It transforms a man into a beast

Oriel College, Oxford has recently acquired an essay by a former student, Sir Walter Raleigh. He warns of the possiblity that alcohol, “transformeth a man into a beast.” Writing about 1600 he adds that strong liquor is a “bewitching and infectious vice.” Having lived in France I regularly enjoy a glass of wine with my evening meal. The Greeks and Romans always watered their wine for the table. Greeks sometimes withdrew afterwards for a symposium, (lit. a drinks party). One historian (Sir Roy Strong) says it was the mark of a barbarian that they only drank to get drunk.

So binge drinking is not the mark of a civilized people, but you could say that sensible drinking is.

Want a snack? Don’t buy a sandwich!

Well if you really must have a sandwich, make it yourself, don’t buy one. The National Consumer Council says that many sandwiches sold in the high street chains contain dangerously high levels of fat and salt. For example Pret a Manger’s dry cured ham, cheese and mustard sandwich contains a massive 584calories, 13.1g fat and 2.55g of salt. Gregg’s chicken and bacon sandwich contains 3.6g of salt which means that just that one sandwich gives you two-thirds of the recommended daily maximum salt intake for an adult! Strangely, a Big Mac is healthier than most sandwiches. By comparison a Big Mac contains only 495calories, 9g of saturated fat, and 2g of salt.

29% of us in the U.K. say we prefer a sandwich for lunch. However, I think I’ve solved the problem. When I have to go up to London I visit the Wasabi sushi bar in Victoria Station. Sushi is so much healthier and quite delicious.

Cholesterol: Fat and fiction

Cholesterol is a fat produced by the liver from the fatty foods we eat and it plays an important part in helping the body function properly. Every liver produces cholesterol so if you eat any animal produce it is bound to contain cholesterol. When you think about cholesterol you need to be aware of two molecules called lipoproteins which carry it around the body. Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) carry cholesterol from the liver and it is these that begin the formation of the plaques that can narrow the artery walls. A clot in a narrowed artery can trigger a heart attack. This is why LDL is often called bad cholesterol. On the other hand, there are high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and these are thought to prevent heart disease. They carry cholesterol back to the liver were it is converted into bile-acid or excreted. You can see why this is referred to as good cholesterol. The amount of cholesterol in the blood can range from 3.6 to7.8 mmol/litre. A level above 6 is considered high. The recommended target level is 5.