Can Wine Be Good for You?

Many of us enjoy a glass of wine or two with a meal or on an evening while relaxing.  While we all know that too much of anything is bad for you, how accurate is the idea that a sensible amount of wine can actually be good for you?

Real facts

One of the most commonly mentioned ideas is that a glass of wine, particularly red, is good for the heart.  There is evidence to show that one or two units a day can help to protect the heart against heart disease but this is only for men over the age of 40 and for post-menopausal women.  In younger people, this doesn’t have much of an effect because younger people aren’t at risk of heart disease as much.

However, there are other benefits that will work for younger people and older ones.  Firstly is the presence of those helpful antioxidants such as quercetin and resveratrol.  Antioxidants have been shown to work against the causes of both heart disease and cancer as well as a number of other conditions.

Good Red

If you are a fan of red wine, then the darker the better.  Scientists have discovered that the darker a red wine is, the most antioxidants is contains as well as another useful chemical called polyphenol.  Polyphenols are classed as phytochemicals, meaning they come from plants and are known for their health benefits including helping with high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and even some forms of cancer.

One study by Professor Andrew Waterhouse of the University of California showed that merlot, zinfandel, Syrah and petit Syrah grapes all had medium to high levels of antioxidant in them. It also showed that wines from milder regions such as Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Napa Valley of California may have higher antioxidant levels that those from hot areas such as southern Italy and Languedoc in France.

Even white wines were shown to have some of these benefits, with a special chardonnay called Paradoxe Blanc having four times as many polyphenols in it than a red wine does.

Drinking the right amount

The key to gaining these health benefits from wine is to drink the right amount.  Drinking too much wine can work the other way with an increased vulnerability to heart disorders, high blood pressure and strokes.  There is also a connection between younger women drinking heavily and developing osteoporosis in later life. 

There is also a connection between alcohol and cancer according to some research.  Around 3% of case of cancer of the mouth, larynx and throat come in people that drink more than five units of alcohol a day.  And we are all aware of the potential problems that come from binge drinking, not lease the simple increase in the risk of having an accident – falling down drunk may look funny but it can lead to a serious injury.

So when it comes to buying your friend that beautiful personalised wine glass for their birthday that sums them up perfectly, make sure you only pop the one bottle of wine in the bag for them so that they can enjoy the benefits without becoming in danger of the perils.

Top Summer Cake Recipes

As the weather gets warmer and the sun shines, the range of fruits that appear in the supermarket seem to increase and all the local fruiters have a mouth-watering choice available.  There are many ways of making use of all this luscious fruit and one of the best ways is to use it in cakes.  So here are two top summer cake recipes to inspire you.

Raspberry Bakewell cake

Ingredients

• 140g ground almonds
• 140g softened butter
• 140g golden caster sugar
• 140g self raising flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 250g raspberries
• 2 tbsp flakes almonds
• Icing sugar for finishing

Heat the over to 180C and take a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin, which then needs base lining and greasing.  Into the food processor put the ground almonds, butter, sugar, flour, eggs and the vanilla extract.  Blitz until they are well combined.

Take half the mixture and spread in into the cake tin, smoothing it out.  Scatter the raspberries over the top of the mixture then add the other half and let it spread roughly – fingers can be the best bet for this.  Sprinkle the flaked almonds over the top and then bake in the oven for 50 minutes until it is golden in colour.  Remove it from the oven and leave to cool.  When serving, dust with icing sugar.

Orange layer cake

Ingredients

• 225g baking spread
• 225g self raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 100g golden caster sugar
• 100g brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• Zest of 2 oranges, grated finely

For the butter icing:

• 150g softened butter
• 300g icing sugar
• Zest of 2 oranges, grated finely

For the glaze:

• 25g caster sugar
• Juice of 2 oranges

Heat the oven to 180C and grease and line two 20cm loose bottom sandwich tins.  Measure all the cake ingredients and put them into a large bowl then beat with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer until smooth and combined.

Split the mixture into the two tins then bake them in the oven for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden and risen.  They should shrink away from the sides when properly cooked.  Leave to cool on a wire rack.

For the icing, but the butter and icing sugar into the large bowl and mix until light and fluffy then stir in the orange zest. 

Remove the paper from the cakes and turn one upside down on a plate.  Make up the glaze of caster sugar and orange juice by adding together in a pan and heating over a low heat until the sugar dissolved.  Boil until it reduces by around half then brush the mixture onto the upturned side of the cake.  Spread half the butter icing on top of this then put the second cake on top.  Brush the remaining glaze on the top of the cake and add the rest of the butter icing then sprinkle with a little orange zest.

The cake is best eaten fresh but will keep for three days in a cool spot and the basic cake, un-iced, can even be frozen if you want to make a batch.

