Archive for September, 2009
Healthy Snacks Positive Effects On Kids
Posted by: | CommentsWhy are healthy snacks important? Let’s be honest, they don’t taste as good. Bottom line, nothing will taste as good at that exact moment as a chocolate bar, ice cream, cinnamon roll, cheese Danish…get the idea? But that doesn’t obviously mean that’s what kids and people in general, should eat. On the contrary, healthy snacks should be encouraged for the multiple positive effects they’ll have.
1. Encourage Discipline
Don’t laugh. Eating healthy, or healthier is all about discipline. You’d rather have ice cream, but instead opt for pretzels. You’d rather have a chocolate bar, but instead opt for chex mix. It’s not easy, but can be done. If done once, it develops discipline, and gets easier in the future. This discipline will make other things, like waking up in the morning, completing school tasks, homework, studying, etc easier as well.
2. Establish a Long Term View
Similar to the above item, Eating healthy snacks does establish a long term view of the situation in that the effect of choosing a healthy snack over candy is not always immediately apparent. The positive effects may take some time to manifest.
3. Reduced Problems With Overweight and Obesity
Finding Healthy Solutions for your snacking will definitely promote weight management. A good rule of thumb is that the snacks be made up of less than 35% of calories from fat, less than 35% of calories from sugar, less than 10% of calories from saturated fat, and the item itself be less than 250 calories.
4. Better Brain Function
Putting less sugar and fat into one’s body, and doing more to meet basic nutrition needs will certainly allow one’s brain to function at its highest capacity.
5. Potentially Protecting Against Type 2 Diabetes
While the data isn’t conclusive in this area, many believe that lowering sugar content and starch content in one’s diet may prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes for those who are predisposed to it. Certainly we understand that when someone is diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, they are immediately instructed to reduce sugar intake.
So the support for the idea that kids should eat healthy snacks is pretty overwhelming, or it would seem so. That said, the opposing view is represented by something pretty overwhelming on its side….the American Advertising Industry! Whether through TV, Radio, the internet, or countless other advertising mechanisms, unhealthy snacks are presented in enticing fashion by the some of the smartest advertising minds in the world. So what to do? Just keep doing what you can to encourage proper diet, present the facts and hope people make the right choice.
Alec Moreland
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/healthy-snacks-positive-effects-on-kids-118946.html
does anyone have any really low fat and healthy chocolate chip cookie recipes?
Posted by: | Comments
They are not for me to eat, they are for a project
go to google and type in what cookies you are looking for i am pretty sure that will help.
How can I make orange flavored dark chocolate candy?
Posted by: | CommentsI would like to make an orange flavored dark chocolate that I can pipe onto wax paper, that will harden and stay that way at room temperature. Any recipe suggestions?
Aztec Truffles
INGREDIENTS:
2/3 cup heavy cream
12 ounces best-quality dark chocolate, finely chopped or grated
Zest from one orange
One cinnamon stick
1/3 cup best-quality cocoa powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place the chopped chocolate in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Place the orange rind and the cinnamon stick with the cream in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, simmer until the cream just starts to boil. Remove from heat.
3. At this point you need to strain the zest and cinnamon from the cream and pour it over the chocolate. You can either hold a strainer at the lip of the saucepan and pour the cream directly over the chocolate, or if you don’t have a handheld strainer, you can place a colander in a bowl, pour the cream in the colander, and then remove the colander and pour the cream from the bowl into the chocolate.
4. Allow the hot cream and chocolate to stand for a minute, then whisk the mixture steadily but not too vigorously—you want it to be well-combined but without air bubbles. Whisk until the mixture is entirely smooth. This is your ganache.
5. Cover the ganache with cling wrap, placing the cream wrap directly on top of the ganache so that it is not exposed to air. Allow the ganache to set at room temperature for at least 4 hours, and preferably overnight. The ganache should not be refrigerated, because it might harden too rapidly and the texture will be spoiled. An overnight rest is preferable, because it allows the flavors of the orange and cinnamon cream and the chocolate to mingle and fully ripen.
6. When your ganache is firm enough to shape, scoop teaspoonfuls of ganache and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet. Repeat until you have formed as many truffles as you desire. Place the truffles in the refrigerator to harden for at least an hour.
7. Combine the cocoa powder and the cayenne in a shallow bowl or pie tin. Once the truffles are firm, coat your hand in cocoa powder and roll a truffle between your hands to get it round. Roll the truffle in the cocoa-cayenne mixture and place back on the baking sheet.
8. Once all the truffles are done, they can be stored in a single layer in an airtight container for up to a week. They are best served at room temperature when their flavor and texture is the best. Don’t let them get too warm, however, or they will start to melt!
Note: I like a bit of a kick in my truffles, and I find 1 tsp cayenne is just to my liking. If you are worried they will be too spicy for you, start with ½ tsp and go by taste. You may find that you quite enjoy a little heat with your chocolate!
