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A Great Time of the Year

Aug 11

Posted by admin in beverages, dining out

August is a month with emotional roller coaster issues as the end of summer concept looms large, but there are numerous good news ideas to smooth out the edges. Take the Summer Restaurant Week notion. Plenty of cities join the August parade of opportunities and extend the offers well beyond a single week. Look for deals in Washington, Baltimore, and Boston as starters. Remember reservations are most critical as the multi-course, prix fixe selections are natural enticements for dining out. The best strategy: Make a reservation at a spot you’ve wanted to try but hated the price point. During the special week, this type of restaurant may wow you and become more than a once-a-year destination.

If you’ve missed the restaurant week promotions, check out individual specials at top-tier restaurants. These are locations that cannot afford the August doldrums drop-off business and need to create promotions to keep guests dining. When everyone heads to the beach, you can head to the restaurant. There are plenty of food and beverage trend-setting ideas with happy hour and dog day promotions to keep you within budget. There are numerous lunch specials, early dinner deals, and specially themed events. You can even find the win-win situation at Louisiana Chef John Besh’s aptly named restaurant, August.beshrotation-meat-sq

As for making reservations, more cities have multiple online promotions to smooth the experience. Pick your city and see what specials Open Table has listed. This makes restaurant shopping easy!

No doldrums; just exciting dining options.

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So What is PureVia? Stevia? Who Are They?

Jun 27

Posted by admin in beverages

Sounds like a gang of lifers on the road to denial. Enough of that. Remember the sucrose/sucralose discussion (Gatorade Natural)? Now SoBe wants a piece of the action with their O-Calorie Lifewater drinks. Note that the company still has its 40 calorie lineup.

This is certainly the season to join the trendy drink brigade, but remember that not all bevs are created equal. Plenty of negative discussions about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and excessive amounts of sugar. Going for diet drinks has its own cadre of health detectives scurrying around with negative press. Every water, beverage, and energy drink company has been on a campaign to get our attention, but when we move away from plain water and traverse into the energy category, we enter a different terrain of information.

Let’s look at the unknowns and try to figure out their value and benefits. As far as I can gather, the new Lifewater drinks come in 3 categories (much like the Gatorade discussion): All natural nutrient-enhanced with electrolytes, no artificial sweeteners with antioxidants, and naturally sweetened vitamin-enhanced water. What’s this all mean? Whenever a container of anything has more than 5 ingredients, most of us get lost in the additives and the uncertain words. These drinks have a similar dizzying effect.

–The all natural SoBe has some mystifying ingredients (Erythritol, sounds like the old-age Geritol product), and then Reb-A which is defined as purified Stevia Extract. What’s this “all natural” stuff? Everywhere you turn to explore the ingredients, you wind up in the same place: The Stevia plant. Stevia is an all-natural sweetener that has been around for hundreds of years. Its presence in foods and beverages is of a more recent vintage in the US and has been a source of numerous discussions about its safety as a sugar substitute. For the record, PureVia, is part of this family, too. These words of mystery, so-called ingredients, are all natural sweeteners, sugar extracts; members of the Stevia plant family.decoSteviaLeaf

So what is a hot, tired, worn-out person to do? Drink lots of water and limit your ingredients to words you can pronounce!

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Drink Up: Pour These

Jun 23

Posted by admin in beverages, health

OK, what health news interests you? What’s your drink of choice? How healthy do you want to be? Coffee? Tea? Wine? We’ve got it all and today it’s all in the good news column!

Check it out:

–A new study from the Netherlands found that coffee and tea drinking in moderation reduced the risk of heart disease. Too often we find studies with a particularly small sample size. Not this time. They followed almost 40,000 coffee and tea drinkers for 13 years. Impressive. Those that consumed 2-4 cups of coffee daily had a 20% lower risk of heart disease than those consuming less coffee. Tea drinkers: You’ll love this. Those who drank 3-6 cups of tea daily reduced their risk by 45%. Even those who drank more than 6 cups daily were able to reduce their risk by 36%. Wonder about the mixed drinkers: The coffee-tea-coffee-tea routine folks?mrcofffeetea

–More interested in the positive news re: wine? Got you covered. We’ve talked a lot about the health benefits from red wine and its major property, resveratrol, and now, not one, but two studies indicate the positive powers from the compound in red wine and grapes. Drink and be skinny one study finds (fat cell reduction protects against heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s). The other study reaffirms the overall heart-healthy benefits from red wine. Of course, the researchers point out additional research is needed, but these results are in the right column.

