Cocoa can outshine Penicillin

Wow, I was completely surprised when I came across an article in Science Daily (March 12, 2007), that claimed cocoa was a vitamin with health benefits that can outshine penicillin.

There are tremendous health benefits related to epicatechins, compounds found in cocoa. Epicatechins may rival penicillin and anaesthesia in terms of importance to public health. Epicatechins are so important that some believe that they should be considered a vitamin.

Many studies have shown that cocoa have reduced the risks of stroke, heart failure, cancer and diabetes. A study was done with the Kuna people in Panama regarding the benefits of drinking cocoa. They can drink up to 40 cups of cocoa a week. Natural cocoa has high levels of epicatechin. The studies showed the risk of the most common killer diseases were reduced by 10 percent.

Norman Hollenberg, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, stated that although we know that penicillin and anaesthesia are enormously important. But epicatechin could potentially get rid of 4 of the 5 most common diseases in the western world…so how important does that make epicatechin? I think very important!

Currently, there are only 13 essential vitamins. An increase in the number of vitamins would provide significant opportunity for nutritional companies to expand their range of products. Commercial cocoas remove flavanols and epicatechin because they tend to have a bitter taste. So there is a huge scope for nutritional companies to develop epicatechin supplements or capsules.

Epicatechins are also found in teas, wine, fruits and vegetables and dark chocolate.

Xocai, makes 6 different products that contain high levels of epicatechins. These products are made with a cold press process therefore keeping all the vitamins and nutrients within the cocoa. These products known as Healthy Chocolate, also add the acai berry and blueberries to remove the bitterness of the cocoa.

So, how’s that for some food for thought?

Until next time,

Dr. Mommy

Would you like a glass of red wine??

Did you know that a glass of red wine is good for you??

A recent French study published in ‘The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology’ (FASEB), found that very high doses of antioxidant polyphenols (equivalent to one bottle of red wine per day) can shut down and prevent cancerous tumors.

Well, I am not suggesting you drink a bottle of red wine a day, but a diet rich in fresh produce, combined with a good supplement is the better choice to obtain the anti-cancer effect. You can also add other antioxidant rich foods to your diet to get the same effects, such as healthy chocolate made from unprocessed cacao with the acai berry, blue berries, rich dark green leafy vegetables, etc…

Studies have shown that low doses of polyphenols, play a beneficial role for those with ailments of the heart and circulatory system, because they facilitate blood vessel growth. The researchers claim that polyphenols are micro nutrients, often found in whole, unprocessed foods such as red wine, fruits, vegetables and green tea.

Imagine, finding the treatment for complex diseases can be easily found there waiting to be discovered in unexpected places, like the produce aisle.

**Veggie Fact**

The asparagus, a close relative of onions, garlic and leeks, long has been considered an aristocrat among vegetables. This harbinger of spring not only boasts fine taste, it’s rich in vitamins A and C, as well as potassium and folate .

Until next time,

Dr. Mommy

Ten Foods Your Body Needs

There 10 fruits, vegetables and plants that should be a part of your diet…are they in your diet? Let’s see:

