Wednesday, March 21, 2007

EVERYTHING'S FAT OR FOOD

Murphy's Law, on a diet everything you read or see is about food or fat. Now I find my recipe for Plum tart with Frangipane topping, serve with creme anglaise and plum syrup. Pardon me while I eat the page.

I love Dawn French and I agree with her views on Chocolate.
Q. Is there ever a circumstance under which you would share chocolate?
A. "No. There is none whatsoever. No matter who you are or how much I love you. Chocolate is not to be shared."

Every December, New Scientist has a competition. This year it was to compose a text message in no more than 160 characters, sent by an alien who has just arrived on our planet. This wasn't a winner but I loved it.
Natives wonderful. Send Ketchup.
(I think this would make a fantastic meme for bloggers)
From America comes more research. Greg Fonarow, U of California, Los Angeles and his colleagues looked at the records of more than 100,000 patients hospitalised because their heart failure was worsening.
They found the fatter the person the less likely they were to die during a week-long hospital stay.
Fonarow suggests that fat people may cope better with heart failure because they have more metabolic reserves to draw on when the heart isn't pumping blood fast enough to meet the body's needs.
Well if they survived the week they probably wouldn't survive the hospital bill at the end and if they had the money to pay the bill I bet they were in better health to start with regardless of the blubber. Nevertheless I'll add it to the 'plus' list for fat along with surviving 3 months on an ice floe.
Westfield, that haunt of cakes, chocolate and soft serve ice-cream have opened an Oxfam fair trade shop selling tea, coffee and other goodies. I'll be buying my coffee there after a report by the WWF that says Kraft, Nestle and Starbucks are among companies inadvertently (ha!) selling coffee grown illegally in the Selatan National Park, Sumatra. Excuse me, I'm to believe that huge multi-nationals don't know where their products are comng from. I should have known, Starbucks coffee is crap in a cup and what's a few endangered tigers compared with profits.
Just to round off the day, The Cook and the Chef is on at 6.30. I like to watch them eat, it reminds me of something I used to do.

11 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Jahteh, just wanted to let you know that I've finally gotten around to what I've been meaning to do for ages, and linked you to my new(ish) wordpress blog.

I've been following your diet extravaganza. All good wishes. And may your dreams be filled with either Bob or Gillian (whoever floats your boat).

-- Adrian, formerly GE

JahTeh said...

Adrian, you are writing as well as ever and I hope your Mum is coming on fine. I expect insults if I backslide on this diet.

Anonymous said...

We had a fig tree once. A old chap used to come along for a chat and to collect some figs, but I don't think we ever tried them.

(Ah, The Cook and the Chef reference for those who don't know)

Meredith Jones said...

My ex mother in law was a chronic dieter and a feeder: she took solace from her own hunger by overfeeding those around her... don't know why I felt compelled to share that, except that she was addicted to cookery programmes.

Jahteh - keep going!!!

R.H. said...

You can't fool me, they made up a thing with figs and Green Ginger Wine. After that I went to bingo.

Volacious said...

Natives wonderful. Send Ketchup

Love it!!!

Gus

BwcaBrownie said...

From The Independant, online, today:

"Scientists are falling over themselves to complete studies showing that moderate consumption of high-quality chocolate can be good for you. Only last week a Harvard professor unveiled research suggesting that a nutrient in cocoa called epicatechin could lower the risks of cancer, strokes, heart disease and diabetes. Dr Norman Hollenberg, of Harvard Medical School, based his findings on a study of the Kuna people of Panama, who are weaned on cocoa and can drink up to 40 cups of the stuff a week.

Separate research at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, late last year found that snacking on dark chocolate decreased the development of potentially fatal blood clots. And other studies have found that dark chocolate has proportionately more antioxidants than other foods that are better known for their health-giving properties, such as red wine, green tea and berries.

Alan Porter keeps chocolate's health-giving properties in perspective. He says: "Health has played a role, but more as a justification for consumption than anything else." He thinks dark chocolate's big selling point is that it doesn't trap the chocoholic in the same downward sugar-craving spiral as milk chocolate versions. Parents should bear this in mind when they go shopping for their children's Easter treats, he thinks

JahTeh said...

Andrew, I was drooling over that sticky fig pudding they made and very healthy with the carob sauce.

Meredith, my Grandfather had five sisters, all nearly 6' tall and built like drafthorses and armpit to armpit giant boobs. I tell you I had no hope of being delicate.

Rh, they had me at the green ginger wine but I'd throw away the figs.

Hello Gus, I love the anniversary ring. One of the winners of the comp was this:
"OMG you have to see how they procreate."

Brownie, I negotiated three aisles of bloody chocolate bunnies, chickens and eggs this morning and not one fell into my basket. I bought an apple instead, I feel so Lentish.

Middle Child said...

And a single glass of red wine is good for you upon retiring...but they do not say how biggish that glass can be...

whatever you do forget the "No fat " labels or "fat free" its crap. Milk is milk and thew closer to natuiral the better...butter is always better than shit
my eldest sister showed me her jar of Kraft peanut butter proudly marked "low fat" but when I checked out my Saniturium peanut butter...ordinary - it had less fst than the Kraft one but no big banner...the Kraft one announced in teensy letters "lower fat than ordinary - or other - can't recall kraft peanut butter"


Krafty aren't they;

R.H. said...

Some would say you're spicey enough already, Miss Copperwitch.

Miss Middlechild, what are you coming at, when I retire I'll want a whole vineyard. And please watch your language, no one has eaten a shit sandwich since Bob Menzies retired. Okay? Good.

JahTeh said...

MC, I eat Nimbin cheese because it's made from non animal rennet, lowish salt and it tastes like cheese. Butter can't be beaten for making scones. Low fat puff pastry gives me indigestion so it's butter puff pastry for my pasties. Low fat usually means high sugar or something else to make it taste ok. It's all a con.

Rh, you'd better stock up, our lovely vineyards are not doing well in the drought. I think a few winemakers are going to use them to see what comes out of these conditions.