–Soft drink consumption down. Well, that’s not totally accurate but in a study at Harvard’s Brigham & Women’s University, researchers found that if they created a “soda tax” more people would forgo the sugary sweet drinks. They raised the price of the beverages by 35% for a 4-week period and watched sales drop while coffee and diet beverage increased by 20%. Not so sure about the diet drink approach but believe taxing sugary drinks may provide some of the positive health results (less diabetes, obesity) than relying completely on individual decision-making.

So it’s a hot week, this first official week of summer, cool yourself down with an iced coffee or iced tea. Enjoy dinner with a glass of red wine, and hydrate sufficiently with water. Your body will thank you.

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Spiking the Water

Jun 17

Posted by admin in beverages, sports

Sometimes we take one step forward and slink back two. Not so hard to happen with food and beverage promises about healthy life changes. We take the oath to skip the diet drinks and increase our water. Then we decide that plain water does not suit our purposes sufficiently and need to give it a boost from a beverage that promises to give us a little more energy. With me so far?

Plain water does not seem to do the trick when exercising during the hot, humid days. Our bodies crave a little more; replenishment does not come easily. We find strength in the energy water aisles, but often when we read the labels, we are back to square one.

Look at the very popular, and I might point out, quite tasty, PowerAde Zero. All the flavor choices make it especially appealing. People are drinking the 32 oz. bottles as if they are merely flavored water. They’re not. They contain sucralose (Splenda) which gives them a sweet quick kick, but this product makes all our efforts at going natural a questionable process.

Same with Propel’s Vitamin Enhanced Water. Glaceau’s VitaminWater Zero has Truvia and Fructose. Even Gatorade, the original company that figured out the value of electrolyte beverages, is in this confusing “what is sugar space” with its G2 products, but they’ve upped the ante a little.

The new Gatorade Natural (G Natural and G2 Natural) drinks are just that: Natural replenishment products that give the same great taste we’ve come to expect from our boosters, but this time they left the questionable ultra-sweet sugars out of the mix. They focus entirely on providing a healthy, natural electrolyte approach to speed up the replenishment period of exercise.

I’ve tried all these energy boosting drinks, but this time I think I’ve found a mate: G2 Natural. This summer they introduced the product to Whole Foods Market customers in several regions of the country. This is a logical partnership: natural food; natural drink. After my perfect ace, my spiked berry or mango water seems to be doing the trick!NATURAL_G2_Dry(2)

Sure you can have any of these drinks straight, but a little boost and a lot of water works for me in rehydrating my otherwise spent existence.

Hope you’ll be able to go natural soon.

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Love These Studies

Jun 10

Posted by admin in beverages, health, news

Every once in a while I feel obligated to share some health news with you. Like with the positive effect of certain beverages. Wine mostly tops my list but a new study should interest even more people as researchers in Spain believe they have found a positive link between moderate drinking (not just wine but other alcoholic beverages, too) and a decreased risk of getting Alzheimer’s. Everyone believes the study is still in its early stages of suggesting positive lifestyle changes and caution that drinkers who also smoke may negate the positive effects from the alcohol.wmc_home_glass

An interesting side-note is that women seemed to fare better with this beverage link than their male counterparts. Just a few weeks ago we found that women are increasingly the largest purchasers of wine in this country but still are often ignored when a wine list is presented at a restaurant. Maybe someone will start to note that women are becoming increasingly knowledgeable about wines and are not afraid to walk into a wine store or order wine in a restaurant. Have you noticed that wine stores are hiring more women! Pay attention, restaurants!

A beverage at a totally different part of the spectrum has demonstrated positive results as well. Not that long ago we discovered that coffee drinking counted as part of our daily hydration endeavor. Now a study demonstrates that tea which had been considered a dehydrating beverage actually rehydrates better than plain water as it provides the positive, heart-healthy antioxidant effects.

Just one more bit of health news to ponder today. Again we look at the heart-health link and this time we toss out much of what we previously considered about the dangerous factors in dairy food contributing to higher cholesterol and possible weight gain. A new Swedish study demonstrates the opposite result between dairy foods and cholesterol. Again, women fared better than men; this time with improved heart-cholesterol numbers. Women who consumed the most milk products had an improved cholesterol profile.

