Love in the Time of Coronavirus

Love is a verb in action and an oath to protect, defend and rescue, the one you are fond of. Therefore in times of Coronavirus, it is your duty to keep your loved one safe at all cost. Every day, whether consciously or unconsciously, your choices ensure whether the object of your affection continues to thrive or not. Therefore, if you happen to have found your one, you need to do whatever it takes to keep love alive and well.

A relationship isn’t invulnerable if not protected and immunized against compromising elements such as resentment, monotony, and disappointment. All types of relations require active work and efforts. A way of life does not protect love; to forge a strong bond: discipline, intuition, gratification, care and attention are required.

One of the proofs of love is protecting our lover from ourselves. A true lover is willing to compromise himself rather than jeopardize the other.  Therefore, in time of Coronavirus, it is essential, to take extreme measures to avoid putting your loved one at risk.

• Maintain a safe distance of 2 meters at all times.
• Adopt an obsessive approach to hygiene, as it will ensure that you keep the virus at bay.
• Tactfulness and savoir-vivre protocols doesn’t only reveal a noble nature, but it also helps insure that you don’t compromise the health of those around you. It teaches you proper conduct: How to sneeze, never touch someone else’s belongings…etc.
• Don’t engage in any physical contact.
• Love doesn’t have to be physical. If true, affection reveals itself in how you gaze upon her, how your eyes light-up and your smile radiates when she is in your vicinity, the way you say her name.
• Be alert, well informed and disciplined.
• It is your duty to be wise enough to protect your lover from herself. Therefore, make sure that safety measures are in effect at all times. In matters of health, slacking is not an option. You have to raise your lover’s awareness in order to insure her safety even when you are not around.
• Keep her entertained and calm. When you show her you are in-full control, insuring her ultimate protection, you leave her no space to fear for herself. Furthermore, the more you prioritize her happiness, the less she will be prone to get depressed.

In times of Coronavirus, love can be shown in many ways, one more touching than the other, such as this scene from Dustin Hoffman’s movie Pandemic (click here to watch it). This is your opportunity to show the depth of your protection.

The Black Elixir

Coffee, the black elixir is a brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Several techniques like French Press, Chemex, AeroPress and different blends have been used to optimize the drink adored by many around the world.

Here-are the reasons why you can sip your coffee with a clear conscious:

• Good for your over-all heath: According to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, it increases fiber intake and lowers the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, Sclerosis, colorectal cancer, retinal damage, depression and aids in the prevention of cirrhosis of the liver, heart disease, Alzheimer  and Parkinson diseases.
• Beneficial for athletes: According to the Journal of Pain, drinking two cups of coffee can cut post-workout muscle pain by up to 48%.
• Strengthens the DNA: According to the European Journal of Nutrition coffee drinkers have a stronger DNA because their white blood cells have far less DNA strand breakage.
• Longevity:Greeks believed that coffee promotes longer life span and better heart health.

Coffee’s health-promoting properties are due to the fact that it naturally has antioxidants that is why The USDA’s dietary guidelines recommend it for better health.  However, coffee may not be beneficial for everyone, like pregnant women, people with certain heart conditions, that is why it is recommended to consume it in moderation.

For the Love of Wine and Pasta

Diets don’t have to be depression inducers and you aren’t required to adapt to what you don’t like. According to nutritionist Paola Lovisetti you can still diet and enjoy your life.

In her book The Mamma Mia! Diet (co-written by Paola Palestini), she promises dieters that her way will leave them lighter, healthier and happier.

According to Paola it is possible to lose weight while being happy and enjoy delicious pasta and drink wine.

