Health Benefits of Chocolate

Why is Dark Chocolate Healthy?

Chocolate is made from plants, which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables. These benefits are from flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, which can cause damage that leads to heart disease. Dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants (nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries). Flavonoids also help relax blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide, and balance certain hormones in the body.

Heart Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate:

Dark chocolate is good for your heart. A small bar of it everyday can help keep your heart and cardiovascular system running well. Two heart health benefits of dark chocolate are:

Lower Blood Pressure: Studies have shown that consuming a small bar of dark chocolate everyday can reduce blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure.

Lower Cholesterol: Dark chocolate has also been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) by up to 10 percent.

Other Benefits of Dark Chocolate:

Chocolate also holds benefits apart from protecting your heart:

·         It tastes good

·         It stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure

·         It contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant

·         It contains theobromine, caffeine and other substances which are stimulants

Doesn't Chocolate Have a lot of Fat?

Here is some more good news -- some of the fats in chocolate do not impact your cholesterol. The fats in chocolate are 1/3 oleic acid, 1/3 stearic acid and 1/3 palmitic acid:

Oleic Acid is a healthy monounsaturated fat that is also found in olive oil.

Stearic Acid is a saturated fat but one which research is shows has a neutral effect on cholesterol.

Palmitic Acid is also a saturated fat, one which raises cholesterol and heart disease risk.

That means only 1/3 of the fat in dark chocolate is bad for you.

Chocolate Tip 1 - Balance the Calories:

This information doesn't mean that you should eat a pound of chocolate a day. Chocolate is still a high-calorie, high-fat food. Most of the studies done used no more than 100 grams, or about 3.5 ounces, of dark chocolate a day to get the benefits.

One bar of dark chocolate has around 400 calories. If you eat half a bar of chocolate a day, you must balance those 200 calories by eating less of something else. Cut out other sweets or snacks and replace them with chocolate to keep your total calories the same.

Chocolate Tip 2 - Taste the Chocolate:

Chocolate is a complex food with over 300 compounds and chemicals in each bite. To really enjoy and appreciate chocolate, take the time to taste it. Professional chocolate tasters have developed a system for tasting chocolate that include assessing the appearance, smell, feel and taste of each piece.

Chocolate Tip 3 - Go for Dark Chocolate:

Dark chocolate has far more antioxidants than milk or white chocolate. These other two chocolates cannot make any health claims. Dark chocolate has 65 percent or higher cocoa content.

Chocolate Tip 4 - Skip the Nougat:

You should look for pure dark chocolate or dark chocolate with nuts, orange peel or other flavorings. Avoid anything with caramel, nougat or other fillings. These fillings are just adding sugar and fat which erase many of the benefits you get from eating the chocolate.

Chocolate Tip 5 - Avoid Milk:

It may taste good but some research shows that washing your chocolate down with a glass of milk could prevent the antioxidants being absorbed or used by your body.

Source from: Chocolate Manufacturers Association; Journal of the American Medical Association

Laughter is the best medicine

Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hopes, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert.

With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health.

Laughter is good for your health

Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.

Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.

Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.

Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

The Benefits of Laughter

Physical Health Benefits:

·         Boosts immunity

·         Lowers stress hormones

·         Decreases pain

·         Relaxes your muscles

·         Prevents heart disease

Mental Health Benefits:

·         Adds joy and zest to life

·         Eases anxiety and fear

·         Relieves stress

·         Improves mood

·         Enhances resilience

Social Benefits:

·         Strengthens relationships

·         Attracts others to us

·         Enhances teamwork

·         Helps defuse conflict

·         Promotes group bonding

   

source from: www.helpguide.org/life/humor_laughter_health.htm

Fruit and Vegetable Benefits

Nutrient Information

Fruits and vegetables are sources of many vitamins, minerals and other natural substances that may help protect you from chronic diseases. Some of these nutrients may also be found in other foods. Eating a balanced diet and making other lifestyle changes are key to maintaining your body's good health.

Fiber

Diets rich in dietary fiber have been shown to have a number of beneficial effects including decreased risk of coronary artery disease.

Excellent vegetable sources: 
navy beans, kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, lima beans, white beans, soybeans, split peas, chick peas, black eyed peas, lentils, artichokes

Folate

Healthful diets with adequate folate may reduce a woman's risk of having a child with a brain or spinal cord defect.

Excellent vegetable sources: 
black eyed peas, cooked spinach, great northern beans, asparagus

Potassium

Diets rich in potassium may help to maintain a healthy blood pressure.

Good fruit and vegetable sources: 
sweet potatoes, tomato paste, tomato puree, beet greens, white potatoes, white beans, lima beans, cooked greens, carrot juice, prune juice

Vitamin A

Vitamin A keeps eyes and skin healthy and helps to protect against infections.

Excellent fruit and vegetable sources: 
sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, spinach, turnip greens, mustard greens, kale, collard greens, winter squash, cantaloupe, red peppers, Chinese cabbage

Vitamin C

Vitamin C helps heal cuts and wounds and keep teeth and gums healthy.

Excellent fruit and vegetable sources: 
red and green peppers, kiwi, strawberries, sweet potatoes, kale, cantaloupe, broccoli, pineapple, Brussels sprouts, oranges, mangoes, tomato juice, cauliflower

Good sources: These foods contain 10 to 19 percent of the Daily Value per reference amount.

Excellent sources: These foods contain 20 percent or more of the Daily Value per reference amount.

Source from: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/benefits/nutrient_guide.html

5 Easy Ways to Prevent Overeating.

Enjoying a breakfast that includes lean protein, such as eggs, will help you stay fuller all morning and prevent overeating later on.

Image: Clipart.com

These tips will help you feel fuller longer and curb cravings. Give them a try, and you could prevent overeating before you have even had the chance to say, "I couldn't eat another bite"!

                                                                                                                              

Don't skimp during the day to "save" calories for later on in the evening. No matter how "in control" you feel during the day, you're likely to become overly hungry by evening, which is a sure-fire way to give in to overeating. And above all, don't skip any meals to reserve calories for another; it almost always backfires.

Eat breakfast every morning. Doing so keeps your blood sugar stable -- which helps keep cravings at bay -- and energy levels high (we tend to eat more when feeling sluggish). In fact, studies have shown that people who eat breakfast tend to be at a healthier weight than those of us who skip it.

Drinking plenty of water throughout the day as well as eating water-rich fruits such as melon or oranges will help you feel sated throughout the day. Additionally, thirst is easily confused with hunger so staying well-hydrated may prevent you from eating when you're not actually feeling true hunger.

Get enough sleep. Without even realizing it, we tend to eat more when we're tired; it's a way to "perk" ourselves up. While eating something high in carbs will give you a burst of energy, it will soon fade away. Feeling well-rested may help keep that "afternoon slump" at bay (and you away from the vending machine).

Eat on a regular schedule. Eating regularly will keep you from getting too hungry to stay in control of what -- and how much -- you eat. You should never go longer than five hours without eating; ideally, you should have something every three hours or so. This can be accomplished by incorporating healthful snacks into your day or by eating several mini-meals instead of three large ones.

 source: http://weightloss.about.com/od/eatsmart/qt/overeating.htm

Skyscraper - Demi Lovato (cover) Megan Nicole and Boyce Avenue