Top Reasons to Add Dark Chocolates in Your Daily Diet

Many studies revealed that including a small amount of dark chocolate in your daily diet offers a number of health benefits. Dark chocolates contain a host of heart-healthy and mood-enhancing phytochemicals. To name some, we have phenols, flavonols, antioxidants, resveratrol, theobromine, caffeine, serotonin, etc.

I provided below some of the healthy benefits a person could get when he or she consumes a small serving of dark chocolates every day. By the way, a small serving simply means 30 calories of dark chocolate a day and that is just as big as Hershey’s bite-size chocolate KISSES.

• Prevents Aging and Cancer – Dark chocolates are full of antioxidant and resveratrol. These are substances that protect the cells from chronic inflammation, heart disease, and cancer.

• Lowers Blood Pressure – Dark chocolates are rich in cocoa phenols. These are protective compounds found in plants and fruits. They are known to help the body process nitric oxide. Nitric oxides are essential compounds that help increase blood circulation at the same time lower blood pressure.

• Lowers LDL Cholesterol – Dark chocolates contain large quantities of flavonoids or flavonols. These are the same chemicals found in red wine that help lower low density lipoprotein (bad) cholesterol levels. One-third of dark chocolates fat is in the form of stearic acid, a naturally-occurring fat that exerts a neutral effect on LDL cholesterol levels.

• Good for the Heart – Since dark chocolates contain ingredients that can help lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol at the same time improve blood flow; healthcare professionals who expertly use blood pressure device believe that this type of chocolate is definitely good for the heart.

• Stimulates Pleasure and Relaxation – Dark chocolates contains a ingredient that induces the brain to release endorphin. Endorphin is naturally produced in the brain that stimulates pleasure and relaxation.

Eating Red Meat on Daily Basis Linked to Type 2 Diabetes, US Study Revealed

Next to water, protein is the most abundant substance found in our body. About 16.6 percent our body weight is made up of protein.

Getting enough protein and eating a balanced diet with adequate calories are very important in maintaining a healthy body. The amount of protein the person needs to consume will depend on his or her body size and special needs. According to healthcare professionals who are expert in using the different diagnostic tools like blood pressure tester, infants need need bigger percentage of protein in their daily diet simply because they are still at the stage of growing and building new protein tissue. Same with pregnant women, they need more protein not just for their body but also for the developing fetus in their womb.

• an average adult needs 0.6-0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram (2.2 lbs.) of body his/her weight
• infants may need as much as 2.0 grams per kilogram
• adolescents need up to 1.2 grams per kilogram
• pregnant and lactating women need an additional 10 grams per day

For a person to have enough amount of protein, they have to include protein-rich foods in their daily serving like red meat that comes from naturally raised/grass-fed animals (one of the best sources of protein).

But just recently, eating of red meat (whether it is processed or not) has been the talked in town after a research conducted by experts at the Harvard School of Public Health revealed that such source of protein can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Based on their study both the processed and unprocessed red meat can boost diabetes risk.

People who eat 50 grams of red meat every day like 2 slices of bacon or 1 hotdog, according to US study, increase their risk for type 2 diabetes by 51 percent while those who consume 100 mg of unprocessed meat boost their risk by 19 percent. Experts whose basic medical instruments are blood pressure tester and stethoscope believed that the substance found in red meat that could damage the cells of pancreas, is the main reason why it is increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The pancreas has an important function in our body system since it is responsible for producing enough insulin to process food intake and regulate blood sugar levels. Once it is damaged, type 2 diabetes or formerly called as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus will occur.

I have here a table (obtained from dietary fiber food site) for the daily recommended intake of protein for specific age, gender, and life stage group

why am i still single these days

Whenever I asked my friends (who already have kids) about the pain they felt from the time they became pregnant until they gave birth, many of them confirmed that labor and birth delivery is certainly painful. But if there’s one good thing about pain during birthing, they said that it quickly fades away the moment they heard the sound of their baby crying.

According to studies, the pain experienced during labor varies from women to women and even from pregnancy to pregnancy. And it is absolutely correct. Based on the birthing experiences of my dear friends, they say that giving birth to a baby boy is always more painful than giving birth to a baby girl especially, if he is your first child.

I love babies because I consider them as one of the greatest blessings. And if ever I will be given a chance to choose what gender I want, I would love to have a baby boy. But I admit that pain during labor and delivery are some of the things I worry much about having a baby. This is also among the reasons why I sometimes do not want to marry yet (despite my current age which is 28) because I know the moment I settle, I will be pregnant a few months after. And if you will ask my capacity to deal pain, I will score myself 6 from the scale range of 1 as the lowest and 10 as the highest.

But while browsing the latest news in cnn.com, the article of Madison Park about relaxing while giving birth through hypnobirthing catches my attention. Hypnobirthing according to Mr Wikipedia is a term used in the medical field referring to the process of using hypnosis or hypnotheraphy (which is usually self-applied) in childbirth.

In Parks' write-up, she mentioned that the philosophy behind this particular birthing approach, according to experts, is to remove the fear being experienced by most women when it comes to giving birth. In hypnobirthing, a soon-to-be mom is being trained how to calm her body and mind to a state of self-hypnosis. Through this, they become more prepared in giving birth and with less anxiety. CNN correspondent Park likewise added that hypnobirthing is already becoming a popular practice for expectant moms these days especially in US and UK. More and more pregnant women including child-bearing celebrities namely Jessica Alba, Tiffani Thiessen, and model Miranfa Kerr are considering to take advantage of the mentioned pre-birthing techniques.

After reading this news feature, I immediately search the web if there are now hypnobirthing experts here in the Philippines teaching for the said pre-birthing technique. And glad to say, there are some.

Hmm, would this be a perfect signal for me to say "I Do" to the one I love?

*note: image is taken using google image search engine

have your child's eyes examined before school starts

How often do you bring your child to an eye doctor for check-ups and consultation? For sure many of us don’t give so much importance on regular eye examination.

Eye check-ups and consultation are very important part of health maintenance not just for kids but for everyone. It is imperative for adults to visit their eye doctor for regular vision testing to ensure an updated prescription at the same time to immediately detect signs of eye problems or disease. Meanwhile for kids, eye examination plays crucial in normal development.

If a child has eye problems or is visually impaired, he or she will be limited to explore the interesting objects in the environment. Hence, he/she will miss the opportunities to have experiences and to learn. Aside from child’s cognitive development, visual impairment likewise affects his/her social behavior.

And since poor vision is one of the factors that affect child’s academic performance, August is designated in the United States as Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month that aims to increase public awareness of the importance of proper eye care for children. Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month is also an ideal indication for every parent to have their child’s eyes thoroughly examined prior to heading back to school.

By the way, here are the two most common form of corrective devices an eye care specialist might recommend to a person with poor vision:

Image sources: eyeconx.com

importance of staying healthy and fit

Welcome to my health blog!

As an opening post, I decided to discuss the importance of staying healthy and fit at all times.

With the hectic pace of modern life, it is imperative for each of us to have a good health because without it; we will surely die. Being healthy and fit holds a number of benefits and one of them is having an opportunity to enjoy almost every pleasure that life holds without worrying for things that people with ailments do. We can eat and drink whatever we want. We can do whatever we like. And most of all, we can live a life that we desire most.

Besides living a life that is full of enjoyment, we can also be saved from high-cost medicare as being healthy and fit protects us from developing diseases like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and other life-threatening disorders.

So if you are still a member of those people who practice sedentary lifestyle, isn’t it a perfect time now to disband from that organization?

*Image Source: Photo is taken using Google Image Search