Is It True That Twinkies Don’t Expire ?

Twinkies

You’ve probably heard it before. Twinkies could survive an apocalypse, and they never expire. But before you start chowing down on the one you found in the recesses of your pantry, you might want to verify if that’s true or not.

As it turns out, it’s not. Twinkies can expire, and it’s actually quicker than you think.

In general, Twinkies are shelf-stable for up to 25 days. That’s markedly longer than many other snack cakes but way shorter than the infinite date cited by many. The thing that makes Twinkies last longer than others is that it’s free of Read More

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Will Coffee Dehydrate You?

Coffee

Everyone knows water is the best way to stay hydrated, and you might have heard that it’s important to drink it with your coffee in the morning to prevent dehydration. But is that actually true?

Does coffee dehydrate you? The answer isn’t straightforward, but if you’re drinking coffee within recommended amounts, you’re not likely to become dehydrated.

The whole coffee consumption leads to dehydration idea likely gets blown out of proportion because the beverage is a diuretic. Essentially, it can cause your body to make more urine than usual because it increases blood flow to the kidneys. If you’re peeing more, you’ll get dehydrated, right? Well, not necessarily.

In moderate servings, coffee can actually hydrate you, and even if you drink quite a bit of caffeine (up to 300mg), it’s still unlikely to cause an obvious diuretic effect. Essentially, coffee might cause you to pee more because it’s a diuretic, but that additional urine output is likely not enough to dehydrate you.

Does that mean you should forgo a morning glass of water? Probably not. Keeping your body hydrated is still an important part of overall health, but you don’t need to toss back four glasses of it to “keep up” with your coffee intake. As long as you’re drinking caffeine moderately, you should be just fine.

If one of your new year’s resolutions was to drink more water, go ahead, but you don’t need to give up your coffee in the name of hydration.

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Here’s Why Eggs Are So Expensive Right Now

Eggs

Everything is more expensive right now. That’s not exactly news. But there’s one thing that seems to be a bit more expensive than others—eggs.

Costs hit historic levels in December, and the common breakfast food is nearly three times more expensive than it was a year ago. But why exactly are egg prices so high? There are multiple factors contributing to the increase.

Dubbed “eggflation” by Fast Company, the rising costs of eggs can be attributed to several factors, and they’ve been building over the past year. First, you can look at the costs of both feed and fuel.

Chickens need to eat, and typically, they’re fed wheat-based food. Due to drought conditions and the war in Ukraine (where much of the world’s wheat supply originates), the price of feed has escalated. Then, there’s fuel. Unfortunately, those eggs do make it through production and to your grocery store on their own. The cost of diesel fuel has also surged in the past year and reserves haven’t been this low since 1951.

The result of all of this is an increased cost burden for transportation and feed that is then passed along to the consumer.

But it’s not just your standard supply chain issue. There’s also Avian flu which took hold in February of last year. The flu killed 44 million hens which equates to roughly 4-5% of the population. Unfortunately, the flu will continue to drive up prices until it’s under control and new hens are producing eggs.

So if you’re a brunch lover or like the meal prep breakfast, you might want to look into some egg-less meals if you’re looking to save cash.

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Will Coffee Dehydrate You?

Everyone knows water is the best way to stay hydrated, and you might have heard that it’s important to drink it with your coffee in the morning to prevent dehydration. But is that actually true?

Does coffee dehydrate you? The answer isn’t straightforward, but if you’re drinking coffee within recommended amounts, you’re not likely to become dehydrated.

The whole coffee consumption leads to dehydration idea likely gets blown out of proportion because the beverage is a diuretic. Essentially, it can cause your body to make more urine than usual because it increases blood flow to the kidneys. If you’re peeing more, you’ll get dehydrated, right? Well, not necessarily.

In moderate servings, coffee can actually hydrate you, and even if you drink quite a bit of caffeine (up to 300mg), it’s still unlikely to cause an obvious diuretic effect. Essentially, coffee might cause you to pee more because it’s a diuretic, but that additional urine output is likely not enough to dehydrate you.

Does that mean you should forgo a morning glass of water? Probably not. Keeping your body hydrated is still an important part of overall health, but you don’t need to toss back four glasses of it to “keep up” with your coffee intake. As long as you’re drinking caffeine moderately, you should be just fine.

If one of your new year’s resolutions was to drink more water, go ahead, but you don’t need to give up your coffee in the name of hydration.

https://www.lifesavvy.com/158056/will-coffee-dehydrate-you/

Is Dr Pepper Named After A Real Person?

Dr Pepper can

There are several recognizable names in the soda world. From Coca-Cola to Sprite, there are icons of soda. But Dr Pepper’s moniker is unique, and it might have you asking whether the soda is actually named after a doctor.

As it turns out, yes, Dr Pepper is named after a doctor, but he’s not the one who created the soda.

Charles Alderton, a pharmacist at Morrison’s Old Corner Drug Store in Waco, Texas, actually crafted the soda. At the time—in 1885—pharmacies often doubled as soda fountains. Alderton was known for mixing flavors to get unique results. With Dr Pepper, he created a soda using 23 different tastes and added phosphoric acid. It’s still the same formula the brand claims today.

But what about that name? The story is a bit mysterious but according to Dr Pepper’s corporate website, the soda was named by Morrison’s Old Corner Drug Store owner Wade Morrison. He decided to call the drink Dr Pepper (the period got dropped in the 1950s) after Dr. Charles Pepper, a Virginia doctor who was the father of a girl Morrison loved.

As for the reasons why? The official Dr Pepper page doesn’t provide, and according to Eat This, Not That, there’s no official account of how the name came about. Mostly, it’s just speculation.

So was Dr Pepper named after a real doctor? According to the brand, yes, but if you’re looking for the reason why, well, that’s still a mystery.

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Stevie Wonder – Sir Duke (1976)

“Music is a world within itself, With a language we all understand.”

Stevie Wonder – Sir Duke (1976).

Fly over country

Vapor trail over Indiana

I now live in rural Indiana, USA. But I am from a larger town, what here we would call in a city, in the UK. Thinking today, that most of the population, here in America, live on the coasts. Therefore, I live in what people from the coasts condescendingly call fly over country, where all the hayseeds live.

I often see aircraft flying high across the sky, see their vapor trails in the daytime, and the flashing lights crossing the sky, at night.

Seeing them, I sometimes wonder where they are coming from, and where they are going to. Also, is there anybody looking out of their window, seeing my small town go by, as they speed to their destination.

Remembering what it was like flying here before I came here to live, watching the towns, rivers, and roads pass by below. The houses like small dots on the landscape, the larger stores, and other buildings, with their parking lots all lit up with circles of light.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

With the 2022 Thanksgiving holiday fast approaching, here in the USA. I came across this line in an article in our local newspaper. “Thanksgiving is an attitude of gratitude that becomes an expression of the heart.” Something to remember and think on…

Today’s thoughts

Friends

One way to protect yourself from being hurt, is to not let anybody get close to you. Otherwise that’s the risk you take. But if you cannot trust anybody, and keep others at arms length, that makes for a lonely life.

Brief Encounter movie (1974)

I was looking to watch the 1946 movie Brief Encounter, on a streaming service, but instead came across a 1974 remake, starring Richard Burton and Sophia Loren. It is a great time capsule of life in Britain in the early 1970s. Takes me back to my teenage years… An enjoyable movie.

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0071247/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk