Organic Dark Chocolate Benefits - Cardiovascular Health!

Gourmet dark chocolate is a cardiovascular powerhouse!

From the ever-informative WebMD comes this great article about the copious benefits that gourmet dark chocolate contains for us! Here's an excerpt that is indeed delicious news:

"...Based on his studies of the island-dwelling Kuna - who drink up to 40 cups per week of flavanol-rich cocoa and have a 10% lower risk of stroke, heart failure, cancer and diabetes than people who live on mainland Panama - Dr. Norman Hollenberg of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, believes epicatechin, a flavanol found in cocoa (and tea and wine), is so protective, it should be classified as a vitamin.

Hollenburg's research, published in the March 2007 issue of the International Journal of Medical Sciences, revealed that compared to the cocoa-loving Kuna islanders, among those living on the Panama mainland, relative risk of death from heart disease was 1,280% higher and death from cancer was 630% higher.

The link between cocoa flavanols and cardiovascular health is likely due in part to their improving blood flow by increasing production of nitric oxide, a molecule secreted by the lining of our blood vessels (the endothelium) to signal surrounding muscle to relax.

In research published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, ((Heiss C, Finis D, et al., February 2007), eleven healthy male smokers, with smoking-related losses in endothelial function resulting in impaired blood flow, drank three cups each day of a flavanol-rich cocoa drink (306 mg flavanol/cup). Within two days, the men showed measurable improvement in blood vessel function. After seven days, impairment of blood flow in these smokers was almost reversed. However, the improvement disappeared within one week of discontinuing the cocoa treatment, prompting researchers to recommend daily consumption of flavanol-rich cocoa."

Read the rest of this article here - and don't forget to have a bite of organic, dark chocolate today! Your heart will love the benefits.

Gluten Free Dark Chocolate..

Add Dark Chocolate to your Gluten Free Lifestyle!

Many people nowadays live with gluten intolerance and Celiac disease. Luckily, there are many wonderful gourmet dark chocolate products out that make life a little easier- namely chocolate (hint: Intentional Chocolate's dark chocolate is gluten free!)!

Here are five tips from LiveStrong.com about making safe choices when the desire for a lovely bit of dark chocolate surfaces.

1. Get the Gluten Lowdown

Gluten is a protein found in wheat and its derivatives, and can appear in a wide array of foods. Aside from obvious forms of wheat such as bread, pastries, pizza and cookies, gluten is found in almost all packaged foods because it is used as a stabilizer to extend the shelf life of products. Unfortunately, this means that gluten can be found in many forms of chocolate, because it is used as an emulsifier or thickener. Luckily, those needing to adhere to a strict gluten-free diet can still enjoy chocolate, as long as they understand which brands in which they can partake.

2. Simpler is Better

If choosing chocolate on a gluten-free diet, it is best to first examine the package label. Any ingredient that is unknown or which you are unsure, should be completely avoided--better safe than sorry. In general, the majority of plain milk and dark chocolate bars are more likely to be gluten-free than anything containing caramel, crisp or crunchy ingredients. A general rule to remember is the simpler the product, the better the chance that it is gluten-free. Luckily, this also means that the majority of chocolate indulgences on a gluten-free diet are generally healthier than their ingredient-loaded counterparts. Strive to choose chocolate that has less than 5 ingredients noted on the label, such as milk, cocoa powder, sugar or other recognizable names.

3. Do Your Research

The majority of large food corporations will list the safety of their products online, so make sure to check the manufacturer's website for its gluten-free status. Consumers can also try calling the number of the company noted on the package to gain quick information about the safety of its ingredients. Unfortunately, even if a chocolate bar has completely gluten-free ingredients listed on the wrapper, it still may be processed in a factory that deals with gluten and wheat foods. This means it is best to choose brands that you know are safe, have researched, or have spoken to personally.

Read the rest here on Livestrong.com !

Can Mindfulness Make Better Doctors?

Benefits of mindfulness....
In this very interesting article from the New York Times, Pauline W. Chen MD delves into how mindfulness could make better doctors...here's more from The New York Times:

"...One night during my training, long after all the other doctors had fled the hospital, I found a senior surgeon still on the wards working on a patient note. He was a surgeon with extraordinary skill, a doctor of few words whose folksy quips had become the stuff of department legend. “I’m sorry you’re still stuck here,” I said, walking up to him.He looked up from the chart. “I’m not working tomorrow, so I’m just fine.”

I had just reviewed the next day’s operating room schedule and knew he had a full day of cases. I began to contradict him, but he held his hand up to stop me.

