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Craving Chocolate
Craving Chocolate? Valentines Day is coming and I bet you are having some cravings for chocolate. Sometimes we crave chocolate so much and just don't know why. Do you find yourself stressed or depressed? There is new research revealing that if you’re craving chocolate, there may be a reason. I read an article, by Shari Lieberman PH. D. professor of nutrition at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut . The article reported studies showing that chocolate offers some surprising health benefits for the people who indulge! So enjoy your favorite treat guilt-free because it can help you.
Every ounce of chocolate contains 100 mg. of magnesium, and research suggests getting just 400 mg. of this essential mineral daily cuts fatigue 89%. That is because magnesium works inside body and brain cells, helping to quickly convert food into energy. Research also suggests magnesium helps to shuttle excess sugar into hungry muscle cells, giving people 20% better blood sugar control.
Block the blues add a little chocolate to your diet, and you could slash your risk of depression in half! I bet you’re asking why? Chocolate is rich in phenyl ethylamine a powerful mood boosting hormone found in the brain. Just smelling chocolate boosts your brain's production of its own natural antidepressants, serotonin and dopamine, researchers say. According to experts, those same mood-boosting chemicals also help keep stress reactions in check. For the best results, choose dark chocolate, it contains far more phenyl ethylamine than milk chocolate does.
Chocolate is also loaded with phenols, a powerful antioxidant that block the formation of dangerous blood clots. I bet you didn't know that chocolate is known to be the king of the phenol rich foods. Three ounces contain 410 mg. more than a serving of broccoli, a cup of green tea or a glass of red wine. It has been said that eating a few ounces of chocolate daily can cut your artery-clogging LDL cholesterol levels as much as 14%. The credit for this goes to chocolate's rich supply of magnesium. The mineral works right inside the liver, lowering its production of LDL cholesterol, while helping it make more artery-cleaning HDL cholesterol at the same time. That is enough to cut your risk of heart attack 30% or more.
Have you been told that chocolate brings on a migraine? "Chocolate cravings may be a very early warning sign that a migraine is coming on, but eating chocolate doesn't cause the migraine and won't change whether you get a migraine or not," says neurologist Todd Rozen, M.D. If you get the chance to read the book, The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book, by the author Shari Lieberman, it is well worth reading. Enjoy your chocolate.
Written by Mary D. Johnson
What You May Not Know About Peppermint
Peppermint is not just a holiday treat. It is one of the hottest new ingredients in health, beauty, germ control, and is a longtime staple at spas. Listed below are just a few things I do with peppermint oil. I use peppermint oil everyday. When cleaning the house I put a few drops of peppermint oil on a cotton ball, sweep the cotton ball up and as you sweep the whole house smells fresh. The peppermint oil opens up the nose and sinuses, problems seem to go away. Try misting the carpet with peppermint water it keeps the germs at bay and the house is always fresh. Did you know that you can mix one drop of mint extract with your favorite lip gloss and plump up your lips like the movie stars? Try a mint mask, it erases the years. Mint fights the free radicals that cause aging. Try a peppermint sugar scrub. It revitalizes you from head to toe. Peppermint has a natural cooling effect waking up your body, while sugar smoothes away dry patches. Pep up with peppermint perfume. Research reveals that the scent of mint stimulates brain waves, leaving you more alert. Try using mint shampoo to thicken your hair. Mint increases the flow of blood to hair follicles, plumping them up so hair looks fuller and has more oomph. Keep your feet in mint condition. Rejuvenate tried feet with a mint foot lotion. They will come alive. Clear up blemishes with mint tea. Mint soaks up blemish causing oils. Place a handful of mint leaves in a bowl of hot water and place your face over it for 5 minutes. Your face comes alive. The next time you go to the spa or get a massage ask about a peppermint oil treatment, your body will feel wonderful and you very rewarded.
I grow my own peppermint plants and use the leaves for just about everything. The plants are easy to grow and come back every year. I use the fresh leaves in our lemon water for a refreshing taste with each meal, or in my hot tea at the end of a busy day. Last but not least, remember peppermint has been used for years to help settle an upset stomach for all ages. Enjoy the pleasures of the mint family. Your entire body will feel refreshed and more alive.
Written by: Mary D. Johnson
Why do Leaves Change Color in the fall?
What causes leaf color to change from green to yellow or red in the fall? It is a combination of light, temperature and available water. With less light on short days, trees and shrubs return to an energy-saving mode to survive the winter. Short days and falling temperatures signal trees and shrubs to quit producing chlorophyll, which converts sunlight into sugars through a process called photosynthesis.
As chlorophyll breaks down, leaves reflect the remaining leaf pigments that were there all along. Yellow is produced by carotenoids, the same pigment that gives carrots their color. The red color is produced by anthrocyanins. These pigments, normally masked by chlorophyll, help protect leaves from excessive sunlight. Anthocyanins are actually toxic, and contribute to a plant's natural defense against insects. Moisture during the fall keeps leaves bright and colorful for a longer period of time. When conditions are
dry, leaf color fades to brown, and leaves drop quickly. Cooler temperatures also support a longer period of color, which explains why fall color lasts longer in the mountains. The normal season for autumn color is September and October.
Take a ride with the family or a walk through the woods; enjoy the beautiful colors of autumn this year.
Until next month, be safe. Moments with Mary
Like A Leaf in the Wind
Like a leaf in the wind our life takes on many journeys before coming to an end.
The winds may carry us high or low as we tumble through the many fields below
Like a feather the winds will blow us into the air landing us upon a brook or a stream somewhere
The water may be trickling or flowing really hard but one thing for sure the current is now in charge.
Never knowing just where our life will pause or where our next moment or two will be
Like a leaf in the wind our life will again be filled with some sorrow, disappointments, joy, love and harmony. Take a few minutes close your eyes ask yourself is my life where I want it to be, if it isn't set some new goals, follow your dreams, pick a new place in your mind to go travel and see.
Sometimes destinations of where we think we might be going are only dreams of the present not of life's future moments. We can't see into the future nor do we have total control of how our lives might go, but one thing for sure we must not get too comfortable because life's journey is going to change again once more.
Now let the wind blow you through the air, the current send you down the brook or stream, for the journey you are about to take and encounter will become life's treasures and your dreams. We never know what tomorrow will bring or the beginning or ending of each day but with faith, determination, and love we somehow can always find our way.
Life is an adventure, something new and different each second of every hour, hold on to each experience and savior the moment, for we don't know if there will be another tomorrow!
Dedicated to my husband, Thomas.
Who tells me life is like a leaf in the wind.
Written By Mary D. Johnson (2003)
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