"straws" news and stories

Recently, a friend passed along a tip from a dermatologist: Stop sipping through straws. The doctor said it was the number one cause of wrinkles.

Even more recently, at lunch one day my aunt relayed some info from her husband, an orthodontist. He said that drinking through a straw prevents cavities and tooth decay, since straws allow sugary beverages to bypass your teeth. When my aunt said this, everybody around the table (six women) stuck straws in their drinks. But when I countered with the skincare side of the question, my aunt was the first to pluck her straw right back out again.

The tooth-health argument is supported by copious research. On the other side, Lesley M. M. Blume warns the wrinkle-phobic about the practice in The Huffington Post and adds, "Not to mention that it looks jejune, and not in a charming way."

Blume also mentions smoking, the better-known culprit behind mouth wrinkles. Think about it. Fine lines around the eyes suggest lots of smiles and laughter (hence the term "laugh lines"). A web of creases encircling the lips, on the other hand, cries "nicotine addiction," even if, as my friend's dermatologist claims, a penchant for straws is the more likely cause.

Then again, missing teeth rank even lower on the charm scale. Plus, what about blowing bubbles in chocolate milk?

So, what's it going to be? Would you risk cavities to prevent wrinkles, or vice-versa? Or you could always ire both dentist and derm, and sip everything through a Twizzler.

I know the world of functional foods is really taking off, but pretty soon you could have an even more functional straw to gulp it down with.

Unistraw is slated to make drinking straws that'll add a probiotic boost to anything you drink with it. Using their patented sytem, the straws are designed to deliver "dry stable Unibeads" of probiotics via filters at each end.

They're partnering with the food packaging/processing giant Tetrapak to get the straws out there. Starting from the middle of next year, Tetrapak will include the straws on their carton packaging and both companies will be able to market the new device.

It's a bit out of season, but I can't help loving these stainless steel straw spoons anyway. Exactly what they sound like, these are straws that have small spoon projections on one end that make it easy to scoop up ice cream or fruit from a cold milkshake, float or smoothie, but still give you the ability to sip the liquidy parts. Usually, you'll only see cheap plastic versions of these at 1950s-themed eateries (and the occasional convenience store), but because of the material used to make these, they are built to last for repeated uses. They're great to have on hand in the summer when you're more likely to indulge in an ice cream-based drink on a regular basis.

They're $10 for a package of four and would make a great gift with a set of sundae glasses, especially if the recipient is someone who really likes root beer floats.

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