Good wine is a necessity of life for me.
- Thomas Jefferson
As we speak, I have a glass of wine next to me. It is a decent California red, zinfandel. It's fruity, bright and a little simple (just like its drinker.) My wine makes me happy, and as the bland pop song goes, “If it makes me happy, it can’t be that bad.”
Well, apparently, it is that bad. Even one damn glass is that bad. This is according to the recent study by Oxford University, where over 1 million women were studied over a 3-year period on the effects of alcohol and overall health.
Here are the results, in short:A history of low or moderate alcohol consumption increased the risk of a half dozen types of cancer as well as total cancer. The risk was greatest for breast cancer, which increased by 11 cases per 1,000 to age 75 with every additional drink.
Now I’m no doctor (though I play one on my internal TV) but here’s my very non-medical and slightly intoxicated opinion on all of this:
1. The Brits are really unhealthy anyway. Why are we taking their word on this? They're the ones who created the pasty look. They eat jellied eel and Spotted Dick. Their country was literally built on a foundation of white sugar and clotted cream.
2. What? Stress is better? So now, because of this study, a substantial amount of women will forgo that one glass of wine after a busy day and drink a nice, hot cup of their own stress-induced cortisol in its place. Goodbye cancer, hello heart disease.
3. Can we deny ourselves of any more pleasure? I already cut out masturbation because it makes hair grow on the back of your hands (right?) No more…no more! I can’t be any gooder than this. This is, on several levels, is as good as I get.
4. We’re “study junkies” with spinning heads. Of course, we all remember when we were told wine was actually good for us, just a few years ago. We were happy. That was good news! Now a new study pops out, with totally divergent results and we're supposed to manically march like good little soldiers in a brand new direction.
5. Wine is natural. It’s grape. People have been drinking wine since the beginning of forever! So we’ll give up wine and drink what? Lime-flavored Gatorade? Caffeine-laden Red Bull? Aspartame-rich Diet Coke? Come on…wine is a lovingly crafted beverage made from natural ingredients. It’s not the bad guy, in the bigger scheme of things, unless you’re an alcoholic. (And please leave pesticide argument aside...we're already being bombarded by those.)
6. Look at the happiness in the woman’s face at the top of the page. Do you want to wipe that sexy, come hither grin off of her Chardonnay lovin’ face? I don’t want to deny this model of her happiness. Let's drink for the young lady above, if for no one else. Salud, lady.
7. Can't you see? They’re trying to make nuns of us! Listen to what this doctor had to say about the study:
In a related commentary, Dr. Michael S. Lauer and Dr. Paul Sorlie, from the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, wrote:
Despite its attractions, alcohol has been the proximate cause of a great deal of human misery, now with additional documentation by the elegant report of Allen et. al.Human misery? What is this, the Prohibition? Are you the new preacher in town? Who asked for your moral judgment on booze, Dr. Lauer? And who calls reports “elegant” anyway? Reports aren't elegant. They're just not. They aren't racy or sexy either.
I love wine.
I gave up cigarettes a while back. I consume very little white sugar or white flour products. I make most, if not all, of my own food. I don’t litter or chew mint-explosive gum or use aerosol hair spray or permanent hair dyes. I wear SPF and use natural makeup. I drink one cup of coffee a day (okay maybe two.) I gave up toxic people and polluted environments. I recycle. I pray. I run on the beach and say sorry when I disturb a bunch of seagulls. I take deep breaths and cry to dispel pent-up emotions so they don’t eat me alive. I live to the best of my ability.
The wine stays.
And that’s that.
Me and Wine (on the left)
Come quickly! I am tasting stars!
- Dom Perignon (1638-1714) at his first sip of champagne
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Margaret Hawke
500words
Beth Winegarner
BellemeadeBooks
Are You Talking French?
Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman
Salon.com
Comments
I'm not sure why studies continually target wine; wouldn't researchers be better off firing at Big Food and the partially-hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup they're trying to kill us with ?
Pop the cork and have at it, sister.
Bon appetite!
"Wouldn't researchers be better off firing at Big Food and the partially-hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup they're trying to kill us with ?"
But that would require going after the Big Guns in this world and that doesn't seem to happen.
