Saturday, May 12, 2012

A wonder drug...one of the best Mother's day gifts

It's one of my favorite things to eat...it might just be a favorite of
yours too.  =)

1. It can improve intelligence: Finally there is a reason behind my brilliance. All jokes aside, dark chocolate has actually been known to increase blood flow to the brain, which in turn enhances cognitive function.
2. Stimulates endorphin production: Endorphins are a chemical, which typically release in the brain during exercise. They are said to resemble opiates in their ability to produce analgesia coupled with a euphoric feeling. It turns out Fran is not the only cure for those winter blues because dark chocolate also emits the body’s natural feel good drug.
Have you guessed what this
WONDER drug is yet?



Well,  won't leave you in suspense any longer.
According to a significant amount of research, Dark Chocolate has
quite a few health benefits....

3. Fortifies and invigorates the skin: It should be part of your beauty regime and here is why; it contains flavonoids which are antioxidants that work to protect the skin by absorbing UV light and increasing blood flow. An increase in blood flow improves skin hydration giving you that desirable, glowing complexion.
4. Rich in essential vitamins and minerals: Surprisingly, dark chocolate contains significant amounts of potassium, magnesium and iron. All of which promote bone health and work to improve muscle and nerve function.
5. Lowers blood sugar levels: The antioxidants found in dark chocolate help improve the body’s ability to process blood sugar, doing wonders for the waistline.
6. Lowers Cholesterol: According to recent studies dark chocolate has also proven to reduce bad cholesterol by up to 10%, which has a positive effect on heart health and decreases the chance of developing cardiovascular disease.


How do YOU like YOUR chocolate served? 
I like to just eat the 72% cocoa squares.  I break off small pieces
 and let it melt slowly in my mouth.

===========================
Melting chocolate for dipping fruits is fairly easy if you do
it in the Microwave.  Here is what I do... and the fruit adds even
more healthy benefits.  =)  and,
Great Mother's Day treats!!!

1)  I use  a microwaveable glass mixing cup that has a handle.  The container
          can get really hot.  The handle makes it easier to take out to stir, etc
2)  I use 80% Lindt Chocolate bars.  But, you can use any brand of chocolate
           bar and less percent dark.  I have found, however, that if the chocolate
           has a wax content, it doesn't melt as smooth.
3)  When microwaving...you have to keep your eye on the container all the
           time. It can boil and over heat quickly.  I take out every 20 seconds
           or so, to stir with chopsticks or wooden spoon.
4)  Have fruits washed, cut and ready to dip.  Chocolate sets back up fairly
          quickly.
5)  I have also used a small crockpot on low to melt the chocolate for
         dipping. 

=============
~~ Ruby's Report ~~

Treadmill - 2 miles 5 days...1 day was 1.5, but I did more incline
Food - I didn't really eat any junk foods.  But, I think I might have
            put too much butter on those slices of my home-made
            wheat bread =P
Weight (loss?) - yes...down .4  =)


===================


We'd LUV to hear how YOUR week went...
Did you have any luck with your "healthy" goals?
...did you eat SOMEthing good for YOU this week?
...maybe a leeetle walk or two?  Even if you parked your
car a bit farther from the store that you normally do? or
some extra playing around with kids or grandkids?


 
         



           
.

12 comments:

Belinda said...

What a great idea!! I wish I had seen this before I made my trip to Walmart!!

Vroomans' Quilts said...

Hmmm - well not fond of dark chocolate. And I doubt being laid up counts toward not adding to the calorie intake as I really didn't exercise either. I was rather a sloth! I did a lot of fluids. So I admit, this past week was not a good one.

Sandy aka Doris the Great said...

I adore dark chocolate and I like to eat it just like you do -- one square at a time, slowly melting.

This week I too lost .4 lb; but I've been a very naughty girl the rest of the week with church teas and such. Back to the grind AFTER Mother's Day!

Sarah Craig said...

Dark chocolate coated salted almonds - great for the brain and the heart! Whoop whoop!!

Chatty Crone said...

Where do you get that type chocolate?

Happy Mother's Day! sandie

Anonymous said...

yummy,happy mother's day Annie.xx

Kristy fordhook1 said...

Love all chocolate! Dark,milk, semi,white, and like it with anything but meat! Well mole sauce is good too, so even meat. I ate a lot of stir fry, and frozen bananas/almond milk and walnuts processed till creamy.

Emma said...

If you add milk or cream to the chocolate, it will stay liquid for a little bit longer. It'll make it more of a sauce than just melted chocolate.

I'm doing all kinds of walking right now...I'm on a "business trip" with work to somewhere in a very warm region of the Eurasian continent (trying to say where without saying where!) kind of near Africa...

It's about a 15 minute walk to work over varied surfaces, including gravel and paved ones. It's also really hot (well, compared to the German springtime) so I'm definitely sweating up a storm! I'll start my actual workout regimen (going to start a little bit of lifting) on Monday...working out about an hour after dinner, when it's cooler. I'm not supposed to run due to side effects of a medication I'm on for a while, so lifting and low-impact will be it for a while (but getting on a rowing machine, while low impact, is really good to work up a sweat! Especially since I rowed in college, so I know how to do it.).

I'm drinking at least 2 or 2.5 liters of water (with the occasional Gatorade to balance the electrolytes) a day right now, and sometimes am even having 3 or more liters. And that's only drinking when I feel thirsty! Pretty crazy, since before leaving on the trip I had to try just to finish off 2 liters!

Have you considered going outside for a walk instead of on your treadmill? You can use google maps to figure out how far you went, and time yourself so you can figure out how fast you were too. I prefer being outside because I usually sweat more, and having stuff to look at means that you're distracted and don't realize how much you're actually doing, exercise-wise.

Love Of Quilts said...

Happy Mother's Day!

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

half a pound down this week. not much, but, I'll take it.

Anonymous said...

Dark chocolate is my drug of choice. LOL The darker the better. I've even been known to eat baker's chocolate! My favorite is dark chocolate Lindt truffles, I think, though Ghiradelli orange or caramel dark chocolate is terribly tempting. I try to convince myself that since there's less sugar in dark, it's good for me. =)

Not losing, not gaining right now. =)

rubyslipperz1052 said...

dear desertskyquilts...I want to thank you for your comments...you always leave fun and very nice ones. I feel sad that I am unable to respond to them thru email, because you are a "no repy" blogger....and I tried going to your "blog" and was unable to find an email mail there. =(

hugZ,
annie