Sugar & Spice & All Things Nice

Sugar & Spice & All Things Nice

 

 

 

 

What were your favourite sweets when you were a child? Do you remember Calipso Bars, Big Time Bars, Black Jacks, Fruit Salads, Dip Dabs, Refreshers, Hubba Bubba, Cola Bottles, Fizzy Cola Bottles, Gummy Bears and Milk Teeth? Everyone in my family has a very sweet tooth. I remember myself and my siblings used to burst with excitement when we got our weekly pocket money – the grand sum of 5 old pence – we would race to the local sweet shop and take our time choosing our favourite treats. Some of my all time favourites were cola bottles and milk teeth. Because of the jelly texture they didn’t dissolve in your mouth – you had a good old time chewing, and chewing and chewing……they lasted ages. Those were the good old days!!!

Recently I was visiting with a friend and her son offered me one of his sweets. To my delight, I found my favourite cola bottles in the bag. I popped the cola bottle into my mouth and savoured the lovely juicy flavor of cola – a flashback to my youth!

A few days later I was scrolling through the internet and I came across this picture

I could not believe what I was seeing! I had no idea that many sweets such as gummy bears, marshmallows, cola bottles and my favourite milk teeth were made from gelatin which is derived from collagen which is obtained from various animal by-products!! Have I been living on another planet??

Gelatin is a mixture of peptides and proteins produced by partial hydrolsis of collagen extracted from the skin, boiled crushed horn, hoof and bones, connective tissues, organs and some intestines of animals such as domesticated  cattle, chicken, pigs and horses. Food-grade gelatin is produced mainly from two raw materials, beef skin and pig hide. [nb: the chart below says the inverse]. Photographic and pharma grades of gelatin are generally made from beef bones, although some beef bone gelatin is used by the food industry. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin

So for all you vegans and vegetarians out there, who may be like I was – oblivious to the source of gelatin – no more sweet treats of the jelly kind for us!!

Here’s to the memories

Maria

Cheers

Hi All,

Any of you who have been following my blog posts will be aware that yesterday was the 14th Anniversary of my Mam’s passing. It was a very emotional day for me – each year I think it well get easier but so far that hasn’t been the case, it still feels like only yesterday!

Now, while I don’t condone using alcohol as a crutch or to block out emotions, I did feel it appropriate to salute her memory. She was the most kind, gentle, generous, funny, supportive, amazing human being that I have every had in my life. She helped many people in her short life and I am so honored to have been her daughter.

Ok, so lets get to the alcohol. While I am partial to a glass of wine, yesterday evening (it had been a humid day) I felt like drinking something refreshing. So I chose Vodka, with tonic water and freshly squeezed lime – just what the doctor ordered!!

In most cases, when I have just one glass of wine, I usually have a very heavy head  in the morning, sometimes even a headache – and that’s after just one small glass of wine. Something not right here, don’t you think??

So lets take a closer look.

WINE   contains certain phytochemicals (naturally occurring plant-derived compounds) that research has shown to be healthy for the heart. However, once you drink more than a “healthy” share (one 5-ounce drink for a woman or two for a man), you lose those health benefits — and gain a few negative effects.

Whoa Nelly!! Can you remember the last time you just had 5 piddly ounces of wine??

In addition to those plant compounds, wine has a good amount of sugar and yeast. Sugar is bad, and together with yeast, it can wreak havoc on your body and cause you to age faster than you’d like to!

Other compounds found in wine, which may cause problems are sulfites or amines. If you only drink one glass of wine and come down with a headache, chances are you are allergic to one of those.

These compounds are also found in foods like pizza crust, certain cheeses, floured tortillas but wine often has higher concentrations of both compounds than those foods, and the more you drink the worse your headache will get. In my case, I believe I am allergic to yeast therefore I am more likely to have a problem with wine.

VODKA  on the other hand, is sugar- and yeast-free (unless it has added sugar). Vodka typically is distilled dozens of times (if not hundreds) per batch. Fortunately for us, the 19th-century invention that enabled multiple distillations in a single cylinder also allows distillers to achieve unprecedented levels of purity. Sure, vodka is 40 percent alcohol, but the other 60 percent is water.

When a grain, fruit or vegetable is distilled, all sugars are left behind, making the resulting substance quite pure. In fact it’s so pure that, if consumed in moderation — meaning one or two vodkas, one to two nights per week — it will leave you feeling perfectly fine in the morning. No headache!! This worked perfectly for me!

Bonus Vodka mixed with slimline tonic water contains no added sugar – perfect for anyone on a weightloss programme.

What are you having?

Cheers Mam

Maria