Why Search For Healthy Fundraising Solutions
Posted by: | CommentsTo successfully search for and enact healthy fundraising solutions at your school, the first step is to be realistic. Pretzels will not sell as well as a chocolate bar. That is just the bottom line. However, that shouldn’t dictate your fundraising precepts. If you think about it, cigarettes would probably also outsell many healthy items, but obviously there will be no “Winston’s For Wrestling” or “Kool’s For Cross Country” fundraiser on campus anywhere.
It may seem that the above analogy is far fetched, but it’s really not from a healthy perspective. There was a time in this county when cigarettes were considered harmless. They would actually give them to soldiers in WWII for free under the pretense that cigarettes would help them relax in the trenches. Doctors would prescribe them to women for nerves. All of that has obviously changed, and society’s attitude toward junk food and candy is changing as well. The number one killer in America isn’t lung cancer or throat cancer (smoking related). No, in fact, the number one killer in the country is heart disease, often caused by poor diet. That’s why it’s of dire importance to search for healthy fundraising solutions.
In addition to the health needs of America’s youth, you should also search for healthy fundraising solutions because its becoming the law on many school campuses. In California public schools for example, this September 2007 the state will begin phasing in CA SB-19, which mandates what types of food and snacks can be on campus between and hour before school starts and an hour after school starts. These guidelines are that snacks be less than 35% fat, less than 35% sugar, and less than 10% saturated fat, with exclusions for nuts and nut butters.
In September 2007 compliance is strongly recommended and by September 2008, it will be compulsory. In fact many school like the Torrance Unified School District decided last year that they would stand up for what is right and embrace these regulations a year early. Many other school districts desiring to stand up for health and nutrition have done the same thing. So the bottom line is, in California, using candy and junk food to fundraise is becoming a thing of the past.
Are you ready for the future? As mentioned in the preceding paragraph, California is leading the way in nutrition reform at the school level, but many states like Connecticut, Wisconsin, Washington and others are close behind in this manner. So not only is it the right thing to do to look for healthy fundraising solutions, it will soon be the law to do so.
Finally, direct fundraising or product sales fundraising is the most effective form there is. In the past this was overwhelmingly candy. Now that it’s going away, you’ll need an alternative to maintain a product sales focused fundraising program. This is the
third reason you should look for healthy fundraising solutions. The bottom line, most schools have the greatest success with product sales fundraising because you’re actually selling something of value to the customer/charity contributor. You’re providing something of value, rather than simply “begging for money.
So there you have them: your reasons to go forth and find healthy fundraising solutions!!!
Alec Moreland
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/why-search-for-healthy-fundraising-solutions-118948.html
What are the nutrients that make dark chocolate good for you?
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve heard in many people say that dark chocolate is good for you. If so than what makes it different
Chocolate is More than Good Taste
Published on: November 16, 2002
by Phil Lempert
Chocolate. There’s something undeniably mystical and irresistible about chocolate. The word itself is sensual and romantic. The creamy, silky texture, the deep, dark, elegant color, the exquisitely sweet, rich flavor, the tantalizing aroma…the seductive characteristics of chocolate can arouse the senses and send one’s pulse racing to new heights. And it may even be good for you. "Today" food expert Phil Lempert has the details.
THE EXPERIENCE OF a forbidden piece of pure chocolate deliberately melting on the tip of your tongue is sheer ecstasy, one of life’s most pleasurable moments. No wonder chocolate is often referred to as decadent and why it was forbidden in strict religious groups. Aztecs considered all chocolate an aphrodisiac. Because of this, all foods made with chocolate were strictly forbidden to women. Indulging in the luxurious stuff feels so good it must be bad!
We went to the New York Chocolate Show, checked out all the new products and then stood in the first row of an all-chocolate fashion show by designer Nicole Miller.
What we found is that besides great taste, chocolate just may be good for us! New research shows that the enticing chocolate morsels are potent little packages of health-conferring chemicals. Chocolate may prevent free radical damage, which can lead to cancer, prevent heart disease, enhance our immune system, and give us a feeling of well being.
Over 3,000 years ago, Mayans and Aztecs of the Americas cultivated cacao beans from the tree Cacao theobroma, of which chocolate is made. Like some other plant foods, chocolate is chock full of a wide range of antioxidant compounds called polyphenols, including the procyanidins epicatechin and catechin. Fruit, vegetables, wine, and tea have polyphenolic flavonoids as well, but amazingly polyphenols are found in much higher abundance in chocolate and cocoa. The amount of polyphenols in milk chocolate is equivalent to that of five servings of fruits and vegetables.
