Tuesday, June 23, 2009

A lot about a little.

It's that time of year again. The time when we'll have to listen to so-called professional broadcasters say Wimbleton when they really mean Wimbledon. Why do I find it annoying? Although, it's not nearly as annoying as the women screaming every time they hit a shot, as though they're giving birth. Who taught them to do that?
For those of you who may be wondering, giant hematoma leg is healing slowly. No, I'm not taking another photo.
Has anyone ever tried Kefir? It's supposed to be one of those "good for you" foods. I've seen it described as a drinkable yogurt that tastes like sour milk. One article said: Beyond the satiety-inducing protein, the probiotics in kefir may also speed weight loss. British scientists found that these active organisms boosted the breakdown of fat molecules in mice, preventing the rodents from gaining weight. I'm guessing I can get it at Whole Foods Market, but wondering if it's worth the effort. I'd like to lose a few pounds, but I'm not sure drinking blueberry-flavored sour milk is the right way to go about it.
Ed McMahon died yesterday. One of the recurring stories my mother tells is how dad once installed a floor at his home when he lived in Cherry Hill. The story is quickly followed by, "... and the cheap bastard didn't even offer him anything to drink." Hiyo!
President Obama recently signed tough anti-smoking legislation which gives the Food and Drug Administration unprecedented authority to regulate what goes into tobacco products, to make public the ingredients and to prohibit marketing campaigns geared toward children. Mostly, it's aimed at keeping teenagers from doing what their parents do.
Let's recap: Smoking is banned in most restaurants, indoor facilities and workplaces. The new legislation will make the health warnings almost as large as the cigarette brand. It's a social anathema and almost everybody who does it knows it may eventually kill them. We do everything but ban the sale altogether, which is interesting, since prescription drugs are quickly removed from the marketplace if 5 people die from taking them.
I envision a day when the War on Tobacco will rival the War on Drugs. I would guess that we're throwing about the same amounts of money at both. How's that War on Drugs going?
I thought so.

2 comments:

junior alien said...

Sure I know kefir. Over here it's a regular item on the supermarket shelves. Many years ago, it was in fashion and highly praised by the mafia of medical journalists. It was said to be the drink of the "one-hundred-year-olds".
They say this drink originates from Caucasus, and supposedly that landscape is full of lusty folks.
So for some time, my mother used to drink kefir in large amounts because she's one of those people who want to live forever. But then the drink grew out of fashion again and consequently my mom stopped drinking it. She's still alive and kicking, by the way.

I guess some (most) people like to be brainwashed by marketing in their desperate need for clear guidelines, whereas others such as you take pleasure in their own thinking and gaining awareness, which evidently leads to the full picture.

But knowledge makes lonely, right?

Anthony said...

A couple of things I read say that kefir is a European drink. That's probably why, over here, it's flavored. I'll probably try the blueberry one to see if I can tolerate it.

I've also seen "kits" where you can make your own kefir, but that seems like more trouble than it's worth - heating milk to 180 degrees, etc.

I'm leery of any longevity claim for food. Dannon used to run a series of TV adverts that proclaimd some society in the hills of Russia that lived long lives because they ate yogurt. Uh huh.

Generally, I'll only eat something that's healthy if I like the taste and can afford it, otherwise, I'm not that interested in living a few more years. Those aren't the fun ones anyway.