Re: the French, so true. I watched a great documentary on their lifestyle a few nights ago (not really a doc...Anthony Bourdain visits Paris.) And you could just feel the way they embraced their meal on a level that we would find entirely too indulgent. Very deeply celebratory and calm. And my god, the food couldn't look more delectable and lovingly prepared.
It was beauty. It was living. I swear, it almost brought tears to my eyes. I miss existing like that. Or have only experienced moments of that and want more.
Looks like I'm going with cartouche to France! Woo hoo!
I try to take care of myself, but I'm not going to be guilted by every survey and study that finds it's way into my radar. I want to live, not cower in my living room worrying about everything that comes across the TV screen.
You're not getting out of this world alive anyway. I still like to get wracked out of my mind on occasion. I'm not about to live like a hermit only to get run over by the bus that is supposed to take me to church.
Good for you! I can't imagine one glass of wine being bad for you. If you switch to reds only, at least you get more benefits for the heart. But considering what you've already given up, Chardonnay or Zinfandel is warranted if you choose.
Rated for great mini-rant
One study says it's good for you, this one says it'll kill ya.
I betcha if they wanted to, they'd find a study to "confirm" that asparagus and yellow squash will kill us too.
Long Live Cabernet!
Rrrrrrrrated!
Also, you are lovely.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/05/health/05cancer.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=wine%20and%20esophageal%20cancer&st=cse
Wine prevents this disease. Who knew?
Cheese causes death in mice and rats. If you use cheese to bait the traps.
I concur totally with all your points. (Well, except for the zinfandel. But give me a couple of glasses of shiraz any day of the week.)
And what the hell else are we sapposed to drink with our pate, or goat cheese and crackers??? I shudder to think.
Do yourself a favor (and a friend or two) and the next time lamb is on the menu try pairing it with a zinfandel. You'll thank me, and so will your pocketbook.
1. The researchers get their findings in the news before their cutthroat peers can have at them.
2. The public reacts with typical histrionic fervor.
3. The (fill in product or problem) industry kvetches at the loss in revenue.
4. The issue dies down.
White zins...very scary bad. Bleh.
Should have differentiated. Don't want to think I drink gross wines....ha. Dated a wine store owner for too long to make that mistake.
Besides, even if what this study says is true, I'd much rather live a full, rich life (rich with things like big, calorie-laden, numerous-bottles-of-wine meals shared with good company) that's a bit shorter than a long life spent feeling bitter that I hadn't had more of the rich life. Know what I mean?
I'll use the film "Babette's Feast" to back me up on this. Mandatory viewing for all wine lovers.
Wine drinkers are now experiencing the twisted state-funded science of Great Britain in a way cannabis consumers have for years....I will not give any text or lip service to the totally bombastic and utterly false statements make by British Scientists and institutions on the point of cannabis. Rest assured, those statements ride on the Express Train from Crazytown.
The Brits own a good portion of the Weird Science market...and I'm not sure why. Maybe it is all the rain....or the Morrissey... or the endless re-runs of Mr. Bean and Are You being Served?
Maybe wine is a proxy for certain lifestyles in those british women?
Well, two actually.
One....they TAKE THEIR TIME....we rush through meals.
Two.....and this is really the important bit...their portions are about half of ours. At least. Sometimes less than half.
I maintain you can eat anything you like if you keep your portions very small.
Harder than it seems.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancy
U.K. in position 37, U.S. in position 45. Being from the former and living in the latter, I find both positions worrying, to be honest. I think I need a drink...
cartouche: The British have a higher life expectancy over all, and individually for males and females, than do Americans. They're also slightly ahead of the European Union average on all three counts, although--yes--they live less than their Spanish or French cousins. There was a joint US-UK study done a couple of years back on the relative health of white Americans and white Englishmen. The study revealed that, not only did the English live longer lives, they apparently also had healthier lifestyles--by far--than did their American counterparts. There was much less incidence of major diseases among the English (the Scots weren't included). You can take that with a grain of salt, of course, but I don't.
I've never met a Briton who actually eats jellied eel, and spotted dick is mostly eaten in Scotland--which is, by the by, the least-healthy region in the UK.
