Know that drinking chocolate milk is not another form of fad diet. Depending on the type you take, you can get as many as 210 calories in a glass. Some comes with skim milk, some are soy-based, and others come in cow’s milk. Know that chocolate in its pure form is full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that protects your body and keeps you happy.

Can Chocolate Milk Help You Lose Weight?

Yes, if you take it as a supplement to your healthy diet, lifestyle, and exercise. Chocolate Milk can help you lose weight because:

1. It helps your body absorbs more calcium

This is great news not only for your bones and teeth, but calcium helps slow down fat absorption in your body.

2. It is rich in Vitamin D

This nutrient helps calcium move faster in your body. If you’re low on Vitamin D, your body can’t maximize calcium as well – which helps you stay slim. Go for low-fat chocolate milk if you can.

3. It helps boost your energy

This means better endurance as well. For this reason, athletes and those recovering from muscle injury are drinking chocolate milk. Unlike artificial energy drinks, the milk gives you electrolytes that keep you hydrated better than water. Other than that, chocolate milk taste better than plain water.

4. It helps you build more muscles

The key to losing weight is to build more muscles which help burn fats. Chocolate milk can help you build muscles since it is an ideal source of protein. You may take one serving before and after your workout routine.

There is no quick solution to weight loss. You need to have the discipline to lead a healthy lifestyle by making healthy choices that are good for you. It is a combination of these that will keep you fit for years to come. Bottoms Up!

Organic Healthy Dark Chocolate Gifts

1. Anticipate

If you are going to have a holiday meal, you need to anticipate a week before the very day. You can train your body with good exercise and a healthy diet. This will help you avoid binge eating on the very day of the feast.

2. Make It Small

Don’t we all love those fancy chocolate eggs? When a 100g Easter egg milk chocolate means eating over 500 calories, you may want to make it smaller. If you can go for pure, organic dark chocolates – it would be much healthier. Think of all those antioxidants that come with every bite. Wrap these eggs nicely since unwrapping them will help you eat less.

3. Serve Healthy

There are plenty of healthier and lighter Easter recipes on the web that pack a few calories without sacrificing taste. Serve lean meats like fish, roast chicken, or beef. Instead of deep frying, do some grilling, poaching, or baking. You can also try plenty of vegetarian and exotic recipes that are good for the body. You can wow your guests when they learn you are serving them healthy dishes.

4. Mix and Match

Learn how to balance the foods that you will eat. You can indulge as long as you remember to cut back on your meal portions. Try nibbling on unsalted buts, fresh fruits, or low fat yogurt for a change. It’s all about the art of food presentation!

5. Take a Walk

What can be better than enjoying the Easter with a walk outside the beautiful Spring weather. You can run in the mornings or take brisk walks at night. Instead of having a lavish festivity, why not try giving your home a nice polish? Cleaning your home can definitely help you sweat out all those unwanted calories. It’s a nice way to start the Easter holiday.

At the end of the day, it is all about healthy choices that count. It is definitely tough to have that discipline to live a healthier life, but when you do, it is a reward greater than what your money can buy. Happy Easter!!!

Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life. ~S.D. Gordon

Easter Potluck Dinner on The Food Channel

What are the Best Foods that Can Help You Fight Stress?

When you have too much on your plate to handle, you just have to eat it.. to beat the stress out of you. You can enjoy moderate amounts of:

1. Nuts

From almonds, pistachios, to walnuts – these are bursting with Vitamin E and antioxidants that help boost your immune system. Having a better immunity means better ways of fighting the many ill effects of stress on your body like infections and diseases.

2. Dark Chocolate

Rich in flavanoids and antioxidants, dark chocolates have been tagged as the gift from the gods from the olden days – because it just makes you healthy, not to mention happy as well. Dark chocolate releases chemicals in your brain that enhances your mood. Just choose 100% pure, organic dark chocolate to have its full benefits.

3. Avocados

Instead of going for your local ice cream, why not try doing a homemade guacamole with that rich texture that can satisfy your cravings – without the guilty feelings. This green fruit is your best bet in lowering high blood pressure, helping you get a step closer to peace and calm.

