Chocolat Noir




Le chocolat noir grace a sa forte teneur en cacao comporte plusieurs elements indispensable a notre sante, quoiqu'il soit necessaire de le consommer avec moderation a cause de son apport calorifique eleve.

Le cacao est compose de fibres qui favoriseraient le fonctionnement du transit intestinal en reduisant les risques de constipation.

Il contient plus de fibres que certains legumes comme les courgettes et les concombres( PassportSante. net).

En outre Le chocolat noir renferme des polyphenols( molecules organiques) qui jouent un role crucial dans le renforcement de la muqueuse intestinale- l'un des supports de notre systeme immunitaire.

Le chocolat est egalement tres riche en flavonoides(antioxidants). Nous reviendrons sur les bienfaits des antioxidants plus tard . Mais retenons que les antioxidants protegent contre les radicaux libres lesquels sont a l'origine de certains cancers, cardiopathies, degenerescence maculaire, douleur musculaire, etc....

Le chocolat noir est egalement presente comme un antidepressant, grace a sa forte teneur en cacao qui contient l'acide amine tryptophane dont la transformation en serotonime(neurotransmitteur) produit des effets positifs sur l'humeur. Des recherches indiquent que le chocolat contribue aussi a la secretion de l'endorphine( hormone de bonheur et de bien-etre).  

                               Nutrition and Depression discussion 1

Depression is a mental state followed by a profound feeling of sadness, discouragement, withdrawal, hopeless, and non importance. Depression can cause  you to not have interest in anything like daily activity, eating, working, sleeping. In fact there is no economic productivity when an individual is depressed.

Eat to beat the bad mood  
                    



The choices of food can elevate your mood for the day or sink it. News studies have indicated that when serotonin is in short supply, depression and insomnia can surface. Eating the right nutrients will not only lift our mood, but they will reduce the likelihood of having feeling of depression.

Now understand that body mechanisms are different from one person to another and that, the recipes that work for one person may not be the same for another individual. Some people will probably need to consult with a mental health specialist when they experience a severe or chronic state of depression.

Her are few tips that can help lift our "feeling better mood". Selene Yeager in her textbook The Doctors Book of Food Remedy mentions the importance of serotonin (this chemical brain compound) synthesized by tryptophan, an amino acid found in nuts, seeds, cheese, pineapple, eggs, fish.

Serotonin acts as a mood stabilizer.
A boost of vitamin B6 found in leafy greens, poultry, fish, and whole grain can also improve our mood. Vitamin B6 increases serotonin to "feeling better mood".
Folate is also a remedy to minimize the feeling down mood. Research by Dr Werbach indicates that people who are clinically depressed have low levels of folate.
Folate is found in beans, green, avocado, peas, asparagus, grapefruits, blueberries.   
 Stay tuned we will continue on my next post....

More steps to go in reading food labels.......

 

Limit the consumption of the following: 

sugar, 

sodium, 

fats, 

avoid trans fats

Get enough of the following nutrients: 

dietary fiber, 

protein, 

calcium, 

iron, 

vitamins,

polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats if shown on the label,

others nutrients.
The percent Daily Value (%D V)
will help you determine if the food is high or low in nutrients; it will inform you on how much you need to limit or increase; it also helps you compare similar brands or same product with a different brand. 

Let's read and explain our label


1-Starting with the serving size

Pay a particular attention to the serving size; it does influence the number of calories; it indicates the number of servings in one package and the amount you would eat at one time: serving size 1 cup; serving per container 2;

You can evaluate the portion you actually eat (which corresponds to the serving size of 1 cup) to the total number of serving per container( which in the above shows 2). If the serving size is one cup and you eat 2 cups, you are absorbing two times the amount of calories, fats, and other nutrients listed on the label. 

2- Always check the total number of calories per serving 

The sample label above indicates 250 cal per serving which means that one cup of consumption will add that much amount; if you ate the whole package, you would eat two cups for 500 cal. 

The calorie section is really helpful in managing your weight(maintain, loose, or gain). Quite often we consume more calories than what our bodies need.

The sample label shows that 110 cal comes from fats, which means that eating the whole package will add 220 cal from fats only( total 500 cal for 2 cups). 
If you have to eat something else beside this package, you're already putting yourself at risk of getting more cal than recommended for the day.

I will explain this is detail in another publication( the daily recommended intake of cal versus what we normally get in our bodies).

Getting in our system too many calories per day consequently lead to overweight, obesity- and subsequently to chronic diseases we will discuss further.

The example underneath is from:
U.S FOOD & DRUG Administration FDA

Example
	Single Serving	%DV		Double Serving	%DV
Serving Size	1 cup (228g)			2 cups (456g)
Calories	250			500
Calories from Fat	110			220
Total Fat	12g	18%		24g	36%
Trans Fat	1.5g			3g
Saturated Fat	3g	15%		6g	30%
Cholesterol	30mg	10%		60mg	20%
Sodium	470mg	20%		940mg	40%
Total Carbohydrate	31g	10%		62g	20%
Dietary Fiber	0g	0%		0g	0%
Sugars	5g			10g
Protein	5g			10g
Vitamin A		4%			8%
Vitamin C		2%			4%
Calcium		20%			40%
Iron

Reading Food Labels

living longer and healthier!!!!!

Living longer and healthier for the most part depends on lifestyles choices each and every one of us makes. These choices come from what we choose or want to eat. There are other factors that can be determinant or detrimental to our survival: environmental, genetic dispositions, and cultural. 

To get started let's talk about the necessity to read food labels and understand its contents in relationship with our healthy choices. 

Learn How to Read Food Label 
 Food labels provide info about the calories, the number of servings, and nutrient contents. Food labels are found on the packaged food, and usually read Nutrition Facts/Nutrition Information.


Things to look when reading a label
serving size, fat, sodium, sugar, cholesterol,fiber, protein, calcium, iron, vitamins, and other essential nutrients. All these elements can be divided into 6 sections as shown below:

                                  Sample label for Macaroni and Cheese

FDA U.S FOOD & DRUG 
Administration