1. Pumpkin seeds : Did you know that just 1oz of pumpkin seeds contain 150mg of magnesium. They are also high in zinc and phytosterols, shown to lower cholesterol and defend against cancer.
2. Cabbage : These leafy, green vegetables contain a healthy supply of nutrients. One of the nutrients include sulforaphane, a chemical which increase your body’s production of enzymes. These enzymes combat cell-damaging free radicals and reduce the risk of cancer.
3. Dried plums : These little beauties are infamous for their high fiber content. However, they also include high amounts of neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acids which fight against structural damage to cells, one of the primary causes of cancer.
4. Gogi berries : These berries resemble raisins, yet they taste sweet and sour and are red in color. Including these in your diet will help protect the liver, improve sexual function and increase circulation. They are very high in antioxidants that help prevent the aging process of our cells.
5. Beets : These roots are known for their dark red coloring and are surprisingly sweet for a vegetable. They are the best source for folate and betaine, which help to lower your blood levels of homocysteine. What exactly is homocysteine?? Well homocysteine can damage arteries and increase the risk of heart disease…so eat your beets!!
6. Cinnamon : This is a common spice that many think are just used for cookies or cakes, but don’t overlook a pinch or two in your coffee or on your oatmeal. Cinnamon can lower your blood sugar and lower triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol.
7. Guava : This slightly pear-shaped fruit is known for its sweet, acidic flavor and its yellow or pink in color. It contains cancer-fighting agents such as lycopene. Lycopene is known for warding off prostate cancer. It also contains 688 mg of potassium and 9 grams of fiber, which is important in everyone’s diet.
8. Swiss chard : This is a slightly bitter and salty vegetable. This particular vegetable contains huge amounts of lutein andzeaxanthin, plant chemicals known as carotenoids. These protect the retinas from age-related damage.
9. Purslane : This is a broad-leaved weed. It has the highest amount of heart-healthy omega-3 fats of any edible plant. It also contains 10 to 20 times more melatonin than any other fruit or vegetable.
10. Pomegranate juice : This juice has been consumed for decades in the Middle East as a popular juice beverage. Just 4oz of this juice a day provides 50% of your daily vitamin C needs.

Until next time,

Dr. Mommy

Chiropractic Care and Autism

Being a Chiropractor I found this to be very interesting. I came across an article that mentioned how Chiropractic care can help children with Autism. Well, that sparked my interest because I know many who have children with this dreadful problem and find themselves helpless.

This article was written by a world-renowned chiropractor for children, Dr. Joan Fallon. She stated that more and more parents of children with developmental issues were seeking out chiropractors. She believes, as I do, that many times children with developmental issues, especially children with autism, experience sensory integreation problems. Sensory integreation disorder is defines as ‘the disorganization of the multi-sensory input into the body.’ People who suffer from this have profound and often dibilitating difficulty with touch, taste, smell, sound or visual input. Which means they have difficulty processing incoming sensory information.

So for instance, when in a mall or playground, most of us can block out sounds and talking that occurs around us. However, a child with sensory integration problems has difficulty filtering out the noises effectively, so it all comes at him/her all at once. Dr. Fallon believes that Chiropractic can help children with these problems, because Chiropractic care can get to the root of the problem by helping correct the imbalances in the nervous system. Imbalances in the nervous system are caused by ’subluxations’ in the spine.

Chiropractors correct ’subluxations’ in the spine. What are ’subluxations’? It is when two or more segments in the spine with the disc between are misaligned or lost its proper position. Subluxation can cause a numerous amount of problems in an adult and in a child it is much worse. As Chiropractors, we determine the areas of subluxations, misalignments and put them in the proper position. When subluxations are corrected, the body is brought into alignment and able to maintain the integrity of various systems within the body, including the nervous system.

Much more research has been done offering hope for children with autism. Chiropractic care believes that healing of the body comes from within. We as chiropractors, maintain the spine in alignment, therefore allowing your body as a whole to function at its optimum level.

We have seen children with these same conditions, improve tremendously with Chiropractic care. Give Chiropractic a chance and a child with autism a chance to live a symptom-free and healthier life.

Until next time,

Dr. Mommy

Snack Time

Don’t you love snacks? Who doesn’t? The problem is the type of snacks that we eat and the times that we eat them.

Now let’s be honest, do we really need someone to tell us what is right and wrong about the foods we eat?? YES!!!! Although we were all taught about the good and bad foods, it is always a good reminder to be told about them again!!

You must know by now, that my favorite word is ‘moderation’. It works when it comes to snack time too. The best snack for our bodies are fruits and vegetables. It is easy to cut up some orange wedges, for example, and place on counter or your refridgerator for an easy snack. Dried fruit is a great snack for those on the’go’. I like to have cut up vegetables available with dressing or yogurt to dip them into. These are all snacks that we know are healthy and good for us, but how many of us truly eat them regularly??

