That's Fit

I distinctly recall making a trek through the New England snow during winter mid-terms while I was in college. As just about every student on campus crammed for exams, the school was nice enough to offer us late-night study breaks -- typically in the form of hot cocoa and some cookies in the student union. The break was a great way to decompress, but it turns out the hot cocoa actually offered its own unique benefits to the brain-clogged undergrads that we were.

Researchers at the Nottingham Medical School in England found that the flavonoids in chocolate increase blood flow to your brain for up to three hours. This is particularly beneficial during times when your brain may not be operating at its best -- like, oh I don't know, when you've been awake for almost three full days, trying your best to cram a semester's worth of learning into that short of an amount of time.

Dark chocolate contains more flavonoids than does milk chocolate. Best I can remember, the university's hot cocoa offering was made of the latter. I'll use that as my excuse for only getting a B minus on that final.

Wouldn't it be grand if you simply had to eat a chocolate bar every day? Not complying with your daily prescription would mean the study of heart disease would take a hit. People could get sick, for goodness sake. You wouldn't want that on your conscience, would you?

Participants in Britain will soon be eating one grand chocolate bar every day for one whole year to help researchers determine whether compounds called flavonoids found in chocolate and other foods help reduce the risk of heart disease for menopausal women with type 2 diabetes. Previous studies suggest dark chocolate is linked with heart health but experts say the high sugar and fat content might cancel out some of the benefits.

One hundred and fifty women -- each one past menopause and with type 2 diabetes -- will come to the aid of science very soon. While downing their daily decadence -- half will eat a super-charged bar with 30 grams of flavonoids; the others will get chocolate without the active compounds -- researchers will look at their blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and the condition of their arteries.

Researchers hope this study has implication for a wider population. If all goes well, maybe a candy bar will soon be on your daily diet plan.

When it comes to health drinks, brands like Gatorade, Powerade, and EAS come to mind. Well, according to new research out of Cornell University, we can now add Hershey's to that list.

Based on a recent study, researchers found that hot cocoa can help your muscles recover from an intense workout. The tasty drink contains twice as many antioxidants as a glass of red wine, and almost five times as many as black tea.

Antioxidants have been shown to mitigate free radical damage, thus reducing the risk of certain types of cancer and heart disease. Free radical damage can also be caused by intense bouts of exercise, making a cup of hot cocoa a very healthy choice for regular exercisers.

Each week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

According to the bloggers at The Daily Tiffin, a site devoted to fun and healthy lifestyles, chili peppers are one heck of a Superfood. High in antioxidant carotenes and flavonoids and containing about twice the amount of vitamin C found in citrus fruits, chilies can be added to just about any dish. Homemade soups, stews, chili, salads, and salsas are just a few.

Chilies, believed to have been around for more than 6,000 years, are a member of the plant genus "capsicum" (cap-sih-kum) and contain high levels of special compounds called capsaicinoids. This is what makes them so super. Capsaicinoids are responsible not only for the well-known spicy heat of chilies but also the anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-cancer, and heart-healthy effects offered by these potent peppers.

Each week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

Vitamin C is vital for the normal growth and development of the human body. It repairs tissues, helps wounds heal, and forms blood vessels and collagen -- an important protein used to make skin, scar tissue, and tendons. Vitamin C is good for cartilage, bones, teeth, and it's a rich and powerful antioxidant, instrumental in blocking the damage caused by free radicals. Pretty super, eh? Yep, but we only benefit from the power of vitamin C by ingesting it.

Our bodies don't manufacture or store vitamin C, so we must consume plenty of vitamin-C rich foods in our daily diets. Miss out on this potent property and your deficiency may lead to dry and splitting hair, rough and scaly skin, nosebleeds, anemia, weight gain due to slowed metabolism, and even scurvy. Get enough and you'll protect yourself from life-threatening illnesses like heart disease and cancer.

Although all fruits and vegetables contain some amount of vitamin C, oranges offer the most readily available supply of it. The orange, a Superfood with about 60 calories, is also famed for its 170 cancer-fighting phytochemicals and 60 flavonoids, as well as its ability to reduce inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and asthma. A daily orange will also help combat diabetes and obesity, and its flavonoid hesperetin and the compound herperidin lower blood pressure and cholesterol. There's more: An orange's peel contains limonene, which may ward off skin cancer.


Healthy Orange Chicken

Curried Zucchini and Orange Soup

For more lowdown on the orange, see what Sunkist has to say about this super citrus fruit.

It has been known for quite some time that flavonoids reduce the risk of heart disease. But, what scientists are now finding is that flavonoids may also slow cognitive decline in older adults.

Researchers had a very large pool of participants -- more than 1,600 men and women -- on which to base their study. From the start, this is a good thing, as it is all too often that studies are based on, like, seven people. So, as I said, 1,600 people aged 65 years or older who were initially dementia-free were involved in this study, and researchers assessed their dietary consumption of flavonoids.

For ten years, the subjects' cognitive performance levels were measured. It become apparent to researchers that subjects with the lowest flavonoid intake demonstrated two times the rate of cognitive impairment as the subjects with the highest amount of flavonoid consumption.

Flavonoids, which are naturally occurring antioxidants, can be sourced from a variety of fruits and vegetables. In addition, red wine is a great source of flavonoids, as is dark chocolate that is made of at least 70-percent cacoa.

I just can't do it. I can't eat chocolate. If I do, the floodgates will open, and I won't be able to stop. My husband, who is accompanying me on my latest health kick, is able to have just one bite and be happy. In fact, his doctor just recently congratulated him on his recent weight loss and then told him as he headed out the door, "Don't forget to eat some chocolate now and then." He was thrilled.

What, an invitation to eat chocolate? Yes, indeed. And this doctor isn't the only one touting the merits of chocolate. Now we're talking mostly dark chocolate here -- it happens to be my hubby's favorite -- and the talk goes something like this: Eating a small, 1.6-ounce bar of dark chocolate every day is good for you.

Clinical trials have shown dark chocolate and its healthy flavonoids improve blood vessel functioning. Better blood flow is good for your heart. Thus, chocolate is good for you. And guess what? Dark chocolate contains more flavonoids than any other food, including green tea, black tea, red wine, and blueberries. It's plant-derived after all, just like fruits and veggies. Here's the catch, though -- while more is better with fruits and vegetables, only a small amount of chocolate is healthy. Which is why I can't indulge. A 1.6-ounce bar just wouldn't be enough.