If one study says go to the right, an author awaits to disprove the notion. That’s a possible end result of the dairy-cholesterol link. Call me a skeptic!

As with all studies, these are beginning pieces of welcome news for lifestyle changes and improved health benefits.

Stay tuned.

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Food News to Digest: Now

May 25

Posted by admin in beverages, healthy eating

Food recalls have not slowed down. It’s as if we’ve learned nothing or that no one is doing anything; or enough. Fear of Salmonella or E. Coli are at the heart of the recent list of troublesome reminders about the safety of our foods. Just when we thought the Romaine Lettuce problem was over as we had passed many of the “Use-By” dates, we have another whole alert that seems far more widespread and with a product that is more readily available at a number of supermarkets. Just because a product has a Use-By or Best-if-used-By Date, does not mean that is the way our refrigerator protocol works. We buy and believe items are still good after those dates, maybe not as perky fresh, but still tasty. This particular recall should have you scrambling into the fridge to look for Use-by Dates of May 13-16 for Romaine-based products from Fresh Express. This link will guide you through the recall process. romaineseeds

Last weekend there was the ubiquitous alfalfa sprout recall. That’s a product you should consider growing yourself or finding a small farmer who specializes in the care and feeding of these sprouts. Their recall notices are almost legendary for their frequency. Maybe the best solution is to find a taste substitute or skip the sprout concept all together and spice up your taste buds with an alternative.

All that talk about soda taxes and helping local economies may be going down the drain. Major outreach  groups have formed, and it seems that the soda tax may be more wishful thinking than reality for a number of cities (Philly, another example). Anyway, the tax may not solve the problem which for many people borders on addiction or at least beverage dependency. Here’s another take on soft drinks:

–A new study blames the sugar in soft drinks, not the caffeine, for spiking blood pressure. Researchers found that eliminating a single soft drink daily produced a positive effect! That would seem a reasonable solution to help with blood pressure: Cut back by a single soft drink daily, and you’ll notice an improvement in blood pressure.

Wait: Let me see if I get this? We can do something to help our health! Yes, pay attention to the food safety recalls as that is our only line of defense at the moment. We can’t sit around and wait for FDA or any of its cousin agencies to solve these safety issues immediately. Secondly, we need to adjust our food intake accordingly and pay attention to the health news that impacts our lifestyle.

We can make these simple adjustments.

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On Ice, Please

May 7

Posted by admin in beverages

Love this time of the year when vendors think about adding ice cubes and offering ways to chill us down. Iced coffee has been my drink since the 1st warm day of summer/spring which is the way the season came in this year!

Now everyone’s vying for my attention. Let me explain the ground rules: I pretty much like a black coffee over ice. The other way is a black water drink that has little impact. I prefer a couple of espresso shots that I then pour over ice. If I am out and order a coffee, I often ask for a coffee and a separate glass of ice. Please. Trust me. This works and preserves the integrity of the brew. The only other process with some hope of eliciting a delicious sigh comes when a true coffee maven says, “Want a couple of shots of espresso that I pull over ice?” YES, that’s an ally.

If you wander over to Starbucks, you’ll see they’re focused on us. Yes, how would you like that Frappucccino is the question of the season. Here’s your chance to create the cool drink you want–make it lite with skim, skip the whipped, add an extra shot. You get the message. Your way. This is a good week to take advantage of their new approach to Frappuccinos as they celebrate 1/2-priced Happy Hour specials until the 16th.

Dunkin’ Donuts is quite serious about their iced response and intends to introduce a new, stronger dark roast that will boost the flavor profile for the iced coffee drinkers. They already do a double roast for their iced drinks in keeping with my personal mantra: Don’t water it down. Most locations have a free iced coffee afternoon on the 11th.

McDonald’s has not turned its back on the iced potential. They are into frappes and offer a wide selection of iced beverages. Their price point may make them a serious player in these still tough economic times.

Maybe the biggest news of all is that iced slushie2a17351540164051968e9a4a8e2d42af or slurpee type drinks have an advantage before exercising. Green’s my favorite.

Love this icy season!

