Chocolate and heart health – fact or fallacy?Written by Nicholas Webb
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if chocolate and heart health went hand in hand. However, there is so much information lately about health benefits of chocolate that it is only natural that people get confused.It is true, that if people only ate pure cocoa, then there might be heart health benefits. The problem is that most people eat processed chocolate bars containing sugar, corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, dairy cream not to mention other “baddies” contained in some of those tasty fillings. Some of these added ingredients can clog up arteries and create havoc to your waistline. That said, you might be surprised to find out that chocolate isn’t all that bad. In fact, fat content in chocolate, contained in premium grade dark chocolate, is comprised of equal amounts of oleic acid (a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat also found in olive oil), stearic and palmitic acids. Stearic and palmitic acids are forms of saturated fat – not so good. Saturated fats are linked to increases in LDL-cholesterol and risk of developing heart disease. Research indicates that stearic acid appears to have a neutral effect on cholesterol; neither raising nor lowering LDL-cholesterol levels. Palmitic acid on other hand, does affect cholesterol levels but only comprises one-third of fat calories in chocolate. Therefore, if we base our chocolate eating habits on latest research, fat issue isn’t so worrying. Beware milk chocolate may not be so heart healthy As with mist things in life, there is also a down-side to chocolate. When we eat milk chocolate or lower grade chocolate, part of total fat content comes from milk fat or various other types of fat contained in processed chocolate, and not from pure cocoa, which do adversely affect cholesterol levels.
| | Becoming A Certified ReflexologistWritten by D. Braun
Reflexology is something I've used and loved since I was 8 years old. I began learning about Reflexology when my aunt bought me a book by Mildred Carter - whom I consider to be mother of American Reflexology. Eunice Ingham is woman who took zone therapy even further - mapping reflex points in feet and building first Reflexology educational institution. She is, without a doubt, mother of Reflexology. However, Mildred Carter brought this healing method to people here in United States. Her straight-forward, no-nonsense, easy to understand books (Body Reflexology, Hand Reflexology and Foot Reflexology) gave everyone, from doctors to mechanics and housewives, a viable, effective way to enhance health of themselves and their families. Carter, now 93 years of age, is still going strong and practicing what she has preached for decades - Reflexology works. I received my first certification in Reflexology from a very solid school in UK. Then, through coincidence (or synchronicity!), I came in contact with Dr. Zachary Brinkerhoff of Modern Institute of Reflexology in Denver, CO.
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