Eat your way to health

Category: Health and Wellness

Post 1 by sugar (Entertain me. I dare you.) on Sunday, 04-Feb-2007 14:43:35

Every ounce of chocolate contains 100 MGS of magnesium, and research suggests getting 400 MGS of this essential mineral daily cuts fatigue by 89 percent.
“That’s because magnesium works inside body and brain cells, helping to quickly convert food into energy,” Liberman, author of “The Real Vitamin and Mineral”
book. Incredibly, brand-new research suggests magnesium also helps shuttle excess sugar into hungry muscle cells, giving people 20 percent better blood
sugar control. “And that’s essential for staying energized all day long,” says Liberman.

Block the blues. Add a little chocolate latte to your diet, and you could slash your risk of depression in half. Why? Chocolate is rich in phenyl ethylamine—a
powerful mood-boosting hormone found in the brain. Even just smelling chocolate boosts your brain’s production of its own natural antidepressants, serotonin
and dopamine, researchers say. And according to experts, those same mood-boosting chemicals also help keep stress reactions in check.

“For best results, choose dark chocolate,” suggests nutrition researcher Liz Applegate, PHD, author of “Eat Your Way to a Healthy Heart.” “It contains far
more phenyl ethylamine than milk chocolate does.

Dodge Heart Attacks. Chocolate is also loaded with phenols—powerful antioxidants that block the formation of dangerous blood clots. In fact, chocolate is
the king of the phenol-rich foods: Three ounces contain 410 MGS—more than a serving of broccoli, a cup of green tea, or a glass of red wine.

And that’s not all: Eating a few ounces daily can cut your artery-clogging LDL cholesterol levels as much as 14 percent. “The credit goes to chocolate’s
rich supply of magnesium,” explains Liberman. “This mineral works right inside the liver, lowering its production of LDL cholesterol, while helping it
make more artery-cleaning HDL cholesterol at the same time.” Also told, that’s enough to cut your risk of a heart attack 30 percent or more, says the pros.

MELTING ANOTHER CHOCOLATE MYTH. Can chocolate bring on a migraine? No--but there is a connection! Chocolate cravings may be a very early warning sign that
a migraine is coming on, but eating chocolate doesn’t cause the migraine, and won’t change whether you get a migraine or not,” neurologist Todd Rozen,
MD.

Post 2 by Ukulele<3 (Try me... You know you want to.) on Sunday, 04-Feb-2007 14:59:31

lol I always thought chocolate was bad for you? hehe I'm not much of a chocolate fan but do eat it on occasion. Did the article say anything about it decreasing the level of sugar in your blood? lol

Michelle

Post 3 by sugar (Entertain me. I dare you.) on Sunday, 04-Feb-2007 15:11:40

the article litterally said just that....... So, no idea........

Post 4 by guitargod1 (I'm going for the prolific poster awards!) on Sunday, 04-Feb-2007 18:18:21

dark chocolate is also a good source of anti oxidents.

Post 5 by buk buk buk (move over school!) on Sunday, 04-Feb-2007 19:13:31

chocolate? mmm!

Post 6 by Resonant (Find me alive.) on Sunday, 04-Feb-2007 22:58:15

Now this? Is health advice I can get behind! Off to be virtuous and increase my magnesium and antioxidants and the other one. Oh, the things I do for health!
Hehe, thanks Danielle.

Post 7 by Musical Ambition (I've got the gold prolific poster award, now is there a gold cup for me?) on Tuesday, 06-Feb-2007 10:36:47

Well, I'm one who absolutely loves dark chocolate. I've read similar articles, and I definitely eat some each day. I don't eat much, but like I said, I do try to eat some every day. I think that dark chocolate is so much better than milk or white chocolate, when it comes to both health, and taste.

Post 8 by sugar (Entertain me. I dare you.) on Tuesday, 06-Feb-2007 17:42:48

I think they've all got their place depending on what they're used with in terms of other ingredients to make chocolate bars