A story in the New York Times says fatty foods very quickly slow down your body and your brain.

"...the new research shows how indulging in fatty foods over the course of a few days can affect the brain and body long before the extra pounds show up," the story says.

Yikes, that means a double cheeseburger for lunch might even make it tougher for you to make your way through the maze of the rest of the workday.

All the more reason to stick to vegetables and leave the cows alone.

Read the full story here

So there I was a few weeks ago, feeling kind of punk. It was that feeling everyone likely gets once in awhile: you feel as though you are getting sick, but can’t quite put your finger on what is wrong. It usually passes quickly.
But on that day, as I sat in my office realizing I was not feeling yucky enough to go home, I spotted a little gift that recently had come to me in the mail: Tea bags from of Homegrown Herb and Tea, a “small herbal tea apothecary” in Portland, Maine.
Just looking at the tea is enough to make anyone with a sense of adventure feel better. The tea comes in little gauzy tea “bags” and through the bag you can see little lumps of flowers and other natural goodies that release an incredible aroma.
So off I strolled over to the office water cooler, which blessedly dispenses both hot and cold water, freshly supplied by none other than the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority.
My choice among the offering the herbal tea company gifted to me was “The Flower Child.” It is billed as a “delightful bouquet of jasmine flowers, rose petals, lavender flowers and lemon grass” and as “uplifting, clean and refreshing.” That sounded like just the ticket.
It was.
Now, I know I am in no way any expert on anything, especially the mysterious qualities of tea that make it so reportedly healthful. But I do know it’s yummy and I drink it every day, usually some combination (not mixed) of black tea, red Rooibos tea and other herbal teas.
I had never had anything quite like “The Flower Child.” It was lumpy with flower parts in its little bag and those flowers seemed to infuse the water with a variety of tastes. I added a little honey and that really hit the spot. It really was uplifting.
Although the owner of Homegrown Herb and Tea, Sarah Richards, hopes her brews outpace coffee sales nationwide, I am not quite ready to give up the cup of coffee I have in the morning when I get to work. I will always love tea more than coffee; my husband also drinks many cups of tea each day.
But this foray into the magic if what Sarah Richards has created – she handcrafts with organic (some grown on her brother’s farm) and fairly traded products – was a wonderful experience and I offer kudos to her for this wonderful business she created.
For more on the teas visit http://www.homegrowntea.com/.