Is chocolate a healthy, holistic,  yummy, and nutritious  “supplement” to any diet?

It’s a very vital question, especially for women who seem to crave it more!

More evidence is saying “YES!”, chocolate can be a healthy addition to a diet…

…..dark, organic, and high quality that is.

This week’s main blog at saratoga.com can provide many healthy reasons to seek out this pleasurable and not so naughty snack.

Here’s an excerpt:

Women and Chocolate?

Could it be that women knew this well-known secret intuitively for ages?

Chocolate and Mood

Is it the naturally occurring magnesium that calms the brain, the arginine and and other amino acid profile …. It’s not conclusive, but the fact that chocolate helps mood can be unscientifically validated by any woman. Now, research is echoing our drive for chocolate. Read more here.

Now, since you landed on this page, I didn’t want to stop here!

There’s more to health and food than chocolate!

Here’s some other fun facts that highlight the power of nutrition and health.

1. CLA, Probiotics, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis affect 1.4 million people in the United States. The Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory (NIMML) research team at Virginia Tech found the use of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), an immune-modulatory fatty acid derivative found in dairy and meat, to be a potential new natural intervention to those with inflammatory bowel disease.

Science Daily reports:

CLA affords those afflicted with mild to moderate IBD an effective treatment without the unwanted side effects of many synthetic drugs. “Furthermore, we have demonstrated that probiotic bacteria can produce CLA locally and suppress colitis. Therefore, CLA can be administered directly in capsules or indirectly through CLA-producing probiotic bacteria,” said Dr. Raquel Hontecillas, an Assistant Professor of Immunology at NIMML.

Source: Novel Therapy Discovered for Crohn’s Disease. ScienceDaily. (Mar. 19, 2012)

2. What the heck is hypoglycemia?

It’s low blood sugar, and it could be sign that your headed for more severe blood sugar imbalances. How do you know the symptoms?

Click on the above link from WebMD to find out.

Click here to read on how to support your body’s foundation for health through food and to prevent these blood sugar swings!

Source: WebMD. Symptoms of Low Blood Sugar. July 22, 2009

3. Don’t Just Sit There!

Research shows that sitting over 5 hours a day can lead to major metabolic effects.

According to Dr. Amen’s blog:

After five days of sitting for more than six hours at a time, your body increases plasma triglycerides (fatty molecules), LDL cholesterol (aka bad cholesterol), and insulin resistance. This means your muscles aren’t taking in fat and your blood sugar levels go up, putting you at risk for weight gain. After just two weeks your muscles start to atrophy and your maximum oxygen consumption drops. This makes stairs harder to climb and walks harder to take. Even if you were working out every day the deterioration starts the second you stop moving. After a year, the longer term effects of sitting can start to manifest subtly. According to this study by Nature, you might start to experience weight gain and high cholesterol. Studies in woman suggest you can lose up to 1 percent of bone mass a year by sitting for over six hours a day.

So, go for it, be the example of health in the office that gets up and stretches or goes out for a walk! Your example could be saving someone’s health!

Amen, D. Sit and Die: Get Moving or Else.Amenblog. March 20, 2012.http://70.32.73.82/blog/5690/sit-and-die-get-moving-or-else/

4. Say No to GMO’s

Genetically Modified food has many links to chronic illness.

I thought I’d end these fun facts on stressing how the quality of what you are eating is vital! GMOs are found even in the healthiest fruits and vegetables!

Read the latest on what you can do stop it’s production in the US.

Dr. Mercola reports:

  • In Germany, massive resistance to genetically engineered (GE) foods, both among politicians and the general public, has caused chemical giant BASF to move its genetically modified plant science headquarters from Germany to Raleigh, North Carolina
  • In the United States, the vast majority of all corn, soy, canola and cottonseed grown are genetically engineered, which means virtually every processed food you encounter at your local supermarket that does not bear the “100% USDA Organic” label is likely to contain at least one GE component
  • Last year, Mexico denied Monsanto’s request to expand a pilot planting project in the northern part of the country for fear that the genetically modified variety might cross-contaminate with other native species, and Hungary destroyed nearly 1,000 acres of maize found to be contaminated with GE seeds, to prevent cross-contamination to other fields
  • BASF withdrawing their biotech division from Germany is a perfect illustration of the power of public opinion, and why we must insist on labeling of genetically engineered foods in the US in order to regain control over our food supply. As long as millions of people are in the dark about what they’re eating, the biotech industry can continue to destroy the food supply of the US

Source: Mercola, J. Booted Out of Germany – the Ignorance that Could Destroy Your Health. March 20, 2012. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/03/20/germany-rejects-gmo-food.aspx?e_cid=20120320_DNL_art_1