Original recipes to be found at BBC Good Food

Why Tea is Good For You

A trip to the supermarket to find something to drink will provide you with a host of new ideas from smoothies and shakes to herbal drinks and new types of coffee.  Yet one of the best drinks around is also one of the oldest – tea.  So why is tea good for you?

Real tea

When it comes to picking ‘real’ tea then there are actually only four types, all from the plant called Camellia sinensis – green, black, white and oolong.  All other teas such as herbal teas come from different plants and aren’t technically tea.

While the variety of tea might not be huge, it certainly makes up for it in the amount of good stuff crammed into every lead.  Most of these health benefits come from two compounds – polyphenols, a type of antioxidant and phytochemicals.  But what do they do?

Benefits of tea

There is evidence to show that drinking tea can reduce the chance of someone having a heart attack.  Similar evidence also points to the drink’s ability to protect the body against degenerative diseases as well as those affecting the cardiovascular system.  Green tea, in particular, has potential to help combat neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s due to these helpful polyphenols.

Antioxidants are getting a lot of good press in recent times and they are also present in tea.  Scientists think that they could help to combat cancers of the breast, colon, skin, lung, stomach, pancreas, liver, prostrate and also ovarian cancers.  They are no miracle cure, of course, but anything that could help is a good thing.

Free radicals are seen as equally as bad antioxidants are food.  But tea contains a high ratio of something called Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, which means that it helps to destroy those free radicals.  Our bodies naturally fight off these little pests but aren’t totally effective so giving them a helping hand never hurts.

Tea has been shown to help in the fight against weight gain.  One study showed that participants that regularly drank hot tea had a smaller waist and lower BMI than those in the study that didn’t.  Scientists believe this is because drinking tea lowers the chance of metabolic syndrome, which increases the chance of someone having a stroke or developing artery disease or diabetes.

Green tea has been shown to boost exercise endurance because it contains an antioxidant known as catechins.  These boost the ability of the body to burn fat as fuel and accounts for an improvement in muscle endurance.  It has also been shown to improve bone mineral density and strength.

Green tea has also tested high in its ability to help the body process sugars and therefore is a helping hand for those with Type 2 diabetes.

Getting Starting

With all these potential health benefits, drinking tea is not only refreshing and tasty but a boost to the body in a host of different ways.  Why not share the tea message by treating a friend or loved one to their own personalised teapot and show the benefits of a good cuppa for everyone?

How to Choose Scented Candles

When selecting a scented candle there are a few different approaches to try.  Firstly, you can select by the colour so if you have red accents in your room, you can choose a red candle regardless of what the scent is.  If you have a favourite scent, then regardless of the colour you can stick with this.  But what about choosing a candle as a present if you are unsure what a person likes?  How then do you pick the right scent?

Scent basics

Candles comes in a bewildering array of scents, some of which will be immediately familiar such as vanilla or rose while others may be less do.  Some candles have a scent name because they are a combination of smells that release at different stages of burning.  To start, we will look at the popular single smell scents.

Vanilla is doubtless still one of the most popular scents for candles and because it tends to be creamy in colour when made into a candle, it also works in almost all décor themes.  Vanilla is soothing and warming and creates a sense of comfort and satisfaction.

Rose is another of the top favourite smells for candles with its traditional floral scent.  Roses smell a little sweet and bring to mind love and affection while being soothing and relaxing as well.  Though roses come in many colours, pink is the most common for rose coloured candles.

Lavender has been used in scented products for hundreds of years and is also popular with the men when they select a perfume for ladies.  Lavender is tranquil and peaceful, a little feminine and relaxing.  Due to its gentle purple colour, candles are often lilac or lavender coloured.

Sandalwood is another traditional scent that started being an incense scent.  It is a muskier smell and therefore more masculine as well as commonly paired with floral scents such as jasmine and patchouli. 

Modern Scents

Eucalyptus is known for its stress reducing properties and many people like it because it smells a bit like a real Christmas tree.  It is a clean and herby smell that is a touch woodsy and very fresh.  It often lends itself to green shades of candle.

Fresh cotton lives up to its name and smells like cotton bedsheet that have been dried on the washing line in the sun and gentle breeze.  It brings an element of freshness to any room without being too floral or woody and makes it a hit with men as well.  Cotton is white naturally so candles often tend to be white or cream too.

Chocolate is another scent that has come into candles in recent times and fill the air of the room with a sensuous smell but be warned, they are very likely to make you hungry!  Typically, these candles come in shades of brown and beige just like the food they are inspired by.

Conclusion

Whether you make your choice by scent, colour or another factor, a candle makes a great present.  Using a personalised candleholder is another way to add touch of uniqueness to the candle and means that the holder can be reused many times over.