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Posts Tagged ‘Healthy’

Science now confirms chocolate is healthy. Medical doctors are proving that chocolate is healthy through clinical trials and research. The word is spreading; from radio, to television, to Internet, doctors now confirm that chocolate has numerous health benefits both physically and emotionally. So how do we know which chocolate is truly healthy and good for us? Here are some healthy chocolate tips to help you find the chocolate that is right for you.

More and more people today are drawn to eating chocolate for health benefits. With nine out of ten people who love chocolate and one out of two of them eating it every day, this is indeed good news. What do we want to look for in a healthy chocolate? First of all, the more unprocessed cocoa powder a chocolate contains, the more flavanoids (plant based antioxidants) are present.

It is best to look for a chocolate with at least 70% unprocessed cocoa. Secondly, it should be a raw food chocolate. When chocolate is heated above one hundred degrees Fahrenheit the majority of the nutritional properties in the antioxidants are destroyed, leaving it devoid of the precious nutrients sought after in the first place. Seek to find a chocolate that has low-glycemic sweeteners, such as raw sugar cane, as opposed to refined sugar. Low glycemic chocolates are diabetic friendly and don’t leave you feeling “crashed”, due to high blood sugar spikes associated with refined sugars.

Not all chocolate is created equal. Another important point to consider when choosing a healthy chocolate is the ORAC rating. ORAC stands for oxygen radical absorbance capacity, which is a measurement of the antioxidants ability to eradicate disease-causing agents (free radicals). Some chocolate producers have ORAC ratings on their products, guaranteeing the antioxidant effectiveness. A company called Brunswick Labs tests antioxidants on a variety of foods, including chocolate, giving them a certified score. The higher the ORAC score the more antioxidants a food contains, thus healthier for the body.

Not all dark chocolate is healthy for the body. Many people believe that if a chocolate has a high percentage of dark chocolate that it is automatically high in antioxidants. However, most chocolate is dutched (alkalized, to modify flavor and color) and roasted during processing. Dutching and heating destroys the antioxidants and their capacity to eradicate free radicals. It is also common for dark chocolate to be filled with refined sugars, caffeine, waxes, and unhealthy fillers, which are all well known for contributing to adverse health effects.

Chocolate that is considered healthy has certain characteristics. One should consider where the cocoa beans come from. Cocoa beans harvested in more rugged, harsh conditions are more potent and richer in polyphenols (antioxidants). It is also important to know what the growing conditions are and what types of farms the beans are grown on. Cocoa trees that are grown next to other fruit trees often produce milder beans.

A natural, privately controlled setting is best at producing beans without use of pesticides. Another point to consider is fillers and fats. Chocolate rich in healthy fats such as cocoa butter and omega fatty acids are beneficial to the body. Avoid chocolate with milk fats or hydrogenated oils….bad fats. It is also of great importance to know that Not all chocolate contains caffeine, though caffeine is often associated with chocolate, it is not a naturally occurring ingredient. Caffeine is usually added to commercial chocolates.

Eating the right chocolate on a steady basis can be a great benefit to your health. Knowing the ingredients, processing methods, ORAC ratings, and growing conditions can enhance your choices and experiences with chocolate.

The bottom line; yes you CAN have your chocolate and EAT it too!

Contact Bradley and Theresa Smith to learn more about healthy chocolate at http://www.thechocolateoracle.com

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The American lifestyle is hectic, on-the-go, and completely packed with obligations and responsibilities. Modern mothers bounce from full-time jobs to picking up the kids and chauffeuring them around town. The children need to be at soccer practices and Boy Scout meetings and choir rehearsals. Fathers endure an ever-expanding workweek to pay rent or mortgage and keep food on the table, but still attend little league baseball games and band concerts. For single parents, all the parenting roles are handed to just one adult. We work seemingly around the clock, so exactly how is one supposed to maintain a healthy lifestyle?

Well, when life is moving at the speed of light like that, it’s time to think outside the box. If you are at work from eight in the morning until five at night, you have opportunities to help maintain or improve your health, but you need to take some simple steps.

A Full Night’s Sleep

The first step for becoming a healthy employee actually starts at home, but is completely priceless with regard to how you feel and how you perform at work. This tip is actually rather easy, yet, with alarming frequency, it isn’t followed. To put it plain and simple, make sure you get seven to eight hours of sleep a night. Your body needs the rest, especially after the grueling schedules everyone seems to be keeping nowadays. Anything less than seven hours of sleep and there is a direct impact on how you perform at work. The human body is not designed to be a twenty-four hour dynamo, so if you don’t treat it like one, you will begin to reap immediate benefits.

Healthy snacking

Another simple step to improve your health during the workday is to engage in healthy snacking. The old adage used to be “three square meals a day,” but that is starting to fall by the wayside. Your new goal should be to have six or seven meals spread out evenly (within reason) throughout the day. Now, we aren’t talking steak-and-potatoes for all those meals. Begin your day with a healthy breakfast of your choosing and then have a ten o’clock snack. Something along the lines of cheese, yogurt, and maybe a piece of fruit would go a long way to helping. Enjoy a healthy lunch like turkey on whole wheat with mustard and a side of grape tomatoes. At three o’clock, take another snack break. Almonds and dried fruit mixed together tastes great and will give you some protein and antioxidants, too.