The newest snacks on the market are the ‘100 calorie snacks’.. You know which ones I’m talking about.. the ones that have 10 mini chocolate chip cookies in them that are thin as paper and just leave you wanting more. I’ve tried them and have not been satisfied at all, actually I wanted to eat 3 of those little bags, but that would defeat the purpose of the ‘100 calorie snack’ bag..

Nuts are a snack food that are very satisfying.. you can have almonds, cashews, etc and they are delicious and good for you. Your body needs ‘fats’ to function on as well, and nuts /grains are a great source with out the guilty feelings attached. Sunflowers seeds are also a great snack and are great in yogurt or over your salads. Pretzels are great snacks too and not as bad as potatoe chips. But again, my favorite word - moderation is key…

As I mentioned before, we need to eat at least 5 meals a day and those meals consist of snacks. After a healthy breakfast, you can have fruit, or nuts or crackers with cheese, or cheese stix, etc to hold you over until lunch and then the same in between lunch and dinner. It is not difficult to do, but will take some training. With some practice and dedication you will be able to experiment with different snack foods and enjoy your snack time.

Until next time,

Dr. Mommy

Moderation is the Key to Success!

Yes, you read it correctly moderation!! In this crazy world of rush, rush, rush….we have been brainwashed into thinking that we need things to happen quickly. Look at all the drive-thru’s we have, restaurants, banks, pharmacies, car wash, grocery stores, drycleaning, etc. It’s no wonder we think that we can change our lifestyles quickly too…

Well, unfortunately that is not true… we need to take every step slowly and in moderation.

Look, honestly, if we do not like the image we see in the mirror it is no one’s fault but our own.. It truly doesn’t matter what excuse you may bring up or have convinced yourself of, it is ultimately our own responsibility. If we are not happy with our weight, for instance, how can we possibly think that we will change over night. Honestly, didn’t it take months or maybe years to reach that weight?? It is near impossible to lose it over night let alone 2 weeks.

So, we must be responsible and understand that anything can be achieved if we truly want it and are willing to work hard for it. It will take time, but it will be rewarding in the end.. We must be happy with ourselves, not only outside but inside as well. The first step we can take is: increasing our water intake..

Yes, increasing our water intake will start to eliminate the toxins within our bodies. It will make our skin healthier and smoother as well. If you don’t like plain water, add lemon or lime. But drinking water is where we must all begin. Then we can move onto the amount of food we eat. We should be eating at least 5 small meals a day.. yes at least 5… this will increase our metabolism therefore making our bodies burn the fat quicker. It is important to make these meals healthy, and fast food, does not count…

The 3 main meals are breakfast, lunch and dinner.. we must also add a snack in between each, so we are not starving our bodies until the next meal. People make the common mistake on missing meals to lose weight, but that is very unhealthy!! Our bodies require energy to function, and that energy is in the form of FOOD!!

You cannot starve yourself and expect to lose weight, keep it off and still be able to function on a daily basis. It is impossible to think that we can lose weight by just eating 1 meal a day… sure you may ‘lose’ weight but it is most likely ‘water weight’…. if you only eat 1 or 2 meals a day, your body will naturally store that food as fat in our bodies because it needs natural energy to function. SO, you will be doing yourself a dis-service by skipping meals. Be sure to eat a combination of foods that contain protein, fats, and carbohydrates. Yes, carbohydrates are needed for your body to function as well as fats. There are good fats and good carbohydrates and I will discuss those at a later date.

The most important thing to remember is that we must be happy with ourselves and that everything we eat will be reflective on our bodies. Drink lots of water, eat at least 5 meals a day, exercise, oh yes, exercise and you will get to your target weight at the appropriate time and maintain it longer:)

Until next time,

Dr. Mommy