Your sarcasm is noted, of course. :-)
That's just the Brits being against anything French. Believe me, there's another study coming out of Oxford next week on the merits of drinking stout or port everyday.
Juliet Waters: Actually, British consumption of wine has been INCREASING over the last decade, whilst sales of beer have been DECREASING. So much for fear of wine (which, if you haven't noticed, isn't the same thing as the French; neither did they invite wine, nor have anything approximating a monopoly on its production). I can't say much about the figures for Port, though that seems like an asinine thing to say when Port doesn't originate in Britain, now does it. (It's a give-away in the name.)
Wine drinkers are now experiencing the twisted state-funded science of Great Britain in a way cannabis consumers have for years...The Brits own a good portion of the Weird Science market...and I'm not sure why. Maybe it is all the rain....or the Morrissey... or the endless re-runs of Mr. Bean and Are You being Served?
freedomisgreen: Considering this is coming from one of the most prestigious universities in the world I think we can take your indifference with a grain of salt. There may be a problem with the methodology, but the last time I checked British universities aren't quite known for 'crazy' science--only good science.
And PS Mr. Bean is all well and good, but we all know Blackadder was Rowan Atkinson's finest show. And to think the latter show never made it in the States, whilst the infinitely less intelligent Mr. Bean certainly did. You can read into that whatever you want. ;-) As for Are You Being Served...what? I think I've only ever seen that show played in the States on BBC America. Alas, it doesn't seem as though that channel doesn't provide much good--or RECENT--publicity for the mother country.
As for Morissey, as a fan I can only say: he's nowhere near as popular in Britain as he is in California, where I'm from originally.
Maybe wine is a proxy for certain lifestyles in those british women?
icemilkcoffee: The only thoughtful comment here. I would imagine the scientists controlled for lifestyle in some way, but the devil is in the details. I, for one, won't stop drinking wine because of this study, but it might be something to think about if more evidence is produced for it during the peer-review process.
'Keeping Up Appearances', lol. See, they should REALLY try pushing gritty shows, like 'Shameless'...though i'm sure the heavy Mancunian accents won't fly in the States. The BBC should not run endless repeats of old British shows, which simply reinforce stereotypes.
Feel free to pry the wine glass out of my cold, dead grasp.
The Brits probably only live longer because they have a kind of socialized health care, even if it's not a very good service.
Not very good service? I can't much complain. The service has only ever been good, and I don't pay a dime. Have you ever used it yourself? I've only ever had excellent medical insurance in the States--and especially, in latter years, my father's insurance was superb--but even then the service was sometimes hit-and-miss...and we were paying a pretty penny.
Besides, I would never take the word of a British woman on how much she drinks (I mentally double the number). They have a huge drinking problem and this just smacks of boogeyman talk.
Ouch. I don't think it's necessary to slate British women for the nation's drinking habits. Yes, there's a drinking problem; yes, maybe the media has overly-hyped this report; but no, the study is as a whole not worthy of dismissal, and it isn't the scientists' fault their research is covered by dimwit journalists.
Now, for those who don't simply want to bash the report, here's a more balanced look at the research...courtesy the UK National Health Service (which we've apparently already established isn't 'very good', but I digress...):
Some important points to note about this research are:
* The study has only assessed average alcohol intake at two times, three years apart. It is not possible to tell from this whether the responses represented a long-term established drinking pattern, or whether alcohol drinking levels varied over the women’s lives.
* There was a potential for error caused by inaccurate reporting by women, for example incorrect estimation of number of drinks, different alcohol contents of drinks, or size of measure or wine glass used. The researchers did make a careful attempt to try to minimise the chance of this type of error.
* Of the women in this cohort 53% were drinking fairly low levels of alcohol (either no alcohol, or one or two drinks per week, as in the comparison group used for calculations). There were fewer women with heavier alcohol intakes; therefore, it is difficult to make accurate cancer risk estimates for these women.
* Although the researchers excluded women who had developed cancer prior to study recruitment, a woman’s cancer may have developed around the time of recruitment or during the three-year interval between then and the second questionnaire. This means it is possible that, in some cases, measures of alcohol consumption may indicate drinking at a time when women had cancer rather than in the time before their cancer began to develop. This makes it difficult to determine whether alcohol consumption caused the women’s cancer.
