I've been a wild rover for many a year, & I've spent all my money on whiskey & beer...

Okay guys, let's get down to business. Enough of the fluff and the pretty feminine posts about makeup or whatever. Let's do something serious. I want to talk about beer.

But not just any beer, one in particular. Not deliciously smooth Stella Artois, not aggressively crisp Heineken... no. I'm talking about the wonderfully bold beast...

You guessed it, the ever so dark and rich Guinness. And no, this isn't just about St. Patrick's Day coming up (Tuesday, March 17th, for anyone who may not remember), it's also because there are real benefits to drinking this glorious beer. Actually, there are. I've looked them up. Don't believe me? READ ON, MY FRIENDS, READ ON.

Let's start with a brief history of Guinness. In 1725, Arthur Guinness was born in Celbridge, County Kildare, Ireland. His godfather was Rev. Arthur Price, who, in 1752, passed away and left Arthur Guinness £100 (which is under $200 CAD), and three years from that, he set up his business as a brewer a short distance outside of Dublin. In 1759, Arthur signed a 9,000-year lease on a disused, four acre brewery at St. James’s Gate in Dublin, which is where he began to brew porters and ales. In 1769 was when Guinness was finally exported for the first time to England. Due to the popularity of Guinness, in 1799 Arthur decided to focus solely on brewing porters, and discontinued brewing ales. In 1803, Arthur Guinness died, and that's when his son, Arthur Guinness II inherited the brewery. Though Guinness was shipped to many other countries before this time, in 1840 is when a shipment finally made it's way out to New York.

And there you have it. The rest is history (hah...). Now moving on...

Why on Earth would Guinness be good for you? Some may ask. Just simmer down, I've done my research, you have nothing to worry about from here on out.

I was at work one day, just having a chat with my boss, and the topic of how I'm low on iron came up and he said "Doctors told my mother, who was also low on iron, that she should drink a Guinness a day. It's especially good for women who are low on iron to drink a Guinness a day." Don't get me wrong, if I had more money, I wouldn't hesitate. It would happen.

But it got me to thinking, is this legitimate? Yes and no. In the 1920's, Guinness came out with a slogan that said "Guinness is good for you!", which was based on market research that found that people would just feel better after drinking a pint. Well obviously...

It was later discovered that another reason for the ad campaign was that Guinness contained iron. Apparently pregnant women were even encouraged to indulge in a pint occasionally. To actually reap the iron benefits of this porter, one would have to drink approximately 12 pints a day, and therefore the alcohol and calories (only 210 in a 20-ounce pint) in a pint would cause more harm before the iron had any effect. But like, I wouldn't complain....

The actual health benefit of Guinness is similar to that of red wine. It is high in antioxidant compounds called flavonoids, just like red wine, tea and chocolate. These can reduce the risk of blood clotting, which in turn reduces the risks of heart attacks. (I'm thinking though if you went with the 12 pints a day, it's not the heart attacks you'd have to worry about.)

FUN FACT: In 2003, researchers at the University of Wisconsin performed a laboratory test on dogs who had clogged arteries. They were comparing the effects of Guinness, a dark porter, and Heineken, a pale lager. (Both are great, though.) Only the dogs fed Guinness were found to be the ones with reduced clotting.

So ladies (and gentlemen, too), give the wondrous Guinness a stab. I promise you won't be disappointed. (Unless you already don't like it, in that case I don't get you.) And what better day to begin drinking it than St. Patrick's Day? This Tuesday. Do it. Drink Guinness.

Or bake with it! There are so many Guinness cakes and cookies and brownies that can be made, as well as Guinness stews (it is Irish, after all).


AND ALWAYS REMEMBER....

So like where did my research come from? I'll tell you:
History of Guinness - http://www.guinness.com/en-ca/thestory.html#
Health Benefits of Guinness - http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/is-guinness-really-good-for-you-54943899/?no-ist

The Beauty of the Green.

I decided after a short bit of work this morning, that I was going to treat myself to some Tim Horton's for accomplishing a great deal of organization of paperwork. I guess I should mention that I am trying to eat healthy with my roommate; we have been cutting down on sugars and portion sizes, and resisting the urge to binge eat high sodium snacks. So when I order from Tim Horton's, it's usually a bagel with cream cheese (holy high fat, Batman), and one of those heavenly steeped teas with two milks and two sugars.

As I pulled my car up to the drive-thru, I noticed a line of approximately ten cars. The Universe is clearly not letting me give in to my cravings and temptations, and I greatly appreciate it. I came home to eat a small bowl of cereal with flax, and a nice steaming cup of chai green tea.

Because green tea, ladies and gentlemen, is incredible. We're all aware of the antioxidants, metabolism boosting, and cancer prevention benefits of green tea, am I right? Well here's a big shock. All green tea studies have inconclusive evidence for all of these benefits. However, I did a little research (because I swear by green tea's health benefits), and found a couple of points that I'd like to mention:

• Though there is no real sturdy evidence that green tea helps prevent or treat cancer, there is, however, limited evidence (found in 2014 by Meta-Analyses) showing a lower risk of lung cancer in women. (Yay!)
• Studies have found that green tea has been associated with a reduced risk of strokes. Green tea also has been known to lower blood pressure by minimal amounts, over a 3-6 month period.

So that's still pretty cool right? What is the point of informing you of the super unsure facts about green tea? Well because I am living proof that green tea, not only in the drinkable form, is amazing for women and men alike.

Every time I enjoy a cup of green tea, though it doesn't give me energy like coffee does, it makes me feel at LEAST 85% better than I am already feeling. My joints don't feel stiff, my stomach and intestine region have zero pains (which is actually a common problem with me, but that's saved for another day), and I feel more alert. Maybe a placebo effect, you may ask? No! I dare say. I've been drinking green tea since I was a teenager. I didn't know how awesome it was then, I just liked it.

I'll tell you what, I've never had acne in my life. Well, at least a face full of acne. I got very lucky in my teen years. My t-zone was my problem area, and it wasn't even a problem. Occasional pimples around the time of my period? I mean, why would I complain? Well, because I was a teenager. I've now come to the realization that HEY. EVERYONE GETS ZITS. GET OVER IT. NO ONE CARES. IT'S A REGULAR THING. WELCOME TO LIFE.

If I could have a nickel for every time someone complimented my blemish-free, smooth as shit, evenly toned skin, I'd be several dollars richer. I'm going to let you in on my secret, ladies and gents. St. Ive's Blemish Control Green Tea Cleanser. I've been using it since I was in my late teens, and I will never use another product for my face. (Except for the Apricot Scrub from St. Ives. But only like, twice a week.) What are the benefits of this cleanser? WELL...:

• 100% natural extracts.
• Paraben-free
• Oil free
• Dermatologist tested
• Hypoallergenic

Also! The key ingredients are green tea (obvie), olive oil, and olive leaf extract. I know what you're thinking, it says oil free so why does it contain olive oil? You just simmer down, okay. Olive oil is the bee's knees. The cat's pajamas. The creme de la creme. Put that shit in your hair and holy crap. Rub it on your body and mother trucker. It's the ultimate natural lotion. So with the 2% of salicylic acid to help kill all those blackheads and blemishes, that olive oil is in there to rejuvinate your damn skin cells. And that's all I want to hear about this olive oil thing!

So there you have it. This is how awesome green tea is. So go pick yourself up a bottle of St. Ive's Blemish Control Green Tea Cleanser, make yourself a giant pot of green tea (because to really reap the benefits, you need to have 7+ cups a day), and bask in the beautiful healthiness of this gift from the Earth.