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A Caffeine Hi

May 4

Posted by admin in FDA, beverages

Yep, your cheerfulness will be noted when you greet everyone (a “HI”) from your over indulgence of caffeine-boosted beverages. Let’s see a couple of cups of coffee and a few cans of something to pep you up and pretty soon you’re reaching levels of caffeine that are heart-healthy questionable!

It seems there are no shortage of new companies entering this market, and a growing market space it is! In the US, no one seems to focus on the potential problems associated with these high-flying beverages. A new study from University of Illinois researchers calls for the FDA to put this beverage back on the look-and-see list. Now let’s review: The FDA is loaded with projects and all types of food-related concerns. Where should the over exuberance from energy drinks fit on the agenda? sobeTough one to call.

The facts from the above study say that this market space with new entrants and more boost for the buck needs attention from someone. They cite the UK which just this past week published a code of practice for the ever-growing energy drink market. The drinks according to the the British Soft Drink Association now need to carry a label warning: “Not suitable for children, pregnant women and persons sensitive to caffeine.” Love that last little phrase! Are there individuals who truly do not get a caffeine bounce? Is the high merely in our mind?

Sometimes. Sometimes. I know that I can have multiple espressos and feel nothing other than pleased by the light colored crema atop the cup. Then there are the times, that last cup has me sailed so that makes me “sensitive to caffeine.”

Warning labels on diet soda drinks are understandable. Warning labels on everything, that’s a whole ‘nother discussion.


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Sweet Drinks

Apr 12

Posted by admin in beverages, news

No matter how many articles are published or how many television programs call attention to the issue, we are still a nation driven by our sweet tooth. This time it’s not desserts that are grabbing the headlines, but the sugary drinks we prefer over choosing water as our drink of choice. The most recent take on this comes from a study released by the Nestle Pure Life water people who found that consumers drink on average 3 sugared beverages daily, and this, of course, contributes to the overall caloric intake and adds to the outcry about healthy eating (drinking).

The company has designed a novel strategy to help people pick up more bottles of water than any of a long list of sugared drinks. They established the Nestle Pure Life Pledge with the hopes of eliminating a billion, that’s a B, calories from American family diets during this year. The mathematical formula works like this: If 10,000 families of three replace a typical 12 oz. sugared beverage a person a day with a bottle of water in a year they will have saved 50,000 calories! Whew, those numbers are staggering!s0241418_sc7

The company will make a $5 donation (up to $50,000) to the Healthy Kids Challenge for each family that signs up and participates! We could add to that challenge and create an additional challenge to see if more families participate than anticipated. Will the company increase its donation? That should be fun to watch!

This is a contest we can all enjoy. Sign up. Take the pledge and quench your thirst in a more natural, less caloric, way.

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Enjoy Your Drinks

Mar 18

Posted by admin in beverages, health

gapacWith Spring just ready to pop onto our calendars, we stand ready with our straws to welcome the change in many of our beverages. We are at the beginning of iced tea and iced coffee season. Yes, I know some of us adhere to iced beverages regardless of the season, but for many Spring is the “official” opening day for iced beverages. You want the drink to stay at the right intensity and not quickly turn into a watery, negative experience; so use a good, sturdy cup and grab a straw. Here’s some exciting news that’s easy to enjoy.

It’s unofficial but McDonald’s seems to be moving toward a summer $1 beverage promotion. Some locations may consider opting in sooner, but that’s an on-the-go price that’s hard to ignore. Stay tuned.

You want some good news sooner than Summertime, how about next Tuesday? Score a double win: Starbucks will be offering free pastries (up until 10:30 A) on the 23rd with a beverage (a handcrafted one) purchase. You need the coupon, so print away. Before you panic about the bad news in the pastries, remember these are free of high fructose corn syrup and are without artificial trans fats. Sounds like you can treat yourself.

Dunkin’ Donut Mondays continue until the end of the month.

As a further incentive, there’s the health news that validates our love affair with coffee and tea:

–A European study further supports the power of multiple cups of coffee daily in reducing cholesterol numbers and lowering the risk of getting Type 2 diabetes.

–A new study out of Japan lends support to the health benefits in green tea. This time the beneficiary is improved dental health. The health benefits of green tea seem to inhibit a rise in periodontal problems.

So your choice. Hot or cold, these beverages line up with good deals.

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