“Time in the O.R.,” he said with a broad grin, “is not work; it’s play.”

Photo: Art Becker/Getty Images

For several years my peers and I relished anecdotes like this one because we believed we knew exactly what our mentor had meant. All of us had had the experience of “disappearing” into the meditative world of a procedure and re-emerging not exhausted, but refreshed.

The ritual ablutions by the scrub sink washed away the bacteria clinging to our skin and the endless paperwork threatening to choke our enthusiasm. A single rhythmic cardiac monitor replaced the relentless calls of our beepers; and nothing would matter during the long operations except the patient under our knife.

We had entered “the zone.” We were focused on nothing else but our patients and that moment...."

Read the rest of this engaging article here!

Dark Chocolate Beneficial For Pregnant Women!

Dark Chocolate Benefits for Pregnant Women:

Here is more wonderful news about the benefits of dark chocolate! Did you know it is incredibly beneficial for pregnant women?

Here's more from The Medical News:

"...According to scientific research in the U.S. eating chocolate, especially dark chocolate, during pregnancy is good for mother and baby.

The new research suggests it could help prevent a serious complication known as pre-eclampsia, where the blood pressure soars during pregnancy and excess protein is released into the urine.

Dr. Elizabeth Triche from Yale University says pre-eclampsia is a major pregnancy complication which has cardiovascular manifestations such as hypertension and affects up to eight percent of pregnancies.

The researchers say dark chocolate is particularly rich in a chemical called theobromine, which stimulates the heart, relaxes smooth muscle and dilates blood vessels; it has been used to treat chest pain, hypertension, high blood pressure, and hardening of the arteries.

Dr. Triche and her colleagues wanted to see whether chocolate's suspected cardiovascular benefits also might help prevent pre-eclampsia.

To do this, they studied 2,291 women who had delivered a single infant - they questioned them on how much chocolate they consumed in their first and third trimesters and also tested levels of theobromine in the infants' umbilical cord blood...."

Read the rest of this article here - and don't forget your daily dose of chocolate!

Amazing Heavy Machinery - The World's First All-Electric Locomotive!

From The Inhabitat and PopSci.com comes this groundbreaking story about the very first all electric locomotive! Here's more:

"...Norfolk Southern is the latest company to push a piece of heavy industrial machinery into green territory with their 100% electric NS 999 locomotive.

The zero-emissions train makes use of 1,080 12-volt batteries that allows it to run for 24 hours on a single charge--all while carrying the same load as a conventional locomotive."

Read the rest here on Popsci.com.

"Capturing' Lightening on Science Daily!

From Science Daily is this "enlightening" article about fascinating new ways to study lightning! Here's more about this amazing study:

"...First you see it ... Then you hear it! But how much do you know about it?

Storm chaser Lee Nichols, says, "Every now and then you see one that just starts from the middle of the sky and completely covers everything. Fascinating." When he sees clouds roll in, he rolls out! "We have punched a core of a storm, which means driving right through it -- in what's called a bear cage -- and lightning is just bouncing around all over the place," he tells Ivanhoe. "You're inside like looking out of lightning bars," he says.

But as close as we can get to it, there's still a lot we don't know about it. Martin Uman, a professor at University of Florida Lightning Research Group in Gainesville, Fla., says, "One of things we're trying to do now is understand how it strikes the ground -- how it strikes what it strikes."

Engineer Martin Uman and physicist Joe Dwyer are trying to crack the code and increase safety. Joe Dwyer, a physicist at University of Florida Lightning Research Group, says: "If you are a power company, you've got to make sure that lightning is not going to strike one of your poles and cause a blackout. You got to make sure that if lightning strikes your aircraft that you're not going to get people killed."

The two are literally capturing lightning. They launch a rocket with a wire connected to it out of tubes and into the sky. The rocket snakes its way up to the cloud, finds the charges in the cloud, and then brings the lightning down to the researchers.

Dwyer says they've learned lightning doesn't come straight down to the ground. It does so in a series of discrete steps."

Read the rest of the article on Science Daily here.

A Free Phone-in Conference on Putting Intention to Work in Your Life

From the creator of the gourmet, fine dark chocolates 'Intentional Chocolate' comes a great phone in conference about intention!

From Intentional Chocolate creator, Jim Walsh: The New "Soul Felt Series"

Jim Walsh on Spirituality and Intention:

Join us for a spiritually enlightening, free phone-in conference on consciously putting intention to work in your life!

