February 2012 - Sensory Nutrition

A Dozen Heart Healthier Options When Dining on a Cruise Ship at Sea

You may be thinking to yourself are there REALLY any ways to follow a heart healthier dietary approach when vacationing on a cruise ship? Well, truth be told, it won’t always be easy to find them, but they do exist! (Photo taken in part of an AquaSpa Cafe area on board a cruise ship).

Champagne High Tea or Elite Elegant Tea at Sea

Back from our most recent cruise trip, we thought we would share our personal impressions of Champagne High Tea for-a-fee at sea for a single afternoon as compared to an elite tier loyalty program Elegant Tea at sea. The Champagne High Tea appears to be slightly more elaborate than the now discontinued part-of-the-cruise-fare High Tea used to be onboard. Champagne High Tea is offered to any cruise guests booking it in advance of the afternoon seating in the specialty European inspired cover charge restaurant onboard the ship.

Specialty Restaurants and Venues at Sea

Dining at sea means both the expected and the unexpected are now being offered for an additional cover charge beyond the cruise fare, allowing cruise ship guests more options than they ever previously had.

Memories of Dining at Sea

Having returned from a holiday at sea, we thought you might enjoy a little “behind the scenes” look into some of what it takes to feed some 2,000 or more guests on board a luxury Five Star cruise ship at sea. Original color photo was a gift courtesy of Celebrity Cruise Lines (decreased in size, antiqued, and blur edged vignette effects adjusted for this blog posting; I’m in the back row on the right as you look at the photo).

A Sensory Visit to the Isle of Spice

Grenada, part of the Grenadine islands, has long been called the Isle of Spice or the Spice Island, however, its biggest business today is really tourism with a nod to its heritage as a spice & herb producing & processing island. Historically, Grenada has been the second largest producer of nutmeg in the world (after Indonesia). The nutmeg pod is at the 8-9 o’clock position in the basket, while the cinnamon sticks in the center of the basket are actually approximately 10″ long. Cacao pods and bay leaves are at the 12 o’clock and 1-2-3 o’clock positions.

Tea: Lesser Known Facts, Customs & Sommeliers

(image 177225 High Tea courtesy of picgifs.com) Many people have heard of wine sommeliers as the trend to drink wine has increased in so many segments of society the world around, but did you know that there are also a group of people known as tea sommeliers?

Guest Blog “Success Via Simple, Small Steps”

Today’s blog features a Guest Contributing Author sharing a real life story about how a number of simple, small steps taken in life when it comes to making food choices can add up to measurable success. Please welcome our Guest Blogger (she’s been a young military wife while her husband has served in the Armed Forces) and read on as she shares a true success story…this is what she wrote in to me… “A year and a half ago my husband asked me to help him lose a little weight. He was active and got regular exercise, however his waist