The 3000 Year Old History of Chocolate!

Dark chocolate, in all its organic, gourmet glory, has been blessing us with benefits for quite some time...


Did you know that chocolate has been blessing us with its presence for more than 3000 years? The deliciousness dates back 500 years more than previously thought. Here's more courtesy of Cosmosmagazine.com!

"Central Americans were drinking beverages made from the cacao plant before 1000 BC, 500 years earlier than previously thought, say archaeologists.

These early cacao beverages were probably alcoholic brews, or beers, made from the fermented pulp of the cacao fruit, rather than the frothy chocolate-flavoured drink made from the seed of the cacao tree that was such an important feature of later Mesoamerican culture....

The cacao bean played an important role in Mesoamerican civilisation – the native civilisation in parts of Mexico and Central America prior to the Spanish conquest of the 16th century.

The bean was a form of currency in Aztec society, and the frothed chocolate drink made from fermented beans or seeds was central to social and ritual life throughout Mesoamerica."

Read more about the astonishing evolution of our favorite food here!

Dark Chocolate: Part of the 20 "Lifespan Essential" Products

More benefits - Dark chocolate is a life span essential food!


Dark Chocolate is indeed one of the "foods of the Gods!" In a recent article on Healthinfoniac.com, dark chocolate was listed as one of the 20 "Lifespan Essential" products along with black and green tea, coffee, spinach and strawberries. Here's more about these glorious foods that are essentials for not only a healthy life, but for longevity as well!

"Gary Williamson, professor at Leeds University completed a list of 20 "lifespan essential" products that can slow down ageing process. Most of the food consists of fruits and vegetables that contain polyphenols that are known to have numerous health benefits. The high levels of polyphenols prevent different types of cancer, play a protective role for heart and vessels and protect against nerve damage. "

Very encouraging as we all love our dark chocolate, don't we? Read the rest of the article here!

The World's Fastest Chocolate? The Chocolate-Fueled Race Car!

Talk about dark chocolate and vitality....



From the Associated Press, British scientists revealed a most amazing creation - a race car fueled by chocolate! Here's an excerpt from Meera Selva's article about this groundbreaking machine:

"The car runs on vegetable oils and chocolate waste that has been turned into biofuel. The steering wheel is made out of plant-based fibers derived from carrots and other root vegetables, and the seat is built of flax fibre and soybean oil foam. The body is also made of plant fibers.
Scientists at the University of Warwick say their car is the fastest to run on biofuels and also be made from biodegradable materials. It has been built to Formula 3 specifications about the car's size, weight, and performance."

Read the rest of the article here. Who knew chocolate could be this versatile?

Visualization: How to Improve Your Luck!

Janice Taylor from the Huffington Post wrote this article recently about using visualization to improve your luck! In this recent article entitled "13 Ways to Improve Your Luck", Janice describes to us the actions we must take to lead a more "lucky life"!



Here's more:
"After a great deal of research and experimentation, I am here to tell you that there are ways in which you can tap into positive force and improve your luck. Indeed, luck is the product of our own mental focus and attitudes. Imagine now that by changing your focus, you can intentionally increase the amount of luck you experience in all areas of life.

1) Tune in to Your Gut
Nearly all of the lucky people I've met said they trust their intuition and pay close attention to their gut feelings. A good way to increase your ability to "hear" your gut is to empty your mind. Meditation is one way to effectively clear your mind and tune in to your gut. After all, it's difficult to hear your intuitive self when your mind is overflowing with thoughts and to-do lists.

2) Face Your Fears
The only way to get beyond a fear is to march straight through it. Otherwise, you will either create a terribly long, circuitous route around it, or you will let your fear totally block your life path. If you hide from your fears, you are hiding from new opportunity that might be waiting for you. So stare down your fears and get back to your life.

3) Expect the Best
It's called the Pygmalion Effect: you get what you expect, and lucky people expect the best. They are certain that their future is going to be full of good fortune. And these expectations become self-fulfilling prophecies. Ask around and you'll find that "lucky" and "unlucky" people have astoundingly different expectations."

Read the rest of this inspiring article here. And yes...get lucky!

Chocolate - Can It Help Cure ADHD?

Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be more benefits to moderate consumption of dark chocolate, here's yet another string that this amazing "superfood" may have added to its bow - the ability to help cure ADHD! Here's more from an article by Christine Cadena on AssociatedContent.com:

"In behavioral therapy, ADHD children are taught to complete goals through the establishment of mini-goals and then focusing on the smaller tasks in an effort to achieve the final desired outcome.
With this in mind, research has recently shown the sensory neurotransmitter, phenylethylamine, increases mental activity and promotes focus. In children with ADHD, this naturally based neurotransmitter is usually deficient and is desperately needed in the treatment of the ADHD symptoms such as improving focus and concentration.
So, oddly enough, where is phenylethylamine, PEA, found? Chocolate. In prior years, scientists had found the PEA presence in chocolate was responsible for short term mood enhancement and focus. In drugs such as Ritalin and Adderall, it is commonly known that the ADHD patient’s ability to concentrate is significantly improved. What is not known is that both Ritalin and Adderall contain PEA and may offer significant improvement for individuals suffering from ADHD and show signs of deficient PEA naturally. By consuming the prescription medications, the ability to focus and concentrate is improved thus research is now focusing on the PEA contribution that may be found in a piece of chocolate..."

Read the rest of the article here!

Dark Chocolate is on the Menu for Buddhist Monks!

Dark chocolate is indeed a food for everyone! Carl at Candy Dish Blog enlightens us as to how, even under the strictest diets that Thai monks follow, dark chocolate is permitted.

Here's more from Candy Dish Blog:

"They cannot eat food after noon, according to the rules they agreed to follow when taking their vows. Beverages are okay, however, as well as most liquids that do not contain a particulate. Anything containing milk is not okay. The most surprising thing I found is that dark chocolate is okay as well, even under the watch of one of the strictest Thai monks in modern history."

Find out why the healthful and beautiful "food of the gods" is permitted here.

Motherhood...The "Role Of A Lifetime"!

It's Mother's Day! Here's a wonderful ode to motherhood courtesy of Intent.com, written by Cheryl Sablan, "Motherhood: How to Define the Role of a Lifetime ". Whether you treat your beloved mother to a lovely box of chocolate, a delicious mother's day brunch or simply a day at the park, Mothers everywhere are to be celebrated!

Here's more : " With that said, motherhood continues to be a defining role that many of us crave. Are you a mother? If so, you’re among friends. There are an estimated 82 million moms in the U.S. alone. If you think that your relevance as a woman is wrapped around your ability as a mother—if it gives you a sense of self-worth, value and validation—accept major kudos. Women know that it’s not enough to create a satisfying life just for ourselves. We have always been concerned with the greater good of our children, families, communities, and the world. "



Read the rest of the article here, and don't forget to check out Cheryl Saban's 2 week guide for women to define their own self-worth...very powerful! Happy Mother's Day!

Gross National Happiness! Bhutan's Groundbreaking New Constitution

Prime Minister Jigme Thinley of Bhutan, has put forth the fascinating yet simple strategy for a healthier, stronger society - Gross National Happiness! Here is an excerpt from the New York Times article " Recalculating Happiness in a Himalayan Kingdom", as reported by Seth Mydan:
"Under a new Constitution adopted last year, government programs — from agriculture to transportation to foreign trade — must be judged not by the economic benefits they may offer but by the happiness they produce.
The goal is not happiness itself, the prime minister explained, a concept that each person must define for himself. Rather, the government aims to create the conditions for what he called, in an updated version of the American Declaration of Independence, “the pursuit of gross national happiness.”

We could all learn an immense amount from "this tiny Buddhist kingdom high in the Himalayan mountains", couldn't we? Read the rest of this inspiring article here.

Left: Bhutanese children, photo from babasteve via MyHappy.com

Kevin and Bean morning show on KROQ-FM host Intentional Chocolate

Kevin Ryder and Gene "Bean" Baxter host the morning show on KROQ-FM in Los Angeles, California. They were kind enough to have Intentional Chocolate on the show to talk about our recent Time Magazine article, the Dalai Lama, chocolate and the power of intention. As you'll hear we had a lot of fun.