Thursday, September 30, 2010

For Love of Chocolate...The Best News You'll Hear All Day




You can thank the Spanish for making chocolate a common ingredient of the western diet.

Cacao is a bean that we get chocolate from, and I have been studying the Cacao bean, lately. It is native to the Americas and was used by the Aztecs both for food and currency. Cacao is the bean that we get cocoa from which is made by grinding the beans and removing the butter. Thanks to the Spanish it was introduced to Europe in the 1600s, and the world has been enjoying its decadent taste ever since.

Who in their right mind doesn't love chocolate? Some are extremists, called chocaholics, but most enjoy sinking their teeth into a rich dark chocolate bar, or sipping on a big mug of hot cocoa. Over the centuries it has become an indulgence that we have felt guilty for, but not enough to abstain from. And there is good reason that we love it so much.

One reason (backed by research) is that cacao raises the levels of endorphins in our bodies which relieve pain and give us a feeling of euphoria. It also raises serotonin levels and acts as an antidepressant. It is the ultimate comfort food!

There are many other health benefits to cacao. One of the most astounding is that raw cacao ranks higher in antioxidants than even acai berries, and blueberries. It has also been shown to lower blood pressure, balance blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of blood clotting. It's a complete food, and has everything your body needs to survive.

Cacao has even been shown to be good for your heart. A 15-year study of elderly men published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2006 found there was a 50 percent reduction in cardiovascular death for men who regularly consumed the most cocoa, compared to those who consumed the least.

But the best news of all is...it can be a vital ingredient in a successful weight-loss program! Yes!!! Cacao can actually help you to lose weight. Imagine enjoying the wonderful, rich flavor of chocolate everyday and losing unwanted pounds. The best part is that you can get cacao and the two other ingredients you need for a delicious weight-loss recipe right from your local health food store! And the recipe is so easy to make, you can easily whip it up every day.
CLICK HERE for more information about this recipe.

ISN'T THIS THE BEST NEWS YOU'VE HAD ALL DAY?

Thursday, September 23, 2010

The Benefits of Pet Ownership

If you suffer from high blood pressure, or live with a lot of stress, you may want to consider owning a pet. Studies have shown that pet ownership can reduce blood pressure more effectively than the drugs that are commonly prescribed by doctors.

Karen Allen, Ph.D., UB research assistant professor of medicine, researched the effect of social support on heart rate, blood pressure and responses to mental stress in a group of 48 stockbrokers, all of whom were being treated with lisinopril, an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor used to treat hypertension.
She found that the 24 participants selected at random to add a dog or cat to their treatment regimen remained significantly more stable during stressful situations than the24 participants in the non-pet-owner group, who served as controls.

Allen stated that "This study shows that if you have high blood pressure, a pet is very good for you when you're under stress, and pet ownership is especially good for you if you have a limited support system." All of the study participants had lived alone for more than five years.

Pets also encourage you to get out and exercise. Seniors with dogs go for more walks and are generally more active than those without dogs. Walking your dog makes it easier to meet new people. People seem to be able to interact more freely with others who have an animal with them.
Pets Stave Off Loneliness and Provide Unconditional Love. Pets can often be there for you when people can’t. They offer love and companionship, don’t mind silence, they are good at keeping secrets and are excellent cuddlers. For many people they provide the best antidote for loneliness. In fact, nursing homes have reported less loneliness for residents when visited by dogs than when spending time with other people! All these benefits can reduce the amount of stress, feelings of social isolation and lack of social support from people.

Researchers think that caring for a pet may provide older people with a sense of purpose and responsibility and make them less apathetic and more active in day-to-day activities.

Other health benefits of pet ownership are reduction in depression, help during times of loss, a sense of security, and many have reported fewer trips to the doctors. These are all good reasons to consider owning a pet.

My husband and I recently decided to get a rescue dog after about 10 years of being petless, and we have already enjoyed many of the benefits of having a pet around. You can check out my “dog blog” at mydogrio.info. The rescue organization where we got Rio is H.A.L.T. You should check them out.

Find  tips and helpful tools for your pets on this site:
Credit: Free pictures from acobox.com
How Sweet It Is

My granddaughter tells me she has a “sweet tooth.” Unfortunately, that is typical for most people in our society. Sugar is an addiction most of us don’t want to give up, and most don’t have a clue how much sugar we put in our body every day.

We are predisposed to seek out sugar because it fuels our brains and muscles. People have used sweeteners over the past centuries very safely and efficiently. But then, we learned how to process and refine it and it became a staple on every family’s table. We went from using natural sweeteners like honey, molasses and maple sugars as condiments added after cooking; to putting refined white sugar in everything. We have become so used to the taste that we crave anything sweet. It consists of empty calories with no protein, fat or fiber. These calories take the place of real food and therefore we gain weight while we starve our cells.

The dangers of our sugar addiction are immense. Obesity is skyrocketing in every age group. Beyond that, sugar causes inflammation and disease. Sugar can suppress the immune system and upset your body’s mineral balance. It is also known to contribute to anxiety and depression. Sugar can cause coronary heart disease, tooth decay, diabetes, fat in the liver and strokes. The list goes on. Cardiovascular disease and cancer was virtually unknown in the early 1900’s when people were eating only 5 pounds of sugar per year, compared to 26 pounds or more today.

In an interview by Liz Lipski, (PhD, CCN) with Connie Bennett and Stephen Sinatra, MD, authors of Sugar Shock, Connie told of her experience with her sugar intake:  “I was a pooped-out, fuzzy-headed, depression-plagued woman with the life force of a slug under an immovable boulder. Not only that, but I suffered from erratic mood swings, crushing headaches and unpredictable crying spells. He [the doctor] told me to quit all the red licorice, chocolate, and hard candies that I so regularly relied on. He also ordered me to stop eating all processed carbohydrates - you know - foods like white bread, white rice and refined pasta. I quit them all cold turkey. Amazingly, kicking sweets worked! All 44 of my perplexing maladies went poof.”

So obviously we need to replace the sugar with something more nutritious. Replacing sugar with honey is a great start. Honey is a great longevity food and is full of minerals.

But in there is something even better. There is a natural sweetener that does not increase blood glucose. It is a glucose-free sweetener and contains sugars that are complex enough to have medicinal properties that help our immune system combat viruses and bad bacteria. It is nature’s sweet treat without the guilt. It is called oligofructose. Clinical studies show a diet rich in oligofructan can help with weight loss, cardiovascular disease, prevention of the risk of cancer and many other chronic diseases.

This is one of the ingredients in the amazing chocolate recipes you can find out about with the Xocoslim weight loss program. It lets you eat as much delicious chocolate as you want while helping you to lose all the pounds you want. You will be amazed how simply removing white sugar from your diet will make you feel better than ever. Act now and you will start right away to enjoy all the tips and recipes for a more healthy you with the Xocoslim weight loss plan.