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Why They Say Chocolate Has Health Benefits

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

Does chocolate have health benefits at all? Few studies and researches made not too long ago suggested it has. In fact, a lot of chemicals containing chocolate were found to be beneficial to the people’s health. So, it does contradict the old myth and half-truths surrounding the saying that anything that looks and tastes good is bad.

The health benefits are particularly true to cocoa, dark chocolate, and minimally-processed chocolate foods. Aside from the copper and magnesium, which aids in regulating blood pressure and heartbeat, they contain flavonoids, the ones that you also found in high-antioxidant green tea. As you probably know already, antioxidants are good for your health as they accomplish a number of health benefits, such as the following:

- Improve circulation
- Lower blood pressure
- Stimulate kidneys, improve digestion
- Can help patients with poor appetite, kidney stones, and anemia
- Improve endothelial functions
- Guard against free radicals and other destructive molecules, which are known to trigger stroke and heart disease.
- Lower heart disease-related deaths

Flavonoids have two different kinds, the epicatechins and catechin. The catechin has been found to be rich in minimally processed chocolate foods and cocoa. This is known to aid in preventing heart disease illnesses and possibly cancer problems. It also aids in boosting an individual’s immune system; this one also was recently discovered by the experts. Catechin can be found triple in amount in chocolates as compared to those found in teas.

But despite the discovered health benefits of chocolate, you have to be cautious at what type and amount of chocolate food you consume. As anything excessive can be bad for health, and that applies to chocolate too. Eating high quantities of chocolate can still cause weight and eventually trigger illness especially if you consume the less healthy type of chocolate.

In order to avoid the unpleasant consequences, you have to choose the right type of chocolate when consuming as not all kinds are good. For example, highly-processed chocolate food kinds such as those in candy and bar forms have high calories, sugar, and fat contents, therefore, must be avoided at all cost. Healthy kinds are dark chocolate, cocoa, and any other minimally-processed chocolate food.

This is in relation to studies demonstrating possible effects of eating chocolates done by the experts with groups of participants. In a particular study, half of the group ate dark chocolate while the other white chocolate. The ones, who ate white chocolate, showed no change in blood pressure, while the other who ate dark chocolate, significantly lowered their systolic blood pressure.

At another conducted Pennsylvania State University study, a different group of participants received a low fat diet, except that the half got a high-carb snack and the other consumed low fat chocolate bars for a certain length of time. The two groups didn’t show any difference in levels of bad or LDL cholesterol afterwards. However, those that ate chocolate bars did show increases in triglycerides, a type of heart-risk blood fat, and good or HDL cholesterols.

From these studies, it showed how chocolate can actually be a good diet food. However, note that the participants were only fed minimal quantities of chocolates, therefore it is still not advised to consume this sweet treat more than what is required for you to take. Also, remember to avoid chocolate foods that are high in artificial flavorings, with dairy products, and sugars. Remember this: the less that it is processed, the more health benefits you will get from chocolate.

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Tags: antioxidants, calories, fats, Healthy dieting, weight gain
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Losing Vanity Weight the Healthy Way

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

It’s true that obesity is practically an epidemic in the United States, and the number of overweight people around the world continues to grow. However, there are many people that are not horribly overweight – they often struggle to just lose vanity weight. The good news is that losing a small amount of weight doesn’t have to be too difficult. Here are a few things that you can do when you just need to lose a few pounds.

You can start by closely watching what you eat. There are a lot of little things that you can do to take in fewer calories.

You can start by eating breakfast – studies show that people who eat a healthy breakfast actually can and will lose weight. That’s because eating something in the morning wakes up your metabolism and gets your body burning energy more efficiently. Plus, if you eat something early in the morning, you won’t eat as much during lunch.

You should also try to be careful about snacking. A great way to lose a few pounds is to throw out all of the candy and junk food in your house. You could give up drinking soda as well. If you eat junk food and drink one can of carbonated soda each day, you could be adding as many as 500 meaningless calories or more to your diet every day. It only takes 3500 calories to add one pound of weight. That means that cutting out candy and soda could help you lose about one pound every week, a great way to lose vanity weight.

