photographs extend the wanderer’s bliss. Souvenirs serve the same purpose, but I got much much better at giving those a pass in the name of less clutter. Or so I thought. Here it was – an accidental collection of mugs from some of my travels. Ha! I realized what was going on – a sly attempt by the recesses of my brain at preserving the need to “gather” those souvenirs, bring back that loot from foreign lands, all under the guise (or excuse?) of practicality! Well… The white mugs will have to retire for a little while, so that each coffee or tea sip may become a “Remembrance of Things Past” and a stimulus for collecting more memories, stories and education, a.k.a. more travel.