* In their analysis the researchers adjusted for possible confounders such as smoking, exercise and socio-economic factors. However, it was not possible to adjust for all risk factors associated with each type of cancer. Smoking was still found to be the principle risk factor for cancers of the mouth, throat, larynx and oesophagus.
* It is also worth noting that non-drinkers were found to have increased risks of certain cancers compared to women who drank one to two drinks per week. However, researchers say these findings are limited by the fact that they were not able to distinguish former drinkers (who may have stopped drinking for health reasons) from lifelong never-drinkers.
Conclusion: Let's not completely make a hash of the study, but let's not so terribly scared by it as to change our habits so drastically. As a lover of plonk I know I won't stop having the stuff...
And of course, MODERATION! :D
You're right about BBC America, since they showed "Footballers Wives"...which was a pile of excrement. They did show "Life on Mars" as well as many other decent cop shows. I have seen numerous good movies or mini-series as well, such as "The State Inside" and "Eureka Street". I wish we could get more ITV or Channel 4 shows as well. U.S. TV tends to steal ideas from the Brits, don't they?
As for Bean vs. Black Adder...I beg to differ...those of us of a "certain age" know Black Adder much better, as it was shown on PBS during the time that Monty Python and Fawlty Towers were making the rounds there. Bean seems to have gained some popularity from the somewhat recent movie, I think.
Which all has nothing to do with the original wine post...to which I say...¡Salud!
http://www.murfreesboropost.com/news.php?viewStory=15483
Dr. Kestner: Professor Van Nostrand’s healthy heart message for Murfreesboro By: Dr. MARK KESTNER, Post Columnist
Posted: Sunday, February 22, 2009 6:37 am
In recognition of February being Heart Month, I decided to use this column to share some helpful information about boosting cardiac health. During the past few years, however, much of the information available to clinicians and consumers regarding effects of food, alcohol and exercise has been somewhat confusing. For example, one week caffeine is bad for you; the next week the news is that it has benefits. In order to provide Post readers with some practical information, I consulted Professor Peter Van Nostrand at the New Amsterdam Institute of Cardiac Contrarian Counseling.
I began by asking the professor whether he agreed with the popular notion that cardiac exercise could prolong life.
Van Nostrand: “Nonsense! Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.”
Kestner: “Should I continue to advise patients to cut back on meat and eat more vegetables and fruits?”
Van Nostrand: “You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100 percent of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.”
Kestner: “What about alcohol… is it a good idea to refrain from that?”
Van Nostrand: “No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine. That means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!”
Kestner: “What is the best way to calculate a person’s body fat ratio?”
Van Nostrand: “Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.”
Kestner: “What are some of the benefits of regular aerobic exercise programs?”
Van Nostrand: “Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!”
Kestner (exasperated): “Some experts recommend patients limit their intake of fried foods…”
Van Nostrand: “YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?”
Kestner: “What about sweets like chocolate, shouldn’t we restrict…”
Van Nostrand: “Are you crazy? HELLO? Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!”
I decide to try a new angle: “I often recommend walking or swimming as a beneficial exercise to trim the figure. Would you agree?”
Van Nostrand: “If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.”
As I wrapped up the interview, the professor handed me a brochure. “This should help you make sense of all the conflicting research that you have come across.”
The brochure read:
1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
CONCLUSION
Eat and drink what you like.
Speaking English and watching American television is apparently what kills you.
I want to thank Professor Van Nostrand for his time. I also want to apologize to the serious researchers and clinicians that provide helpful advice that may vary from that of the professor. Although the fictional professor does seem to make sense, the vast majority of real experts differ in their views. You should consult your own healthcare provider.
Next week: Some interesting new facts about trans-fats including how and why you should avoid them.
Dr. Mark Kestner
mkestner@DrKestner.com
I see that hand waving?
and it's a wedding ring?
Wine relieves sadness.
`
"May my food my body maintain,
may my body my soul sustain,
may my soul in deed and word
give thanks to all blessed thing!