The next thing that you should try is exercise. A lot of people who are just a few pounds overweight could be in great shape if they exercised regularly. Your workout doesn’t have to be a big deal – you can just hit the gym at least three times each week. You will have even better results if you try to get to the gym five times each week. While you’re there, you should do some cardiovascular exercises like riding the exercise bike or using the elliptical for at least 20 minutes. That will get your heart rate up – this sends extra blood to your brain and gives your heart a workout which is great. Once your heart is worked up, you will really be burning some calories. You can also lift some weights to lose extra pounds.

You should supplement your diet and exercise with a lot of water. Drinking more water is a great way to ensure that the processes inside your body are working properly as it is kind of a natural lubricant that keeps your insides clean. Drinking a full glass of water before each meal is a great way to cut back on the amount of food that you eat. Try to drink at least eight glasses everyday – that’s about 4 bottles or water.

If you stick to these tips, it should not be too hard to lose vanity weight. It can be pretty hard to stick to a plan when you are only trying to lose a few pounds – since you feel like you are already in good shape. But, just remember that there is always more that you could do to help your body work better and be healthier.

*****Your reading satisfaction is my future!*****

==>Hold your loved ones close, tell them you love them, for if tomorrow never comes, you’ll have no regrets about today!<==

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Tags: burn calories, calorie intake, Cardio, Diet programs, Healthy eating, metabolism, Weight Loss, weight training
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The Benefits of Yogurt

Friday, August 20th, 2010

Yogurt is a popular snack treat for people who are trying to monitor their weight. Did you know that apart from making you lose weight, yogurt has other benefits to your body?

One way to improve your health naturally is by eating an adequate amount of yogurt everyday. Yogurt has live microorganisms called probiotics. These good bacteria help your body works properly.

Here are some benefits you can get from eating yogurt:

• Improves gastro-intestinal functions
Since yogurt is rich with probiotics, it helps improve food digestion and absorption. Good digestion and absorption will prevent you from experiencing hyperactive bowel movements and constipation. Yogurt also helps lactose intolerant individuals. It also lowers your risk of getting inflammatory bowel diseases like Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s disease.

• Boosts your immune system
Probiotics from yogurt makes your body stronger in resisting harmful bacteria, thus lessening your risk of getting infections. These good bacteria also enhance your body’s natural healing process so you can easily recover from illnesses.
• Regulates your blood pressure
A study have shown that having 2-3 servings of low-fat dairy daily will greatly reduce your risks of getting high blood pressure. Some dairy products are high with dairy fat that is not healthy for your heart. Yogurt is a low-fat dairy product that does not have a bad effect on your heart.
• Maintains your weight
Because yogurt is low-fat, it frees you from worries of gaining weight. When dieting, it’s important that you still get enough nutrients so you don’t end up being malnourished. Yogurt contains an adequate amount of vitamins and minerals that you need. With a high yogurt intake, you get enough nutrients without the worries of moving the scales up.
• Prevents osteoporosis
Yogurt, just like some dairy products have added calcium and vitamin D. These nutrients are very important in making your bones stronger. Strong bones will prevent you from developing osteoporosis.

Here are some tips you can follow when deciding on adding yogurt in your diet.

1. Choose the type of yogurt that you want to take:
There are various types of yogurt. Some yogurts contain regular fat, some are fat-free and some are low-fat. You may also want to check the sugar contained in the yogurt. There are yogurts that have more sugar than others. Look at the label at the back of the package. Read and compare nutritional contents of different brands. Reading labels will help you choose the best brand in the market.

2. Make it a habit:
You can eat yogurt anytime and anywhere. Make it a point to take some yogurt everyday. Bring some in the office so you can easily have yogurt on your lunch break. You can also put a small yogurt cup in your bag so you can take a healthy snack anywhere.

3. Substitute other ingredients with yogurt:
Yogurt can easily be added to your recipes. Use yogurt instead of ice cream when making a smoothie. You can also try adding yogurt when baking cakes and other pastries. You can easily substitute milk to yogurt.

4. Make eating yogurt fun and delightful:
There are numerous recipes that you can follow so that you don’t only get to eat the flavored yogurt available on the market. Adding fruits on your yogurt is a good idea and will make your snack even healthier.

*****Your reading satisfaction is my future!*****

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Tags: blood pressure, Diet Info, Healthy eating, lose weight, Weight Loss
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