Cacao: A Guilt-Free Indulgence!

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I'm a weird bird. I don't like chocolate. I was the kid religiously opting for vanilla milkshakes, avoiding M&M's like the plague and definitely not sticking my hand in the cookie jar when it was filled with the chocolate chip variety. Though my aversion is probably a blessing in disguise, I've always felt a little left out. It's no secret that for some, eating chocolate is a near spiritual experience. I'll be the first to admit that it looks so good; nonetheless, I just can't seem to wrap my taste buds around it.

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But today I'm going to 'take one for the team' because I'd be amiss if I didn't tell you about cacao. Cacao (not to be confused with cocoa) is the raw, natural form of chocolate. The cacao tree is a tropical evergreen found in Mexico and South America that bears leathery, football-like seed pods that grow up to one foot in length and can hold up to 40 seeds (called cacao beans)! All kinds of cacao products are made from these beans - powders, butters and pastes. Because these cacao products are minimally processed at low temperatures, they retain their amazing nutrient content.

Cacao is the basis of dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is made by crushing and liquefying the cacao seeds, then minimally processing them into bar form. It's when things like sweeteners and fats are added that problems start to arise. The health benefits disappear and the chocolate is only good for one thing - adding a nice layer to your waistline.

Though cacao is still fattening when not eaten in moderation, it has amazing benefits when you add a little to your diet...

CANCER FIGHTING - Cacao is one of the world's richest source of antioxidants. The ORAC scale (which stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity - a measurement of the food's ability to fight free radicals) gives cacao a score of 95,000 units per 100 grams. Blueberries, which we already know are packed with antioxidants, only rank 9,000 units per 100 grams. You get the idea...these things pack quite the punch.

MUSCLE RELAXING - Cacao is one of the best plant-based sources of magnesium. Ever wondered why women crave chocolate during that time of the month? Well, the body is hankering for some magnesium to aid in muscle relaxation and to relieve cramping. Such smart bodies we have!

MOOD ENHANCING - The theobromine and phenylethylamine in cacao work together to elevate your mood and give you a sense of well-being. Also, cacao consumption raises your body's natural levels of serotonin, making you feel more balanced and at peace. It's the ideal anti-depressant!

TOXIN ELIMINATING - The theobromine also acts as a mild diuretic, helping your body rid itself of toxins more efficiently! Just make sure to drink a lot of water when consuming cacao so that you don't become dehydrated! Flush those toxins on out!

You can find dark chocolate just about anywhere, but check your local Whole Foods or natural grocery for cacao nibs, cacao butter or cacao powder!

In a further attempt to take yet one more for the team, I spent my hard-earned cash on some cacao nibs at Whole Foods to make a homemade and healthy granola. I figured if the cacao nibs were mixed in, maybe I wouldn't notice! Here's the deliciously indulgent play-by-play...

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine 4 cups of rolled oats with 1/2 cup each of raw almond slices, raw pumpkin seeds and shredded coconut. All of these can be bought in the BULK section at Whole Foods, making it ridiculously cheap. It's pay by the pound, so you'll literally pay just a few dollars for all these ingredients combined!

Now add 1/2 cup of cacao nibs (which can be found on a shelf near the produce section in Whole Foods).

An aerial shot in case you were wondering what was going on in that mixing bowl.

Now grab a few things to jazz this baby up... add 1/2 tsp. sea salt, 1 Tbs. vanilla extract and 1/2 cup maple syrup
to make it all stick together.

Now get your hands dirty. Don't be shy. All those oats need some love.

Spread the mixture onto 2 baking pans (deep pans work better, but use whatever you have!) and pop into the oven
for 1 hour. Every 20 minutes or so, flip the granola around so that it cooks evenly.

Almost there....

BAM! Granola that everyone can agree on! You can even sprinkle chia seeds on top before eating for an added bonus!

The Health Benefits of Wine: I Can Toast to That!