Wine is sacred fellowship, communion. and it'd to taste bouquet. If a lass of wine is solemnly lifted, and in good company, it's the best wine Ya ever sipped. You begin holy communion at daybreak? The senses are most alive in the morn-time. You are not addicted to the mashed potatoes? I'd refill the potato bowl? I doubt you eat turtle soup on Thursday? Oh, -incredible- ,You type with mashed potatoes in your wide-open mouth? I know, but don't know? I doubt you have ever sipped wine served in a dish? That makes me as dumb-struct as any winebibbers in the greenhouse? The farmers uncork thee brew that's stored in the basement stockroom. It's homemade brew. And the wild yeast fruit that is added, for a secondary fermentation in the Honey Mead, is best. But, there are some French bubbles yeast that is great. It's subtle day or night. You still function. You will feel more delicate. It's best to sip in a wide-open chalice glass. Pouring the brew slowly, somehow accentuates the aroma. It's not what Babette elegantly served with candlelight. It was a 1860 French?
huh? It opened up the Guest tongues! The Mesdames Babette Lady turned a simple meal into an enchanted day with human (angelos) messengers? O implore.
Wow. I'll wonder? huh.
My 'lazy hands' Oh. huh.
'um in the cellar wine-stock?
They seem to it, to me? huh.
My shirt has a few wine stains. huh.
Beth's blouse has mashed potatoes.
when i read this it made me think of the early 70's. boone's farm , lancers rose', and matues. now i know that couldn't be good for anybody. but the lancers and mateus bottles were really cool. and just as an aside, i wrote you an apology and posted it for all here at open salon to see. in the spirit of good will.
Anyway, I drink a beer most every night. My mother usually had a sherry every night and she lived to be 94. The last 5 years she didn't drink anything because she was in a nursing home. I think her health was considerably worse so I am thinking it's because they took the sherry away from her!
2) Grapes are good for most people.
3) The grapes ferment and alcohol is created.
4) Alcohol is a preservative.
5) Preservatives slow down decay.
What's the problem?
I wrote on the original thread about this study that of all the things in the world I might give up, wine would be one of the last.
Everything in moderation as the old saying goes, although once in a while moderation takes on a new meaning where fine wine is concerned.
In addition to the enormous enjoyment, I can attest to the health benefits. Since becoming a regular wine drinker, I have succeeded in losing 20 pounds and keeping them off (I attribute this to the fact that drinking wine with dinner makes me want less food in the evening). Wine is also a digestive aid, and has made my IBS symptoms, which used to be severe, very minimal.
There's always another study. There was actually an Italian study about a year ago, which determined that the usual American recommendation (no more than one glass per day for women and two for men) could safely be increased to two glasses for women and three for men. Extra amen to that!
I so wish I was hanging out with Dom Perignon tonite.
Pawed!
Hmmm ... Did it occur to you, that, perhaps, the folks at Oxford had a wine buzz going when they did that study? ...
Peace
JTD
The Garlic
Any aid to digestion, as they understood it for millennia, must be taken in moderation. We all know that, as the ancients did. We do know there are verifiable benefits......so, more studies, as we toast to the munificent attributes of the grape!
(And you explained all that hair on my hands.....)
"Red Zinfandel is an 'American Classic' wine. It was even originally thought to be made of native Californian grapes. Research has now shown that the zinfandel grape originated in Italy, but this wine is now primarily grown in California. Zinfandel grows its best in cool, coastal locations.
The color of a zinfandel wine is deep red, bordering on black. Zinfandel is a spicy, peppery wine, with a hint of fruity flavor - berries or dark cherries are often the taste range. Zinfandel goes well with "typical American" food - pizza, burgers, etc. It's hearty enough to match up with thick red sauces."
Lindemans. Beth Mann sip it?
Brouwerij. Maybe yes or never.
"Everything --gives you cancer
everything -- gives you cancer
there's no cure -- there's no answer.
Everything -- gives you cancer"
Hope you enjoy your wine as much as I enjoy your posts. Contradictory medical studies - arrrrrrgh! We just got done hearing all about the benefits of a daily glass of wine in our nursing class - apparently they hadn't gotten wind of this study yet, and I don't plan to enlighten them.
Many other studies, with more respctable scientific principles have shown that the French who drink wine more than any other alcoholic beverage live a lot longer than the British or Americans. Russians have a shorter life span, perhaps because of their love of vodka?
