So all this time you thought that eating chocolate only made your bum look bigger, but research suggests that eating chocolate makes you SMART. Yes   smart, you read that right. Consuming chocolate has even been linked to being able to obtain a Noble Prize based on this research. Switzerland is the country that consumes the most chocolate, and at the same time it’s people have won the highest numbers of Noble Prices. Not bad… not bad at all. This brain boosting power comes from the Flavonoids in chocolate.
So before you go crazy on the chocolate munching take into consideration this:

• Buy Organic Raw chocolate whenever you can. It has the highest number of flavonoids and minerals.
• Consume 70% dark chocolate
• Remember chocolate is a stimulant so don’t go eating too much before bedtime, it will disturb your sleep.
• You can always add raw cacao powder to your smoothies and get the same benefits.
• Incorporate raw cacao nibs into your salads, snacks and recipes.

So go ahead and enjoy some chocolate, who knows you might be the next Nobel Prize winner.

It is hard to loose track of your wellness goals while the Holidays are hear. Too many late nights, plates of deliciously-unhealthy foods and many bottles of wine later you may start to wonder if it is even worth following your healthy routine during this time. I always seem to do better when I see others doing it to, it is like the energy forces get together and give me some “wellness-strength”. I think that I am going to have this video on my computer from now until Jan, just to remind me of all the things possible when living a healthy lifestyle. Get inspired.

I had heard about the concerns of the amounts of fluoride in our water. But it wasn’t until I saw this video, that I became aware that it is actually a huge concern. To top that I recently took my older daughter to the dentist. While there I asked the dentist about this little white spots my daughter had in her two new front teeth. Her response shocked me, she said “don’t worry they are due to the high levels of fluoride”. I mentioned I don’t really give her any fluoride (try to use fluoride free toothpaste, and have never used it as a supplement). And she said very matter-of-factly “it is in the water”. I guess now I need to get a water filter that eliminates fluoride.

“Unlike all other water treatment processes, fluoridation does not treat the water itself, but the person consuming it. The Food & Drug Administration accepts that fluoride is a drug, not a nutrient, when used to prevent disease. By definition, therefore, fluoridating water is a form of mass medication. This is why most western European nations have rejected the practice — because, in their view, adding a drug to everyone’s water supply violates the basic medical tenet that each individual has a right to “informed consent.” source

Fluoride has tremendous effects on the human body:

“Fluoride is a class 2 poison, it is extremely biochemically reactive in the body and only marginally less poisonous than arsenic. It also makes bones more brittle and has led to a marked increase in dental fluorosis (fluoride poisoning), affecting up to 48% of people in fluoridated areas. You should look in the mirror. If you have white flecks in your teeth then you could well have fluoride poisoning, and that is a potential health risk. If fluoride poisoning is showing in your teeth, then it is like the tip of a toxic fluoride iceberg in many of your body’s bones and organs.” source

Have you heard about Turmeric? If you haven’t heard from it I am sure you have tasted it. It is a spice used regularly in Indian food (is what gives curry its yellowish-orange color). Turmeric has been used for years in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine. It has high anti-inflammatory properties, and has been used to treat conditions, including flatulence, jaundice, menstrual difficulties, bloody urine, hemorrhage, toothache, bruises, chest pain, and colic. Studies have also found Turmeric can inhibit cancer cell growth and metastases.

New studies have also found that Curcumin a compound found in Turmeric, is effective in stopping the progression of Parkinson’s disease and can even inhibit the accumulation of beta amyloids in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients.

Adding turmeric to your diet is an easy way to stay healthy and protect your self from inflamation. You can add turmeric powder to your soups, stews and I always add some when I marinate meat. You can also buy turmeric capsules, and take them daily.

Sources here and here

One of my good friends lend me a Newsweek article about the Obesity epidemic in our Nation. I think I live in somewhat of a bubble when it comes to eating. Growing up my family was always on the healthier side, my mom has been eating veggies and salads as long as I can remember. We had a family farm that provided us with fresh produce, and dairy products. I was always an environmentalist at heart, so when I started learning more at school about the meat industry and everything that came with it, I stopped eating meat. And now that I have my own family I pay extra-attention to what I feed my girls, and go the extra mile to get the healthiest options available. So I think I have always been on the health wagon, not really paying much attention to what everyone else was eating. But after reading this article I was completely blown away by the truth of what the regular person eats on a regular day.

Here are some stats on that:

• The Coast Guard now assumes the average boat passenger weighs 185lbs, up from 160lbs in place since 1960.
• More than a quarter of all Americans age 17-24 are unqualified for military service because of their weight.
• The university of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital has replaced wall mounter toilets with floor models that can hold at least 250 lbs.
• About $5 billion more is spent every year in the jet fuel needed to flu Americans, compared with 1960 weights.

Scary, isn’t it. Change your diet, change your life.