What has Chocolate got to do with it?

How do you explain to little children about divorce?

Here is a book that may help you with that problem.  "Was it the Chocolate pudding?" by Sandra Levins.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Was-Chocolate-Pudding-Little-Divorce/dp/1591473098





You can help your children through your divorce.  click on this link to find more information

Children and Divorce       Click Here!

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Chocolate's Healing powers

Chocolate is one of the greatest substances on earth.  In addition to being sublimely delicious, it bathes your brain in feel-good chemicals.  I know none of us needs more reasons to sink our teeth into something decadent, especially during stressful times, but I can’t resist sharing these findings with you.

Phenylethylamine may not be in your daily vocabulary, but it’s the chemical in chocolate that fools your brain into thinking you’re in love.  When dealing with the loss of a life partner, more phenylethylamine is a good thing as it elevates your mood.  What could be better than that? There’s absolutely no harm in eating an an ounce or two of good, dark chocolate. 

Anandamide is a chemical aptly named after the Sanskrit word for bliss: ananda.  It produces an effect that’s almost identical to the THC in marijuana. The brain has receptor sites for this chemical, just as it does for the feel-good endorphins you get from exercise.  When a molecule of anandamide hitches on to its receptor site you get a jolt of joy.  If this makes you nervous about eating chocolate, don’t be.  You’d have to eat 25 pounds of chocolate to equal the high from one joint.

Dark chocolate has the highest ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) units of all fruits and vegetables.  Why care about ORACs?  These antioxidants neutralize free radicals. Free radicals are the by-products of respiration and digestion, and they wreak havoc on our system.  We can’t stop them from occurring, but we can ingest foods that prevent them from causing harm.  Dark chocolate has twice as many polyphenol antioxidants, the substance found in red wine that is touted for all its health benefits.

Chocolate does contain small amounts of caffeine, 1.5 ounces of the dark stuff has 27 mg. while a 6 ounce cup of coffee has 125 mg, but this caffeine-like compound in chocolate, theobromine, does not stimulate the central nervous system the way caffeine in coffee (or the caffeine-like compound in tea: theophylline) does.

Nitric oxide is another little miracle in your chocolate, as it may help prevent blood clots and high blood pressure.  Carl Keen, chair of the nutrition department at University of California-Davis, found that a drink containing 25 grams of dark chocolate had the same blood-thinning effects on platelets as an 81 mg. aspirin. 

While chocolate is high in fat (a little over an ounce will have 11 grams of fat, 7 of which are saturated), the 4 grams of unsaturated fat are oleic acid, the same fatty acid that makes olive oil so healthy.  Oleic acid raises your HDLs and lowers your LDLs.  Of the saturated fat, more than half is stearic acid.  It is converted into oleic acid by the liver.   Palmitic acid is the stuff found in beef, pork and dairy.  Twenty five percent of the fatty acids in chocolate are palmitic, but researches believe the high levels of good fats counteract its effects.

Chocolate has strong anti-inflammatory properties. The process of inflammation seems to involve increased levels of leukotriene in the body. A study done in Germany showed that the epicatechin in chocolate helps decrease levels of leukotriene. So chocolate may help reduce inflammation by reducing leukotriene.

One last little tidbit: the magnesium in chocolate calms your nervous system, builds bones, regulates blood pressure, and helps metabolize carbohydrates.

All this interesting information and more on the holistic divorce site................
http://holisticdivorce.wordpress.com/category/chocolates-healing-powers/