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I (heart) wine. I love it so much that I make it a priority to surround myself with people who share my sentiments. I learned to appreciate a good red from my friend Claire, who knows her way around a bottle. Then there's my friend Marissa, who I'm convinced just moved to San Francisco to be closer to Napa Valley. While I don't live anywhere near Napa (or France, where I'd really like to be for that matter), I still appreciate a good wine when I drink one, and today I'd like to share some really fabulous news with you!

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You may know this already, but wine can be good for you! -  really, ALL alcohol can be good for you. Now before you buy a case, call all your friends and dust off the ol' beer pong table, let me touch on why it's good for you, while also explaining the one disclaimer that might put a damper on your impending house party. Let's look at our next guideline from Michael Pollan's book Food Rules...

HAVE A GLASS OF WINE WITH DINNER

Now this sounds like a rule that I can get behind. I like wine. I eat dinner. Done and done! Michael Pollan goes on to explain...

"There is now considerable scientific evidence for the health benefits of alcohol to go with a few centuries of traditional belief and anecdotal evidence. Mindful of the social and health effects of alcoholism, public health authorities are loath to recommend drinking, but the fact is that people who drink moderately and regularly live longer and suffer considerably less heart disease                 than teetotalers."

Studies have shown that wine can be beneficial when you drink it in moderation. Moderation is a funny word because it's obviously different to different people. Moderation for you might mean two glasses a night, while moderation for the average college student might mean ten. The term moderate refers to the suggested 2 glasses per day for men and 1 glass per day for women, but the good news is: you can indulge moderately every single day if you feel so inclined!

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Alcohol (of all kinds) raises your good, or HDL, cholesterol and helps to thin out your blood, thereby preventing build-up in your arterial walls. Then there's the phytochemicals in wine, which act as antioxidants and prevent the proliferation of cancer-causing free radicals in the body. Red wine is clearly the leader of the pack when it comes to health benefits, especially red wine from cooler climates. Red wine contains more of the phytochemical resveratrol. When making red wine specifically, winemakers allow the skin of the grape to stay on longer. The longer the skin is on, the more resveratrol there is in the end product. Resveratrol  works its magic by preventing blood clots and plaque formation in arteries, leaving you with a healthy heart. Malbec is a great example of a wine with high resveratrol content because the grapes used to make it have very thick skin. Other good choices are Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir.

Consuming wine during a meal seems to have its perks - other than avoiding that lightheaded, tipsy feeling you get when you drink on an empty stomach. When you drink during a meal, the compounds in wine help to  prevent the adverse effects of fatty foods during the digestion process. The two negative byproducts of fat digestion (malondialdehyde and hydroperoxide) - which are toxic to cells - are significantly reduced when wine is involved.

So the next time you're sitting down to dinner, don't feel guilty about pouring yourself a glass or two. When you drink in moderation, you can enjoy the life-saving perks!

Flash Those Pearly Whites: Spread the LOVE!

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I visited New York City for the first time during my sophomore year of college. Courtney B. Minton (yes, the 'B' is important), my very best friend and former hall mate in the dorm, accompanied me on my adventure. The trip was EPIC. We saw a hit-and-run up close and personal, made our TV debut during a shout-out on MTV's Total Request Live, tried (and failed miserably, I might add) at buying a fake I.D. in Chinatown, accidentally ate someone else's dinner at a communal-style meal on Canal Street and met some real live New York City firefighters, who subsequently snuck us into a club since our fake ID attempt was a debacle. But that is neither here nor there (sorry, mom and dad!).

The one thing that stuck out to me on my New York trip was that no one was smiling! Not one person.

Courtney and I decided it was our mission to fix this horrible crime against humanity. We hit the streets early (while bagel-hunting for breakfast), and made a valiant attempt to smile and say 'good morning!' to everyone we passed. It went something like this -- Good morning! Good morning! Good morning! - gasp for air - Good morningggggg! So many people! So little time!

Me and the infamous Courtney B. (aka. Trouble with a Capital 'T')

It worked though! People started to smile, after recovering from their confusion, of course. It was emotional contagion at its best. Emotional contagion is the simple concept that says emotions are, in fact, contagious. This concept is painfully obvious in children. When a young child falls down and scrapes their knee, they often look to their parent for a reaction. You look horrified... they scream bloody murder. You speak to them in quiet, soothing tones... they calm down. It's emotional contagion for dummies.