On the flipside, you need to abide by few guidelines:

Every morning, you need to drink, a glass of warm water mixed with the juice of half a lemon.
Choose wholegrain, wholewheat, spelt and buckwheat varieties of pasta.
Limit each serving to 70g.
Consume nuts and seeds.
Eat moderate quantity of cheese.
Don’t eat bread with your pasta.
Aim to eat 25-30g of fiber daily.
Enjoy a seasonal fruit, fresh orange juice, a small plain yogurt or 6 to 8 nuts.
Drink 1 to 1,5 litres of water every day.
Consume (120ml) glass of red wine every day.
Treat yourself to (30g) of dark chocolate.
Stay active, walk for half an hour.

Your seven-day wine and pasta diet plan:

Day 1

BREAKFAST: Wholegrain toast with jam

LUNCH: Wholewheat spaghetti with baby spinach, pear and pomegranate salad.
DINNER: Baked vegetable frittata

Day 2

BREAKFAST: Oat and banana cake

LUNCH: Wholewheat linguine with leeks and nuts
DINNER: Orange and pistachio

Day 3

BREAKFAST: Muesli with yoghurt
LUNCH: Wholewheat pasta salad with mackerel
DINNER: Stuffed peppers

Day 4

BREAKFAST: Repeat Day 1 breakfast.

LUNCH: Chickpea salad

Day 5

BREAKFAST: Peach shake
LUNCH: Wholewheat pasta with prawns and spinach
DINNER: Baked chicken with herbs

Days 6 & 7

REPEAT any two days.

Let’s raise our wine glasses and cheer those Italians, as they always find the best way to do things.

The Benefits of Liquid Courage

Whiskey, nicknamed “liquid courage” by cowboys, used to be the Wild Westerns’ favorite and their ultimate remedy. They used it as antiseptic and medicine for colds, rheumatism, arthritis and boredom. Even, back in the old days, The U.S. Army used whiskey for just about every ailment. ​

The consumption of whiskey has numerous effects but the most promenent one is lowering inhibitions and comforing courage. By making the person feel more confident in his own abilities, eliminating self-doubt, things seem tolerable. That is why people consume alcohol in a deliberate attempt to bolster their courage before doing something they consider scary and intimidating.

Weight Loss

According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, alcohol helps reduce obesity. With literately no fat and very little sodium, the liquid is very low in calories and carbohydrates.  It is a good option for those seeking weight-loss.

Prevents Dementia & Alzheimer

According to Pharmacognosy Review, whiskey can successfully boost cognitive performance and reduce the development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Protects the Heart

According to European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, people who consume a moderate amount of whiskey on a regular basis have almost a 50% lower chance of experiencing a heart attack, because whiskey increases HDL cholesterol, which counteracts the effects of LDL cholesterol.

Boosts Immune System

Whiskey has antioxidants and vitamins that stimulate the immune system, preventing cold, illnesses, and infections.

Controls Diabetes

According to the Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases Journal, whiskey improves the body’s ability to regulate insulin and glucose levels, thereby lowering the possibility of developing diabetes.

While sipping whiskey, in moderation, take comfort not only, in knowing the benefits of this drink, but also in the fact that this used to be the liquide of choice for those who ran free in the wild west.

The Elite’s Drink

Long time regarded as the drink of the elite, champagne, has earned some resentment from the masses. However, aside from its prestigious stature and subtle taste, champagne has many health benefits that people are not aware of:

Memory Booster

Dr Jeremy Spencer, lead researcher at Reading University, found that when given a small dose of champagne for six weeks, rats performed better than the rest at completing a maze.
He concluded  that compounds found in the two red grapes used to make champagne – Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – can improve memory and spatial awareness  and that three glasses a week could delay brain disorders, such as dementia.

Heart Benefits

 The high level of polyphenols can lower blood pressure and prevent heart problems.  In fact, Dr Jeremy Spencer, proved that a couple of glasses a day has the potential to reduce strokes and heart disease

Skin Detoxifier

According to dermatologist Marina Peredo, champagne detoxifies the skin with antioxidants and lightening tartaric acid helps even out the skin tone; it also has antibacterial properties.

Less Calorific

A small flute of Brut champagne is roughly 80-100 calories which is a lot less than beer and wine.