4. Skim Milk

What can ever be so tasty than a warm cup of milk on such a bad day? Instead of sipping your favorite coffee blend, try going for white goodness instead. Women will definitely benefit from drinking skim milk, specially when they are experiencing the ill effects of PMS.

5. Oatmeal

If you are craving for carbs, try oatmeal instead. Carbs help you calm down as it helps your body produce those bliss-giving serotonin. Also, oatmeal is rich in fiber that will be absorbed slowly by your body, making you feel full, where you will less likely eat bad foods.

6. Oranges

Stressed out? Let vitamin C do its magic. Drink a glass of orange juice or eat the fruit itself, vitamin C will help relieve your stress as well as boost your immune system. Keep in mind that when you are stressed, your body’s defenses are down and oranges can help you keep your guard up.

7. Spinach

You may not be a great fan of this leafy green, but eating spinach will help your body respond well to stress as this vegetable is rich in stress-busting magnesium.

8. Salmon

Rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, this fish helps you keep your cortisol and adrenaline levels at bay. Just make sure to buy fresh and cook it well.

Chronic stress is something that you need to consult with your doctor, specially if your stress conditions worsen each day. Food alone cannot help you beat stress everyday. You need to live a healthy lifestyle, have healthy choices, exercise right, and have the right positive mental attitude to keep your stress levels at a minimum. Take It Easy!

Healthy Food Choices for Stress

What exactly are Aprhodisiacs? Taken from the Greek name Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, aphrodisiac is anything that can awaken that tiger or tigress of desire inside a person. There have been no scientific evidence up to date that these really work to treat one’s sexual dysfunction, and there’s a clash between sex, love, and magic when it comes to the world of aphrodisiacs. Know that the very roots of sexual desire comes from the mind. Everybody holds an image of something that is desirable. A person’s very scent can even trigger a sexual attraction. Still, there are a lot of people swearing to these ‘romance foods’ and it won’t do harm to give it a try.

What are the Top 10 Most Common Aphrodisiacs?

1. Oyster

Cleopatra and Cassanova loved this. Raw oysters can be sucked fresh or served as a buttery foie gras that melts in your mouth. Oysters are rich in vitamins B and E that make us look good, just make sure to get it fresh at all times.

2. Asparagus

This one lily can stir lust in men and women, which is why it is so popular from the 17th – 19th century England and France. Other than being rich in vitamins and nutrients, asparagus is reach in histamine that helps one reach for the big “O.”

3. Almonds

Not only revered as a symbol of fertility in the ancient times, but the very smell of it can evoke passion in a woman. Other than that, almonds are rich in fiber, magnesium, and vitamin E.

4. Avocado

The Aztecs may have called the avocado tree ” testicle tree ” because the fruits resemble a male testicles. Avocados were even banned by Spanish Catholic priests. This fruit’s rich texture is great for pregnant women since it boosts one’s immune system and is rich in folic acid.

5. Bananas

Loaded with magnesium, potassium, and B vitamins, this yellow fruit is rich in Bromelain which enhances male libido. The Hindus regard this fruit as a symbol of fertility.

6. Basil

Its fragrant minty scent is so irresistible that the Greeks even treat it as their royal herb. Its warming effect promotes blood circulation which is great in boosting one’s libido.

7. Chocolate

This is one indulgence that everybody loves, from kids to adults. Eating chocolates just makes you feel happy because of the feel-good serotonin that the brains produce when we eat these heavenly treats. If you’re going to indulge in one, choose your pure, organic dark chocolate.

8. Eggs

Considered as the oldest symbol of fertility, eggs help you fight stress and it keeps your hormones balanced. From caviar to quail eggs, you’ll get the best of vitamins B5 and B6.

9. Figs

Rumored to be Cleopatra’s favorite, this sweet purple fruit is not only sexy in texture and appearance, but it is believed to stimulate a female’s sexual organ. No wonder the ancient Greeks treat figs as something more precious than gold.

10. Foie Gras

Controversial and costly, this decadent food is loved the world over like one would do with diamonds and fur. Not only does foie gras makes you feel luxurious, but it is believed to put you in that mood.

In the long run, being sexy and sexually attracted to your partner is all a state of mind. You need to figure how to spice things up to keep your sex life healthy. Cupid may not always be there to inspire you and your partner. Living a healthy lifestyle and choosing natural, healthy options are definitely helpful in boosting your libido for good. Figure It Out!

