Happy Easter..eat some chocolate!

It’s Easter time! What better way to celebrate than to spend time with family and friends, give thanks for what Easter really means, and eat some chocolate.

Chocolate is one of the world’s most favourite foods and recent research is showing that eating moderate amounts of dark chocolate can be good for us. Because it is made from plants, chocolate contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables. These benefits are from the flavonoids, which act as polyphenol antioxidants, protecting our body from aging caused by free radicals.

Research has demonstrated that the quality and quantity of antioxidants in chocolate is relatively high when compared to other high-antioxidant foods and dark chocolate contains about eight times the polyphenol antioxidants found in strawberries. Having 65 percent or higher cocoa content, dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants, and has far more antioxidants than white or milk chocolate.

The earliest record of chocolate was several thousand years ago in the South American rain forests, where this ideal climate provides all the necessary ingredients for cultivation of the Cacao Tree. Worshipped by the Mayan civilisation the Cacao Tree was believed to be of divine origin, hence it’s generic Latin name meaning ‘Food of the Gods’. The Mayan word Cacao was corrupted into ‘Cocoa’ by Europeans. The Aztecs, who came after the Mayan’s, also prized the beans and used them as currency. In 1528, Cortez brought chocolate to Europe. The first chocolate factories soon opened in Spain. and by the early 17th century chocolate powder, from which the drink was made, was being exported to other parts of Europe

The Cocoa beverage made from the powder became popular, first in Italy then France, the Netherlands, Germany and finally, in about 1520 it arrived in England with the first Chocolate House opening in London in 1657, with many others to follow. In the early 1700’s English colonists carried chocolate with them to England’s colonies in North America, which later became Canada and the United States, and are now the worlds largest consumers of chocolate.

Eating 40 to 50 grams a day of plain dark chocolate with a minimum cocoa content of 70% or more, can be beneficial to your health. Look for pure dark chocolate or dark chocolate with nuts, orange peel or other flavourings. Avoid anything with caramel, nougat or other fillings, which are just adding sugar and fat that can erase many of the benefits you get from eating the chocolate.

With all the known health benefits chocolate can provide for us it makes sense to include a small amount in our diet. Happy Easter …..eat some chocolate!

The good, the bad, and the brittle

Our bones. They keep us upright, they keep us tall. They help us walk, and they keep us strong. Without them, we’d be a blob and flop around like jelly. They give us shape and support, and help to protect our heart, lungs, brain and other organs. They team up with our muscles, and if we don’t take care of our bones they become weak, brittle and even break.

Along with cartilage the adult human skeletal system is typically compromised of 206 bones, and their strength is essential to whole body health and wellness. Considering that about 99% of our body’s calcium is stored in our bones and teeth, it makes good sense to keep our supply topped up daily. If our daily diet is low in calcium, bone is literally broken down to keep our blood calcium level normal--because calcium plays other critical roles in supporting our bodies’ vital functions such as maintaining our heartbeat and controlling our blood pressure.

Our body continually removes and replaces small amounts of calcium from our bones. If the body removes more calcium than it replaces, our bones will become weaker and have a greater chance of breaking. Because bones have their own “calcium bank account” it’s important we keep this account balanced. If too much calcium is “withdrawn” and not enough is “deposited” we run the risk of creating a calcium deficiency, which can lead to an increased risk of fractures, osteoporosis and other ailments.

There are many ways to get calcium in our daily diet and ensuring we’re getting enough, through diet and supplementation, is crucial in maintaining strong, healthy bones. Our diet should include the primary food sources of calcium—dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, kale and cabbage. Sardines, eggs, tofu and low-fat dairy products are also rich in calcium, which help support a healthy skeletal frame.

It’s also important we get regular exercise and sufficient sleep. Because bones are living tissue, weight-bearing physical activity causes new bone tissue to form, which makes bones stronger. Not only is this type of physical activity good for our bones, it also makes our muscles stronger. By pushing and tugging against each other, and gravity, both our bones and muscles benefit. Some examples of weight-bearing physical activities include: walking, running, dancing, aquafit, rebounding, stair climbing, hiking and weight lifting.

Considering calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body we tend to think it’s only purpose is keeping our bones and teeth healthy. However, this mineral is also needed for the proper function of our heart, muscles and nerves. Recent studies are linking high-calcium diets to weight loss and are suggesting that a diet rich in calcium may even help lower and maintain blood pressure levels.