Drink Water Throughout the Day

In addition to snacking throughout the day, make sure you are also drinking plenty of water (not sugar-laden drinks like soda). This is such an easy tip and it will help filter toxins from your body, along with helping to make you feel full and keeping you from heading to the vending machines for a candy bar. Not many people are aware of this, but often when you feel hungry, you are actually thirsty. Staying on top of your water consumption will help prevent unhealthy snacking.

Take Advantage of Your Lunch Hour

Your non-work hours might be full with the hustle and bustle of modern day life and finding time to work out might be an issue for you. To combat this problem, though, you can opt to join a gym near your place of employment and go there on your lunch break. This assumes, of course, that you are able to leave your office and have an hour for lunch. If this does apply, you can easily catch a quick half hour workout, shower, and still have time to eat a sandwich during your break.

If the prospect of joining a gym seems rather daunting or unappealing, don’t discount the benefit of taking a walk. The aerobic benefits will be seen in only a matter of weeks and it will give you a chance to enjoy the great outdoors and stay out of the fluorescent lights for a bit. Also, you can find a partner to go walking with everyday and it will help both of you to stay accountable to each other.

Move Around During the Workday

Sitting stagnant all day long is not what the human body was intended to do. If you have a desk job, every half hour stand up and move around. You don’t have to take laps around the office and risk being labeled as compulsive or strange, but stop by someone else’s desk and strike up a little conversation. You do not have to make it a lengthy talk; just a quick “How’s it going?” is all it takes. When you get back to your desk, you will feel better having stretched out your legs and you might develop some new friendships in the process, which is also healthy.

Our world is fast-paced, but that isn’t any reason to let it hold you back from enjoying a healthy lifestyle. Simply go to bed a little earlier, eat plenty of healthy snacks and drink lots of water throughout the day, try to catch a workout or walk on your lunch break, and make sure you move around a bit during work hours. A lot of us don’t have physically-demanding jobs, but there is still plenty of opportunity to be healthy!

John Neeb is a MI-based freelance writer. For more information about John, please visit his blog at http://jmneeb.blogspot.com/

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by theloushe

Believe it or not, you impart a legacy of health to your children that goes well beyond the genes you give them. You also pass along health beliefs and model health-related choices. Here are 5 tips that will set your kids up on a path towards a healthy life.

1. Instill a sense of wonder about the body.

Many adults fear and distrust their bodies. They believe that the body is fragile, and illness is just around the corner. The myth that you will catch a cold if you go outside without a coat persists. Your kids are listening when you look in the mirror and say to no one in particular, “I’m so fat.”

The truth is your body is the most miraculous mechanical system on the planet. Cuts heal without a single thought or action on your part. Your immune system is your own personal homeland security system, protecting you from bacterial and viral terrorists. Yes, illness is part of the human condition. And we have powerful treatments that add to your body’s own ability to heal. Look at your body’s ability to battle illnesses, such as the common cold. This alone offers concrete evidence of your body’s resiliency.

Comment on your child’s amazing body. “Wow, that cut healed in no time!” or “You have such strong fast legs” or “Look at what your hands have been able to draw.” Remind your child how great it is to have eyes and kidneys and hearts that work so well.

2. Become a student of the human body with your child.

Your kids will come to you with questions about how their bodies work. It can be uncomfortable for both you and your child when you don’t have the answers. This discomfort can teach children that they should avoid questions about how their bodies work, which may, in part, explain why parents themselves are reluctant to ask doctors embarrassing questions.

Remember, no one has all the answers. That’s why your doctor participates in continuing medical education. Your child can remind you of the joy of discovery. Together you can look for answers. I mentioned to my son that bones make blood and he asked, “What about creatures with exoskeletons?” I said, “What an interesting question. Let’s get on the Internet and see what we can find out.” Have a child-appropriate book about the body available and learn and use anatomically correct words. Maybe you can have a family contest to come up with the coolest medical term.

3. Teach your kids to listen to their bodies.

Often it feels as if adults are rewarded for ignoring or overcoming the signals from their bodies. The “hero” who comes to work with the flu or the mom who ignores her need for food or sleep. Health is maintained when you know the signals that suggest your body is out of balance and respond in a timely manner when your body indicates it needs something.

Help your kids identify when they’re cold or hungry or tired. You can say even to an infant, “You look hot, so I’m taking off the blanket.” Give your child some experience regulating his external environment like taking on and off sweaters. Educate your children that pain is there to keep them safe. Say, “Owies are no fun, but they’re there to keep you from burning yourself on the stove or cutting yourself with a knife. That’s how your body reminds you to be careful.”

4. Model healthy eating habits.

Childhood obesity is a growing problem. Talk with your kids about good food choices and bad ones. Encourage them to ask themselves, “What kind of food is my body hungry for right now?’ and “Am I full?” even if there’s still food on the plate. Pay attention to see if your child is a “grazer” or a 3-squares-a-day kid and set an eating schedule that reflects their style. Decide whether it’s OK to indulge in unhealthy food choices now and then. When I inquired about the nutritional value of my son’s snack of donuts, he said, “It’s health food for the soul!”

5. Reward health rather than illness.

Some of my best childhood memories come from times when I was sick. In an effort to ease my pain, my mother unwittingly rewarded illness by lavishing attention on me, delivering endless bowls of ice cream and playing games with me. Who wouldn’t want to be sick!

Instead, lavish attention on your kids when they’re well. While you don’t want to punish your kids for being sick, consider which privileges of health should be withdrawn during sick days.

When you instill in your children a sense of pride, wonder and respect for their bodies, you have given them the foundation of health.

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