As tripatlas.com/new salutes St. Patty’s day, we’d like to make a toast to Guinness! From Guinness history to Guinness recipes, Guinness as a source of nutrition and all about the elusive Guinness diet, we say cheers to you and to Guinness!
Ireland and the Origins of Guinness
There’s nothing in the world like a tall pint of Guinness. Without a doubt, Guinness is a popular cultural icon often associated with Ireland – having originated in Dublin at St. James’s Gate Brewery in 1759.
Amazingly, the same formula used back then is still being used to brew Guinness today – ever since the days of Arthur Guinness’ first glass!
Guinness Recipes & Ideas for St. Patrick’s Day
Guinness and St. Patrick’s Day have gone hand in hand for hundreds of years. Accordingly, Guinness has been used in Irish cooking for many years – so much so that it has become part of its cultural recipes.
There’s no better time to celebrate the Irish culture than on St Patrick’s Day! The next time you make your weekly visit to the local cheese shop – don’t forget to pick up a chunk of Guinness Irish Cheddar.
Better yet, try some of these dishes for your St. Patty’s day dinner – of course, served with a pint of Guinness! For a hearty meal, try the Beef and Guinness Pie or the Guinness Corned Beef. To start off, try making some Guinness Bread. To finish off the meal, try a slice of Guinness and Chocolate Cheesecake – with a pint, of course – the best way to finish off your meal!
Today: Guinness is Good For You!
Guinness’ slogan in the 1920’s: “Guinness is Good For You” was de-commissioned decades ago because it was thought the slogan was misleading and false. However, in the past few years, research has shown that there’s some actual truth to this slogan.
Nutritional Value of Guinness
A study conducted by the University of Wisconsin in 2003 looked at the nutritional value of a variety of beer. Of all beers, Guinness ranked lower in alcohol content, calories and carbohydrates than almost every other major brand of beer.
It also contains less calories than low-fat milk and orange juice. To top it off, Guinness is high in anti-oxidants. It’s been said that just one pint of Guinness a day works just as well as aspirin to prevent blood clots that can lead to heart attacks.
Guinness is the Best Medicine
To this day in Ireland, Guinness is used as a sort of treatment. Pregnant women, nursing mothers as well as blood donors and post-operative patients are given a pint of Guinness to help recover, due to its high-packed nutriet content.
The Elusive Guinness Diet
So, is it true? Have people actually tried drinking only Guinness for a week? A month?
Well, it’s been said that you only need one glass of orange juice, two glasses of milk and 47 pints of Guinness every day to get all the nutritional content your body needs per day.
In 2003, a man named Mike Burt from the U.K. tried living off a Guinness Diet for one week. The rules of the diet was: for each day, Burt would be able to consume 4-10 pints of Guinness, water, one pint of milk and a vitamin C supplement only. After 30 cans and 20 pub pints of Guinness, Burt lost 9 pounds and lives to tell his story.
In October 2007, Bob Blumer’s show “Glutton for Punishment” featured an episode where the host, Bob, tried a 5 day Guinness only diet. The result? Also weight loss.
So, cheers to Guinness and have a Happy and Safe St. Patrick’s Day!
Find out more about St. Patrick’s Famous Story: Snakes on a Plain.
More on Ireland? Try Ireland: The Emerald Isle.
There’s no mention of Ireland or St. Patty’s without hearing about the Legend of Leprechauns.
