Is That Drink Really Healthy?

These days, there are more “health drinks” lining supermarket shelves than ever before. But don’t start guzzling just yet! Although these concoctions promise a bevy of vitamins, energy or other “super” ingredients, there’s typically a catch. Read on for the scoop on popular “health” beverages.

via @http:/womansday.com/health-fitness/nutrition

Have you Ever Wondered How Alcoholic Drinks Look Like Under The Microscope?

    A company called Bevshots has produced a series of shots of booze under the microscope at the Florida State University's chemistry labs.(1000x magnification).

The process consist of letting a droplet of liquor dry out completely on a slide in an airtight container, and photographing the result with a 35mm camera. The entire process can take up to three months and as many as 200 attempts to properly capture the drink's constituent parts.

         Cocktails can have fruit and soft drinks in them which contain citric acids and complex sugars which dry out well and look great photographed.  The incredible shapes and colours of the boozy artwork are highlighted by shining natural light on top and through the bottom of the slide. Just like images of snowflakes, each drink is different.
These images are available for sale at Bevshots. Open for business since August 2009, Bevshots estimate that they have sold over 20,000 examples of their alcoholic. 

Sources:
http://twistedsifter.com/2010/06/alcoholic-art-liquor-under-a-microscope/
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1999889_2157950,00.html

Caffeine Content of Food & Drugs

•  Caffeine is the only drug that is present naturally or added to widely consumed foods (quinine is the other drug used in foods). It is mildly addictive, one possible reason that makers of soft drinks add it to their products. Many coffee drinkers experience withdrawal symptoms, such as headaches, irritability, sleepiness, and lethargy, when they stop drinking coffee. 

Facts about Hangover .Cures from around the world.

       Hangover:  A common non medical term for the disagreeable physical effects following excessive consumption of alcohol (or the use of other drugs).
Veisalgia is the little-used medical name for the condition. It is also called a Spanish headache.
Hangovers been known since Biblical times (or before): "Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink" (Isaiah 5:11). Here are a few post-biblical facts that may help prevent or reduce the dreaded symptoms of an hangover from too much alcohol!

1. First of all, it is important to realize that many researchers disagree on what may be the exact cause of the syndrome. Some feel that certain by-products that come from the liver's breakdown of alcohol may be responsible, others have postulated that "toxins" such as methanol found in high quantities in some drinks are responsible.
2. Second, to combat this unwanted side effect, it has been suggested that we eat foods rich in cysteine, such as eggs. The cysteine is used by the liver when it processes or metabolizes alcohol; therefore building back up this chemical may help.
3. Third, another reasonable approach is to be sure to drink lots of water, since alcohol tends to dehydrate the body and brain. Some of the electrolyte rich drinks can also be of value.
4. Lastly, blood sugar levels can decrease after alcohol use, so some extra sugar is advised by some experts.