So in conclusion, consume the elite drink in moderation and live to be a healthy wanna be aristocrat.

Tomorrow’s Leaf

Angelica keiskei (Ashitaba) gained a reputation for being a health booster as well as the secret for eternal youth, thanks to Japanese Samurai warriors who favorited this food item. Angelica keiskei (Ashitaba) which means “Tomorrow’s Leaf” is found in Japan’s Pacific Coast.  It was nicknamed as such, because if cut, it has the ability to grow a new leaf, in few hours, thus replacing the old one.

Renowned for being the world’s number one country with the highest life expectancy, Japan, is also a heavy consumer of Angelica keiskei (Ashitaba). The medicinal plant can be, dried and used in tea or filled in capsules or incorporated in salads, because it has several benefits:

Anti-Aging  

Angelica keiskei (Ashitaba), slows down aging by fighting off free radicals and promoting restful sleep. Lab tests have shown that Angelica keiskei (Ashitaba) is able to protect cells and slowdown ageing in fruit flies and yeast thus stipulating that it can do the same for humans.

Weight Loss

In eight weeks, Angelica keiskei (Ashitaba) is able to fight stubborn belly fat and reduce weight when consumed, it increases the production of a hormone that helps people shed kilos.

Anti-Cancer

According to cell studies, Angelica keiskei (Ashitaba) increases anti-cancer enzyme markers, survival time and prevents cancer from spreading.

Regulates Diabetes and Blood Pressure

Angelica keiskei (Ashitaba) helps reduce blood sugar levels, insulin, and triglycerides. It can also prevent blood clots.

Prevents Alzheimer, Parkinson, and Dementia

Angelica keiskei (Ashitaba) boosts brain function, increases concentration, attention and helps control emotions thus preventing Alzheimer, Parkinson, and Dementia.

Boosts the Immune System

Angelica keiskei (Ashitaba) fights bacteria and accelerates wounds healing by boosting the immune system.

Aids the Central Nervous System

Angelica keiskei (Ashitaba) stimulates the growth of Nerve Growth Factor.

The Ashitaba is an ancient medicinal plant with endless benefits, however, it needs to be consumed with care as some people might be allergic to it.

A Pill for a Spotless Mind

In the movie:  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet resort to a procedure to erase each other from their memories, in an attempt to reduce emotional repercussion of their break-up. Fiction meets reality with Propranolol, the pill that promises to do exactly that.

A Canadian psychiatrist Alain Brunet began giving Propranolol, a medicine used to reduce bad memories, in an attempt to help, broken-hearted individuals, survive a bad break-up.

In Canada, this treatment is already administrated under the supervision of a psychologist or a psychiatrist, the patient takes a tablet and writes his traumatic memory. An hour later, when the drug has taken effect, he reads it. The memory of the traumatic break-up, loses its intensity and becomes bearable. It doesn’t fade away completely but its impact is less ravaging.  Patients are thus allowed to continue their lives in a normal way, free of the burden of a love wound.

 According to, Le Parisien, the Canadian psychiatrist Alain Brunet, is currently training French doctors in order to treat broken hearts.

One of the hardest things to get over, whether in love or friendship, is being forgotten thus replaced, as it stipulates that there wasn’t any real love nor friendship in the first place.

Furthermore, true love, in its essence, is everlasting, it doesn’t die nor fade away, that is what differentiates it from mainstream love, lust, or affection. It is not by coincidence that several Oxford studies have labeled love as addictive. Thus, whoever truly loves another can neither leave him nor stop loving him.  Like a planet and its moon, the two lovers orbit around each other, unable to break-free and forever drawn to one another. That is why in the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the estranged couple who has erased each other from their memories, starts dating again once they cross paths.

Maybe Propranolol, will have the same effect, if lovers forget their quarrels and resentments, they might reunite. Thus making, Propranolol, a make-up pill rather than a break-up pill.