Random Facts

1. The French Paradox claims that French people experience lower coronary heart disease death rates compared to Americans, despite having similar intakes of saturated fat, similar risk factors and the same levels of LDL cholesterol. The suspected reason for this difference ? Red wine.
   
2. The phytochemicals found in red wine that are suspected to protect against heart disease are called flavonoids, and the highest concentrations are found in Chianti.
3. Honey has been shown to be useful in treating wounds and it is an effective cough suppressant.
   
4. Which diet works better ? Doesn't appear to matter which macro-nutrients (carbohydrates, fat or protein) you cut from your diet. Reduce you caloric intake - you lose weight. In a recent study, 811 overweight adults were assigned to 1 of 4 diets. After 6 months, average weight loss was similar in all groups (average weight loss 6 kg).
   
5. One recent study report that recipe books have increase portion size by 40% over the past 70 years.
6. Eating eggs does not cause an increase in blood cholesterol levels - saturated fat in other foods is the main offender. Other factors that influence blood cholesterol levels include genetics, smoking, exercise, and being overweight.
   
7. How many calories are in an Irish coffee? 220 to 250 depending on the bartender!