We have a tendency as humans to mimic the non-verbal cues expressed by those around us. If a co-worker woke up on the wrong side of the bed, suddenly your day may seem a little less than stellar. If your significant other comes home from work with their panties in a wad, you can count on the onset of a crappy mood, followed by a crappy evening, possibly leading into a crappy morning. But if your friend meets you for lunch giving off positive vibes and sharing uplifting thoughts, you, my friend, will leave lunch feeling like you just won the lottery.

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This should excite you because it means YOU have the power to cause physiological changes in the people around you. While doing them a favor, you're also causing changes in your OWN body at the same time. Studies have shown that when you give a Duchenne smile (an authentic smile categorized by your eyes wrinkling and your pearly whites flashing), you start to experience the health benefits automatically. Your body releases serotonin and dopamine (the 'happy' hormones), your immune system gets a boost, your stress levels subside and your blood pressure comes down.

Just the simple act of allowing your face to express a positive or negative emotion has physiological affects on your body. When your nose creases and your eyes narrow (aka. the angry face), your adrenaline kicks in and your heart rate changes. Likewise, when the corners of your mouth turn upwards and your eyes brighten, the 'happy' hormones set in. You can basically trick your body into being happy just by controlling your facial expressions.

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Yeah, that's right, we're gettin' all hippie up in here today! Monday is one of those days that's short on smiles, so I ask you today to go forth and spread the vitamin L (that's short for LOVE)! Or, as my favorite bumper sticker says, 'Live the life you love'. People will notice your smile and be inspired to follow suit. 

Today, I'd like to leave you with something I wrote a few years ago that seems to apply to our topic perfectly. So read it while sipping your morning coffee and give that 'case of the mundays' a run for it's money.

Hate is such a strong word.

It should never leave the tongue.

It tears into the heart, my friend,

And cannot quickly be undone.

The heart that feels it, festers,

Crumbles 'till it dies.

And when the heart is dead, my dear,

No pain it can disguise.

Love's the language of the wise.

It bolsters and it listens.

It rarely finds a fault, my friend,

And quickly offers forgiveness.

The heart that shows it, swells,

Grows until it bursts.

And when the heart is full, my dear,

It will never put itself first.

Compassion's a gift to hurting hearts.

It always comes in time.

It understands a wrong, my friend,

And rarely chooses to remind.

The ones that lives it, learns,

Reaps the blessings given.

And when they need compassion, my dear,

It always declares them forgiven.

Furry Friends: Why Pets are Good for your Health

I stayed home from work sick today (boo), but my little Walter (or should I say 'Nurse Walter') took good care of me. He showed me lots of attention and made sure I stayed hydrated. He even offered to whip up some chicken noodle soup for me...but hey, I didn't want to be too needy.

But all this furry attention got me wondering... Why do pets just make you feel so much better?


Here are just some of the surprising benefits of owning a pet...


Spending time with your pet elevates your serotonin and dopamine levels, chemicals associated with well-being. At the same time, it lowers your cortisol levels, a hormone associated with stress. - Kind of hard to have a panic attack when your furry friend is around!

Studies show that pet owners have lower blood pressure when undergoing stressful situations. - The cutest cure for high blood pressure on the market!

Pet-owners who've had heart attacks tend to survive much longer than those without pets. - Pets are good for your heart!

People with pets tend to find themselves in more social situations - whether at the dog park or on the street talking with other pet owners. They tend to be less isolated and have more positive interactions with others, thereby improving mood. - Furry friends get YOU more Facebook friends!

Dog owners specifically are generally more physically active and tend to be less overweight than those without pets. - Man's best friend AND best workout partner!

And last, but definitely not least, pets can be 'date magnets', getting the attention of the opposite sex and providing a conversation starter. - Who needs online dating?


And on top of that, they're just so darn cute! On that note, I will leave you with a photo montage of my main squeeze, Walter the Wondercat.

What's your furry friend's name and what's the best part about having a pet? Post a comment or a pic!