The last day of January is here! We are happily experiencing a bit of a “January thaw” this weekend with temps spiking well up into the 30s where I live! This is certainly a welcome respite from the frigid weather we’ve been having for a lot of this winter. I think I need to seriously consider “snowbirding” somewhere because this has become rather unpleasant….
Anyway…I was looking for happy news and here’s what I found! Enjoy!
Plums Poised to Give Blueberries Run for the Money
There’s an new star in the super-food world! Plums are the newest discovered superfood of healthy nutrients.
Blueberries have some stiff competition now with “stone fruits” the emerging stars.
The plum is being shown to match or exceed the much-touted blueberries in antioxidants and phytonutrients associated with disease prevention. Blueberries are still a good nutritional choice. But plums are good too, especially in tight economic times. There is one relatively inexpensive plum that contains about the same amount of antioxidants as a handful of more expensive blueberries.
Coffee May Aid Mental Health
Great news for coffee lovers out there!
Coffee may do more than just keep you alert in the morning. Recent studies show that coffee can be linked to increased mental health. A team of Swedish and Danish researchers observed a group of 1,409 men and women for a period of 21 years. Those who reported drinking three to five cups of coffee per day were 65% less likely to have developed dementia than those who drank two cups or less.
Although the observational study does not provide any concrete evidence that coffee consumption prevents dementia, researches offer several possibilities. It may be that coffee has an antioxidant effect in the bloodstream.
Texas Boys Return Long-lost Ring To Owner
Luke Lytle, 12, and his brother Sam, 8, bought a new metal detector and before the day was out they had made a great discovery! They decided to try their new tool out at a nearby playground. It didn’t take them long to find a golden ring buried six inches under the earth.
“When I first saw it I thought “oh boy, Cash for Gold here I come” but soon I heard the Lord telling me that I needed to return the ring to its owner,” Lytle said.
After looking on the Internet using the initials on the inside of the ring, they learned the ring belonged to Franklin Weeks, of Lufkin. Early Tuesday they were at his house to return what was rightfully his.
The ring had been missing for over twenty years. The best that Weeks can figure he must have lost it when he was helping a local church put in new playground equipment at the spot where the ring was found.
