Well, this is just a huge relief

[maillotpois]

Fruity cocktails count as health food, study finds

Fri Apr 20, 8:49 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A fruity cocktail may not only be fun to drink but may count as health food, U.S. and Thai researchers said on Thursday.
ADVERTISEMENT

Adding ethanol -- the type of alcohol found in rum, vodka, tequila and other spirits -- boosted the antioxidant nutrients in strawberries and blackberries, the researchers found.

Any colored fruit might be made even more healthful with the addition of a splash of alcohol, they report in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

Dr. Korakot Chanjirakul and colleagues at Kasetsart University in Thailand and scientists at the U.S.
Department of Agriculture stumbled upon their finding unexpectedly.

They were exploring ways to help keep strawberries fresh during storage. Treating the berries with alcohol increased in antioxidant capacity and free radical scavenging activity, they found.

Any colored fruit or vegetable is rich in antioxidants, which are chemicals that can cancel out the cell-damaging effects of compounds called free radicals.

Berries, for instance, contain compounds known as polyphenols and anthocyanins. People who eat more of these fruits and vegetables have a documented lower risk of cancer, heart disease and some neurological diseases.

The study did not address whether adding a little cocktail umbrella enhanced the effects.

[yellow]

I saw this yesterday and immediately thought of all my fruity drink loving friends. I, on the other hand, prefer traditional gin martinis. The more junipery the gin, the better. Nothing ever grows under juniper trees (the have an alleleopathic effect) which leads me to wonder if perhaps gin is beneficial for killing all of those nasty viruses and whatnot. It HAS to be an immune booster!

[SadieKate]

How about Gin and Tonics for malaria?

http://www.thetraveldoctor.com.au/gin_tonic.html

[maillotpois]

I just can't STAND gin!!!

Rum and tonic on the other hand... yum!

[yellow]

I just can't STAND gin!!!

More for me! I'll keep building my super immune system... Who needs all those Hammer products?? (says the Hammer junkie)

[bikerz]

[Slight hijack...]

Hey Yellow - have you tried Hendrick's gin? Mmmm! Or Junipero, by the Anchor Brewing Co? Very juniper-y!

(I'm with you on the traditional drinks - a margarita or kamikaze is about as fruity as I like, and even with those, the tarter the better)

[spazzdog]

Well! Yet another reason to enjoy the scrumdilly-icious Pomagranate infused tequilla I recently picked up.


YUMMMMMMM!

spazz

[whippetgirl]

Love this!
(as I am drinking my vodka/pomegranate juice with lime). Does that count as two fruits???

[snapdragen]

Love this!
(as I am drinking my vodka/pomegranate juice with lime). Does that count as two fruits???

Definitely! Now pass me one o' them drinks!

[cyclechick314]

Love this!
(as I am drinking my vodka/pomegranate juice with lime). Does that count as two fruits???

Wow.. sounds good. What is the recipe and how do I make these?

[margo49]

Well, well, well....who'da thunk it?

Bombay Sapphire with blueberries.

[yellow]

Love this!
(as I am drinking my vodka/pomegranate juice with lime). Does that count as two fruits???

I think when they say colored fruits they mean red-purple-blue. Y'know, antioxidant types. So pomegrante, yes, but I don't think the lime counts. Throw a strawberry in there!

[SadieKate]

Shhhhh. I'm keeping to the fiction. Bombay and lime. Mmmmm. Hmm, does tonic water travel well on a 4x4 truck in the back of beyond? Maybe Mojito Man could freeze a supply of mojito stuff to take along. Maybe . . . . .

[Zen]

I think those researchers were drunk.

[crazybikinchic]

Guess that excludes Pina Coladas. Darn, DH makes the best ones! Maybe he should learn how to make strawberry margaritas