Herbal Medicines

There is a New site about stem cell research called Stem Cell Research News. This is a great site that has a lot of great Stem Cell FAQs. I am and have been interested in this research and if you are pregnant or would like children in the near future then you [...]

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For the last five years, we have been working in our home office. Being a full time work at home mom, my home office has sometimes become the ‘playground’ of my young child. It’s not something I encourage but it can be hard to set certain boundaries when he’s so used to bringing his little toys and books to my home office, I guess he just wants to be near his mom. At a young age, he would tell me that he wants his own laptop computer. I find this a bold request from a 4 yo though I know of some parents who allow their preschoolers to handle a computer at this age. For me, I’d prefer to keep him away from the computer at this age for the good of his visual health and wellness. I would rather expose him to toys that play and trigger his imagination and creativity.

to solution to solution Online. Save 10% - 20% at Target.com Herbal therapy uses its own herbal lingo which is found in the herbal glossary. In order to better understand herbs and its effects it is best to first acquaint one self with these terms and refer to the herbal glossary. Herbal glossary [...]

Did you know that the people who are the most healthy and that live the longest are the ones that have healthy relationship s and friends. People that have no friends and don’t socialize are more likely to have poor physical healthy , mental health and will die prematurely. That is why it...

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It is encouraging to note that more parents are becoming more health conscious when it comes to making food choices for their children. I recalled the excitement of shopping for digital cameras when our son was born. We wanted to take pictures of his milestones, growth and developments. I even took pictures of his meal times and first foods experience.

With fast food being a big part of modern life these days, it can be hard to teach a child how he or she should eat healthy. I was kinda disappointed that our son’s nursery teachers took them to a fast food restaurant for lunch after a school excursion.

Even though it isn’t possible to get a child to like all healthy foods, you can be creative when trying to encourage your child to enjoy healthy foods. Try to sneak the healthy food into their meals such as adding bananas and apples to muffins and topping their favourite pizza with spinach, carrots or other vegetables.

Everyone is always looking for that great way to slow down the aging process. While you really can not do that you can appear to look younger than you are just by eating right and having that healthy lifestyle. Here is a great tip to help slow down that aging process…learn how to [...]

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One of My Favorite Sensible Vices

My wife and I tend to receive a lot of chocolate, usually as holiday or dinner party gifts. Friends and business associates know we’re not dessert people but that we indulge in chocolate and red wine on occasion (i.e. those Sensible Vices). As a result, I’ve gotten to try a lot of the best chocolates out there (as well as a few duds). My wife and I each have our running lists of favorites. Hers has a couple Belgian varieties as well as some quality stateside organics. As for me, the more bitter the better. Green and Black’s makes an 85% that I consider kind of my “staple” choice, but there are a lot of good ones out there.

As many of you know from my site or news stories, cocoa is credited with an impressive array of health benefits: reducing the instance of blood clots, lowering blood pressure, and helping prevent cancer. It’s all in the anti-oxidants, specifically compounds known as phenolic phytochemicals or flavonoids. Some studies have shown that cocoa contains considerably more flavonoids than either green tea or red wine (but I’d add that red wine has resveratrol going for it as well).

Yet, I’d caution that not all chocolate is created equal. A Hershey milk chocolate bar may feed your sweet tooth, but that’s about it. (Probably not much surprise there.) First off, it’s ultimately the cocoa content that matters. The rest of what you find in chocolate (e.g. sugars, milk solids, etc.) is filler for our purposes and (in the case of sugars) only undoes the good. The higher the cocoa content, the better. This means dark chocolate will be better than milk chocolate, but what you’re really looking for is at least a “bittersweet” variety (50%+ cocoa content). I’d recommend shooting for 70% cocoa or more. Be sure to check the label. The best option (though not the tastiest) is unsweetened chocolate (100% cocoa), which is called chocolate liquor and actually made from roasted cocoa nibs.

Processing procedures, it seems, can impact the anti-oxidant activity of cocoa/chocolate. Processing that includes very high heat or alkalization seems to negatively alter the phenolic profile the most. Go for higher quality chocolates, and avoid Dutch-processed cocoa for these reasons.

Also, you might be tired of hearing this, but the fact is organic is better on this front as well. There was some hullabaloo just a few years back about high lead content in chocolate. The matter was never entirely settled or the source(s) identified in most cases. (I don’t believe in flying off the handle about this kind of thing, but it does offer another reason for wise moderation.) The organic label promises more oversight along the growing, harvesting and processing routes. Though it’s not a hard guarantee, I’d recommend the bit of extra assurance. If nothing else, you know you’re eating a chocolate bar made from cocoa beans that weren’t sprayed to oblivion with who knows what.

For those of you who despair at giving up milk chocolate, I’d suggest another alternative – a cup of cocoa. I’m obviously not talking the Swiss Miss, Nestle rabbit, or Ovaltine mixes of our childhoods. (Hey, at least we survived.) I mean the old fashioned milk and cocoa powder (or melted baking squares). As you know, the Primal Blueprint generally sidelines milk, but I consider it (especially organic and whole) a perfectly reasonable option for the purpose of chocolate indulgence. (It’s hardly the worst thing you could warm up with on a cold winter’s night.) A study out of Cornell University suggests that natural cocoa even provides the most anti-oxidant power per serving when compared with other forms of chocolate. An added plus: it’s one way to get the benefit of cocoa without the added sugar that dark chocolate bars have to some degree. Can’t imagine doing cocoa without sugar? If you’re including very little sweet food in your diet, you’ll be surprised how your tastebuds adapt. On the rare holiday occasions I indulge, the organic whole milk I use tastes sweet enough.

The bottom line for making the most of your chocolate indulgences: go organic, look for 70% or more of cocoa content, and find a brand or brands that complement your favorite red wine, fruit or coffee. I’m all about healthy, but an indulgence should feel – and taste – like a real extravagance.

Thanks for reading. I’d love to hear your suggestions and feedback.

f10n4, jypsygen, Jen Chan, massdistraction Flickr Photos (CC)

Further Reading:

The Original Sensible Vices

Sensible Vices: Round 2

The Art of Compromise

How to Eat More Chocolate and Drink More Wine Every Day

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Scientists from Germany have recently discovered that extracts of a traditional herbal derived from Tabebuia impetiginosa can act to delay the absorption of dietary fat in animal models...Dr Roos and his team have shown that ...