Aphrodisiac Foods

Hunger is a basic human need and eating certain kinds of food can really help keep those blues and bad feelings away. Although science needs to take more steps in researching what diets affect our moods, there is a certain truth in the belief that food can affect one’s physiology – or behavior changes. Food-wise, one can definitely turn food into the best defense against anxiety, mood swings, or panic. What you eat is equally important with what you drink.

What are the Top Foods that Can Help Uplift Your Mood?

1. Water

Nothing keeps your body, mind, and soul working its happiest when you are hydrated. You are 70 percent water and you need to drink your fill. Stay away from too much caffeine or alcohol ( or both ). Flushing all those toxins inside will make you feel lighter, minus all those horrible body pains that make you grimace.

2. Complex Carbohydrates

Eating carbohydrates stimulates the release of insulin into your bloodstream, triggering that happy chemical in your brain called Serotonin. This will make you feel calm, help you sleep and eat well, and make you feel happier.

3. Folate-rich Foods

Wonder why Popeye looks so happy even in distress? You got it. The answer lies in spinach and all your folic-rich, dark leafy greens. A small amount of 200 micrograms of folate can help you feel happier.

4. Balanced Breakfast

The first food you eat each day will always have that lasting impact in the way you feel the whole day. Always strive to include plenty of fibers and nutrients, coupled with a few lean protein and unsaturated fats. Whole grain foods also work wonders. With a balanced breakfast comes better memory, more energy, and improved mood.

5. Selenium-rich Foods

This brain mineral helps keep your smiley’s and you can find this in your sea foods, whole wheat foods, lean meats, oatmeal, brown rice, eggs, tofu, or even your low-fat yogurt variety.

6. Fish

Rich in Omega-3, the polyunsaturated fatty acids may be mood stabilizers, which can aid in your mental health. You may get your Omega-3 source from fishes or fish oil supplements. You can also get your Omega-3 from flaxseeds, cauliflower, red kidney beans, and broccoli.

7. Dark Chocolate

If you can shop for organic dark chocolate, that’s your best choice for helping your body release Endorphins to make you feel happy. This is why many who feel stressed or depressed are addicted to chocolates.

When you feel happy, your body will be free from disease… and vice-versa. Without a healthy lifestyle and diet, your body will suffer physical sickness which can lead to emotional stress. If you’re not eating the right food, it can surely impact how you feel. Just steer clear from processed foods and always choose natural, healthy options which make you feel simply lighter and happier. The key to food is moderation and if you have persistent forms of depression, it is important that you seek professional medical help from your psychiatrist, psychologist, or counselor. Strive to Be Happy!

Nutrition and Your Mental Health:

Perhaps, many can relate with how I feel. I am in an endless state of love and hate with chocolates… until I saw Dr. Steve Warren talk about it.

There’s salvation for me and the rest who feel the same way like I do.  The right knowledge will give us the power to make the right choices.  Chocolates can be our next best friend, if we only know how to choose the right bar that’s full of health-giving benefits:  Dark Chocolate.

Not everyone will like this bitter-tasting treat that’s rich in antioxidants and flavanoids.  For this, a new rage has been hitting the market like storm, promising the same benefits – only much sweeter.

Dark chocolates are higher in antioxidants than blueberries, which means better defense against free radicals damage.  Our society today is filled with many diseases, out of oxidation, and dark chocolates help us preserve our health and it lowers our cholesterol levels too.  This means chocolate is not only literally a gift for the day of hearts, but it is truly great for your heart.

These chocolates came from the cocoa beans, which were considered as Food of the Gods by the Mayans.  Known as Theobroma Cacao, eating dark chocolates can make you feel happy with the release of theobromine and serotonin.  This explains why chocolates can be a very addictive treat.

One must remember that too much of a good stuff will always be bad.  When eating chocolates, make sure you know how to balance your calories.  The extra milk on chocolates dilutes the antioxidant powers it have.  Also, skip all those bars with the extra nougat, refined sugar, caramel, nuts, flavors, and fats.

Have in mind that healthy means guilt-free.  When it comes to chocolates: Love Dark!  Indulge…