More on Coffee, and Some Weekend Eats

Happy Monday..is that right? I mean, it's possible to have a happy Monday, right??? I'm so tired this morning, but much less so than yesterday morning. I actually got to bed at a decent hour last night since I knew I had to be up early. Today is another home visit day for me, after my Columbus Dietetic Association board meeting. I have faith that this week will be much better than last week!

Weekend Eats
This weekend was fantastic, but not good in terms of spending money. Since Thursday night I have eaten out 3 times! That is very unlike me. I tend to drink a little more than I should when I go out to eat (as in I drink two, rather than the one I might drink at home. In terms of health, one beer a day is actually good for you, but anymore than 1 is not....). But we always have a good time and it's always worth every extra penny, and every extra risk factor (haha, that sounds dumb). On Saturday we went to a local restaurant called The Grandview Cafe.

Here is a mouth watering picture of one of my favorite summer beers:

Blue Moon This is a great beer on a hot summer night. Nick had another favorite of mine, Great Lakes Burning River.

Nick and I had never eaten at the Grandview Cafe together. We had both been there with other people, but never with one another. Do you know who I saw when we were there? My ex boyfriend (from three years ago) and his new girlfriend. Clearly I am not upset, as I'm in love with Nick times a million, but it was somewhat startling since he had broken up with me because he "wasn't ready for a girlfriend". Ok, I guess it was three years ago and you can "become ready" within three years, but this girl was clearly nothing like me, it was just wierd!!! Bottom line, he probably broke up with me because he "didn't like me". I can't believe I fell for that line!

Ok back to the meal....
Greek Salad with Chicken, kalamata olives, goat cheese
Blackened chicken, side of vegetable, side of mashed potatoes
Good choice Nick! I'm so proud :)
Rating: 6 out of 10
Now it is clear to me why we never go to the Grandview Cafe. The beer was the best part of the meal.

Research Update
The Latest Coffee Trends and Research
This is my coffee of choice, Maxwell House, 1/2 Decaf, 1/2 regular. Made with 100% Arabica bean. Why is this what I drink? It was the cheapest at the time. Maybe next time it'll be Folger's, but no matter what it's half decaf! I really enjoy drinking coffee throughout the day. Half decaf makes this possible within a caffeine limit!
I love coffee. I love it at my apartment, served hot in the morning....
I love it on the go, served hot or cold....
and I love it at home in the middle of the day, served cold with some Almond Breeze!

** The following information is from Today's Dietitian Magazine**
Some Coffee Statistics:
- 17% of the adult population consumed a gourmet beverage (coffee!) on a daily basis in 2008, compared with 14% in 2007.
- 19% of coffee drinkers are ages 25 to 59
- The average amount of cups of coffee per day for those aged 18 to 24 is 3.2.
- Gina's average amount of cups of coffee per day is 4 (half decaf of course)

Some Common Coffee Terms:
Fair-Trade Certified: "guarantees that the farmers who grew the coffee beans were paid a fair price and that guidelines for environmental sustainability and prohibition of the most harmful pesticides were followed" (Today's Dietitian Magazine)
Organic Coffee: "grown without exposure to hazardous pesticides" (Today's Dietitian Magazine)
Shade Grown: "refers to coffee that must be grown beneath existing trees and use less synthetic fertilizer, herbicides, and pesticides, thus protecting the native forests and its habitats (Today's Dietitian Magazine).

Recently Published Health Benefits:
- Reviews of the literature regarding coffee and health have found there may be something in coffee (maybe the caffeine) that lowers insulin resistance, which is what causes Type 2 Diabetes!
More than 15 cohort studies from all around the world have implied that drinking regular coffee is linked with a decreased rate in Type 2 diabetes. This may be due to the effect coffee has on the slowing down of carbohydrate absorption (since you don't want to absorb it really fast, as hormones such as insulin don't like that!)

- Coffee consumption has been linked to lower risk of liver cancer. Ten studies have found evidence of a reverse association between coffee consumption and hepatocellular carcinoma (live cancer). This is great news and something to keep an eye out for, but there is not enough evidence at this time.

- Other studies have reported benefits on conditions such as gallstones, Parkinson's disease, prostate cancer, cognitive function, migraines, and endurance. There is also literature out there regarding coffee and memory (see one my my blog posts for more info).

- Coffee is full of antioxidants, similar to red wine, and dark chocolate. Coffee has been shown to inhibit the oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol, which may play a role in preventing atherosclerosis and heart disease.

GIVEAWAY: Nope, not my giveaway, but Emily's giveaway. She's having a contest for which the prize is a "Mix My Granola" gift certificate! I think this product looks delicious and it's one of those "why didn't I think of that?!" ideas.


Question of the day: What's your favorite coffee drink (or fun beverage)? If not coffee, what's your favorite beer, wine, soda?
Any questions for me about anything?

Thanks for reading and have an excellent week!