All I ask of my clients is that they are moderate in their alcohol consumption because like everything moderation holds the key between good for you and poisonous.
When we discuss wine, the best wines are from organic grapes that produce lower fructose quantities. Organic red wines, especially Pinot Noir, are high in a substance called resveratrol. This substance is produced by red grapes attacked by a deadly mold called botritis (aka botrytis; fungus) as a defense mechanism. If you buy wine from vinyards that use fungicides forget any resveratrol content in your vino.
What about resveratrol? Double blind placebo studies show this substance exponentially extends cell life. Only one other thing has been proven to do that; calorie restriction. To have a substance proven to wake up genes that extend your life just like restricting caloric intake is like finding the fountain of youth!
You have to drink lots of organic red wine (like a case) to equal the amount of resveratrol put in a single supplement of the stuff, now widely available but first marketed by Life Extension Foundation.
To me, Beth's use of wine does more for her blood flow than aspirin therapy while it is definitely more enjoyable and healthier. Aspirin therapy, widely used by main stream doctors has numerous deadly side effects. More seniors die from aspirin than drunk driving for example.
Only organic wine is natural Beth, while conventional wine is loaded with pesticides, fungicides, herbacides and added sulfates. And who knows what else? Most French, Italian and Spanish wines are organic per say, because the vinyards are centuries old and use sun flowers, merigolds and the like for pest control. California has a few organic vinyards while my favorite is Willamette Valley Vinyards (WVV) located near Dallas, OR.
The fact that after months of communications with my rep there, WVV now enumerates on their labels of Pinot Noir, a study that concluded this grape produces the highest amounts of resveratrol of any wine.
The evil in cigs was not the tobacco Beth, but the hundres of toxic chemicals added by the cig companies to hook you faster and deliver the fix more efficiently. My medical files and tax files contain evidence from multiple doctors that chemical free organic tobacco, in moderation, is good for you!
Try spry, a gum made with xylitol, a sugar alcohol, proven to destroy the bad bacteria in your mouth while leaving the hundreds of species of good bacteria alone. Recent reports allege studies that show this substance assist your teeth to "re-enamel".
Natural make up? Very few of the so called natural make ups, etc. and all of the conventional products contain 1,4-Dioxane, a horribly toxic chemical. Hopefully, you have fully investigated your "natural" make up to insure it also is free of mercury, aluminum etc. A full report has recently been released by the campaign for safe cosmetics regarding these issues.
Meantime, some whole brown rice pasta covered with an organic garlic sauteed in organic olive oil goes perfectly with a glass or two of Pinot Noir. Enjoy...
www.expatmum.blogspot.com
I often think an acquaintance from my hometown. Started a macrobiotic diet in his teens, opened up the first macro restaurant in our area (which many of us didn't know what to do with? What was this weird food?) He was athletic and always radiated health. He died at 42 of cancer.
And yes, I was aware of pesticides in wine...its very discouraging. I still feel there are many reputable, smaller vintners who realize that people's eyes are opening, surrounding pesticide use. And I still feel a glass of wine (with the possibility of pesticides) beats a Diet Coke. Aspartame seems like a chemical from hell.
Of all of the organic wines I've tried (and I've tried a lot), there was only one bottle I can say was exceptional. Wish I could remember the name.
And yes, Stereowas, I was aware of the chemicals in cigarettes. One of the many reasons I quit. Though smoking "clean" tobacco can't be the world's best thing! For quite sometime, I convinced myself that smoking American Spirits once in a blue moon was a better choice. Don't know if that's utter rationalization or what, but they seemed better.
As for the make-up, I don't wear tons. I used to though. Foundation, powders, lipsticks (of which you consume 10 pounds in a lifetime.) I wear make-up, try to get the good stuff and go light on it.
And Arthur, your cherry Lambic sounds delicious!
and who really cares what the brits think anyway. don't they brush their teeth with tar or something?
i say...
bottom's up! a little overindulgence and you might even like it ;) hehe.
Nazdrovia
Of This and That endeavour and dispute;
Better be jocund with the fruitful Grape
Than sadden after none, or bitter, Fruit. "