Now that you've discovered intention & spirituality, do you find yourself doubting if it works? Were you uplifted for a moment and then quickly fell back into doubt?

This insightful series of 7 speakers (including me) will guide you on a intentional journey.

Register for this transformational, no-cost event in three easy steps:

1) RSVP via this link.

2) Watch your inbox for call-in details

3) Be sure to look for your complimentary bonus gifts just for signing up!

Listen to my first experience of the power of intention as well as those of other experts who, too, have consciously partnered with intention. We’ll share our humbling stories, guide you where you are, and fully enlighten you with practical steps for putting intention to work in your life.

Learn HOW to remain in balance and live on purpose.

Spiritual teacher, Michelle Skaletski-Boyd has partnered with Consciousness to create this wonderful Soul-Felt Series with you in mind.

I’m honored and inspired to be part of the speaker line-up, so please consider this your personal invitation to listen in.

10 Heart-Healthy Foods!

Gourmet Dark Chocolate is one of the many heart healthy foods!

As we have previously mentioned, dark chocolate has an impressive scope of benefits and is very heart healthy indeed. While we're on the subject, here are 10 more foods that are wonderfully heart healthy! Here's a few choice bits of deliciousness courtesy of Health.com:

1) Oatmeal

Start your day with a steaming bowl of oats, which are full of omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and potassium. This fiber-rich superfood can lower levels of LDL (or bad) cholesterol and help keep arteries clear.

Opt for coarse or steel-cut oats over instant varieties—which contain more fiber—and top your bowl off with a banana for another 4 grams of fiber.

2) Salmon

Super-rich in omega-3 fatty acids, salmon can effectively reduce blood pressure and keep clotting at bay. Aim for two servings per week, which may reduce your risk of dying of a heart attack by up to one-third.

"Salmon contains the carotenoid astaxanthin, which is a very powerful antioxidant," says cardiologist Stephen T. Sinatra, MD, the author of Lower Your Blood Pressure In Eight Weeks. But be sure to choose wild salmon over farm-raised fish, which can be packed with insecticides, pesticides, and heavy metals.

Not a fan of salmon? Other oily fish like mackerel, tuna, herring, and sardines will give your heart the same boost.

3) Avocado

Add a bit of avocado to a sandwich or spinach salad to up the amount of heart-healthy fats in your diet. Packed with monounsaturated fat, avocados can help lower LDL levels while raising the amount of HDL cholesterol in your body.



"Avocados are awesome," says Dr. Sinatra. "They allow for the absorption of other carotenoids —especially beta-carotene and lycopene—which are essential for heart health."

Find out more here via Health.com! Also be sure to check out the great recipes.

Solar "Lily Pads" in Glasgow ! An Incredible Vision...

From PopSci.com comes this astounding article featuring the latest advancement using solar energy - "solar lilypads"!

Here's more from PopSci.com:

"...Solar panels don’t have to be eyesores. The city of Glasgow is considering the installation of giant, glowing solar "lily pads" on the River Clyde. Designed by Scottish firm ZM Architecture, the circular floats are made of steel and recycled rubber and range in diameter from 15 to 45 feet."

Read the rest of this amazing story here.

Save Money and Eat Natural? 10 Easy Tips...

Organic dark chocolate benefits are affordable, too!

Here's a copious crop of wonderful tips from Health.com! Check out the 10 ways that you can improve your eating habits naturally and save money! Here's more from Health.com:

1. The end of the brown rice rut

Because nobody has an hour to devote to a midweek side dish, quick-cooking quinoa and whole-wheat couscous are truly revolutionary. With the same satisfying texture and nutty flavor as brown rice (plus more fiber), these 10-minute grains give new meaning to fast food.

2. Almonds by the pound

If you’re sick of schlepping to crunchy co-ops to buy nuts, dried fruit, and grains in bulk, you’ll be happy to hear that mass grocery stores are rediscovering these money-saving bins. That means we can buy less-processed, less-pricey raw almonds, unsalted sunflower seeds, organic trail mix, and more where we stock up on milk and other basics.

3. Generation 2.0 market bag

Buying fresh means buying often. And if you’re biking or walking to the market to stock up, you need a tote that’s up to the task. The new reusable, planet-friendly bags do it all—they’re big enough to carry loads of goodies, truly leakproof, and way cuter than granny carts. On the fence about bringing your own? A single reusable bag could eliminate more than 1,000 plastic grocery bags in its lifetime.

Read the rest of these wonderful life-lifting tips here!