Recognizing the importance of calcium to our health, The AIM Companies™ formulated CalciAIM™ which provides highly absorbable calcium and other supporting nutrients which are crucial for proper skeletal function and overall wellness.

Carefully formulated to determine the most beneficial types of calcium, the most effective method of delivery, and a combination of nutrients to help achieve superior whole-body health, CalciAIM™ (along with a healthy diet and exercise) can help us have and maintain strong healthy bones. A combination of 3 types of calcium, magnesium, L-lysine, vitamins C & D, zinc, and copper, this unique powder drink mix delivery system provides excellent calcium absorption levels helping in the development and maintenance of our bones,cartilage, teeth and gums.

The good, the bad, and the brittle…what type of bones would you like?

If you’d like more information about CalciAIM™ please visit the AIM website at http://awealthofhealth.myaimstore.com where you can read more, download a data sheet or watch a video.

Healthy Choices Shouldn’t Be Difficult

Every time I hear the news it seems that one thing or another has been found to be either good or bad for us. One week the “experts” are telling us to cut back on or eliminate a particular food or drink as it can cause disease or health conditions (at least it did in lab animals), and the next week other “experts” are claiming that same food or drink is actually good for us. It can get downright confusing!

Because we need food to nourish our body and give us energy it’s important to have some sort of guideline and understanding as to which food and drink are good for us and which are not so good. Having a healthy diet is also important in reducing our risk of many of today’s chronic ailments.

Making healthy food choices is essential for maintaining good health and well-being, and an easy way to start is with Canada’s Food Guide (or the USDA MyPyriamid program for our friends to the south). Although I don’t agree with everything Health Canada dictates, I do believe the food guide is actually a good tool to use to see if we’re getting the right types and amounts of the foods we need. You can visit the Canada Food Guide website at:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index_e.html

Choosing foods that are high in fibre and low in fat can help to keep us healthy and fit. Lots of fresh veggies and fruit are a must in today’s diet and the fresher and organic we can get is best. The local farmers markets are starting up at this time of year so it’s a great way to shop for all your fresh food needs.

Frozen dinners, processed and pre-packaged foods are usually laden with chemicals, fats, excess salt and sugar. If possible, they should be avoided. However, due to our hectic schedules we do on occasion have to break down and have one as a meal. Because of the dioxins and other chemicals being discovered in the plastic used for packaged microwave food, it’s a good idea to avoid microwaving. Instead, cook the food in the oven (or toaster oven if you have one) and toss together a salad for added nutrition and fibre. Baby spinach and mesclun come conveniently pre-washed in bags. It’s an easy way to get some greens and by adding green peppers, celery, onions and tomatoes it really rounds out the nutrition.

It’s also a good idea to read labels to find out what is in the food we eat. If you would like to know what a lot of the chemicals and additives are, there is a multitude of websites and books available that explain what we are eating. You can Google ‘food additives’ for a huge directory on the essential information about what is really in the food we eat, which additives we should avoid, and which are downright unsafe. There are a lot of books on the subject as well. Check with your local library or at Amazon.

Another way to make an informed choice is to read the Nutrition Facts on the label. The Nutrition Facts table can help you make healthy choices for you and your family. The information is based on a specific amount of food, which you can compare to the amount you eat. It also shows the % Daily Value to see if a food has a little or alot of a specific nutrient. The table also shows how much fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sugar and sodium the product contains. Please keep in mind when reading these tables that the serving size may be significantly low. In other words, 50 ml or 1 teaspoon is not a lot of food but may contain high amounts of fats, sodium and/or sugar. You can read more about labelling practises in Canada by visiting: http://healthycanadians.ca/nutrition

It’s also important to maintain healthy habits. Keeping active, exercising and not smoking is healthy for your weight, heart and lungs and will keep you feeling young and energized. Adding extra supplements can also have a tremendous effect on your health and AIM has all the right ones to choose from.

Life is supposed to be a journey, not a destination, and by making the right choices we can have a really great ride. By spending a little time reading and educating ourselves, healthy choices shouldn’t be difficult.

If you’d like to learn about the AIM products, watch a video or download a datasheet visit My AIM Store website at http://awealthofhealth.myaimstore.com