The following is the measurement of the polyphenol content in 1.25 ounces of cocoa products:
Milk chocolate - 300 mg
Dark chocolate - 700 mg
Cocoa powder - 1,300 mg
So what do these polyphenols do? Polyphenols have several effects on the body. As mentioned before, polyphenols are antioxidants. Antioxidants help the body’s cells resist damage from free radicals, which are formed in normal body processes as well as by environmental pollution, poor diet, alcohol and drug use, and smoking. Free radicals can damage cells, thereby causing cancer and accelerated aging of the body systems.
Polyphenols can also prevent cardiovascular disease. Polyphenols in cocoa minimize the oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, a major factor in the promotion of coronary disease such as heart attack and stroke. Reducing the oxidation rate of LDL cholesterol may be just as important as reducing the level of LDL cholesterol. Polyphenols also help inhibit platelet aggregation and activation, meaning it helps prevent platelets from clumping together, therefore reducing the risk of atherosclerosis. Cocoa polyphenols also seem to thin the blood, which slows the rate of coagulation, reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Preliminary studies show that cocoa polyphenols may even enhance immune function. Not only does it protect from free radicals, which damage body system and function, polyphenols may even enhance the proliferation and activation of T-lymphocytes — white blood cells that fight infections and regulate other immune responses.
Now what is it about chocolate that makes so many of us swoon? Sometimes we get these intense cravings for chocolate. We’re feeling moody and irritable, even depressed, but once we eat some good chocolate, we feel better. It turns out that chocolate is a mood-enhancer after all. Chocolate contains phenethylamine (PEA), which stimulates the nervous system, triggering the release of endorphins, opiate-like compounds that dull pain and give a sense of well being.
But the jury is still out on whether the high fat and sugar content are factors for this response. There are also chemicals in chocolate that increase the activity of dopamine, a neurotransmitter directly associated with feelings of sexual arousal and pleasure. Additionally, chocolate can also boost brain levels of serotonin, the happy neurotransmitter, especially in women who tend to be more sensitive to chocolate than men. And yet another way chocolate can make us feel good is by inhibiting the natural breakdown of anandamide, a neurotransmitter normally found small amounts in the brain which can produce a feeling of euphoria. Scientists question whether the concentrations of these chemicals present in chocolate can actually produce a significant affect on our moods. But many women will contend that research or no research, satisfying a chocolate craving can work wonders.
Sounds like eating chocolate has a lot of benefits. But it sounds too good to be true.
What about the fat and sugar in chocolate? Aren’t they bad for our hearts and detrimental to our waistlines? It is true that chocolate tends to be high in fat and sugar. But depending on the kind of fat in the chocolate, it might not be too hard on your arteries. Good quality chocolates are made with cocoa butter, a fat composed of approximately one-third proportions of oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat like in olive oil, and stearic acid and palmitic acid, which are saturated fats. Oleic acid has been shown to lower both total and LDL cholesterol. And interestingly, although stearic acid is a saturated fatty acid (SFA), unlike other SFAs, it does not seem to affect blood cholesterol. Palmitic acid, however, does raise blood cholesterol, so even good quality chocolate should be eaten in moderation. Remember, not all chocolate is made with cocoa butter, so be sure to read labels.
Most of us wouldn’t eat unsweetened chocolate, and the sugar content in chocolate is high. Refined sugar in chocolate stacks up the empty calories, can send our blood sugar levels through the roof, and yes, large amounts can make us fat. Again, chocolate in moderation is fine, but an even better alternative is sugar-free chocolate made for diabetics.
Chocolate contains stimulants such as caffeine. One 1.5 ounce bar of dark chocolate contains about 30 milligrams of caffeine, milk chocolate contains 10 mg, and an 8 ounce serving of hot cocoa contains 5 mg. In comparison, an 8 ounce serving of brewed coffee contains 135 mg of caffeine, 12 ounces of Mountain Dew contains about 56 mg, and cola contains about 35 mg. Another caffeine-like stimulant in chocolate is theobromine, which can cause fatal cardiac stress in dogs, so be sure to keep the chocolates away from Fido. Theobromine is actually weaker than caffeine, and it doesn’t have a strong effect on humans. Chocolate also contains healthful nutrients, such as the minerals calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, and copper, which are essential for normal biological functions, growth, metabolism, and oxygen transport.
So, is chocolate a health food? At this point, there are still more studies to be done before we know for sure that different forms of chocolate are good for us, what kind of a long term impact eating certain amounts of chocolate can have on us, and whether all people are affected by chocolate in the same way. And with as much fat and sugar as there is in a typical chocolate bar, there is no way chocolate could be considered a health food.
However, if you want to get the benefits of chocolate without the fat and sugar, go for the fat-free and sugar-free types. When you do want to indulge, choose the darkest, richest chocolate you can find made with quality cocoa butter. Chocolatiers such as Godiva, Chocolove, Chocolates El Rey, and many European chocolatiers make dark chocolates containing 70 percent or more cocoa. The average chocolate bar contains about 40 percent. The higher the cocoa content the more beneficial the bar.