(NaturalNews) More and more health reasons for eating dark chocolate keep coming in. Many will be pointed out here, then explained further in the sources indicated by numbers in parenthesis. But first, understand that organic dark chocolate brought into the market place under fair trade agreements is best.

Some of the major cheap chocolate producers use child slaves in Africa to pick cacao. The more dark the chocolate with less sugar, milk, and other ingredients, the closer it is to cacao. A range of at least 70% to 90% cacao in dark chocolate is both tasty and healthy.

Milk chocolate contains milk, which negates the health benefits, and sugar, which feeds cancer cells. Avoid it.

According to Dr. Debra Miller's statement in Chemistry Central Journal , "Cacao seeds are a 'Super Fruit' providing nutritive value beyond that of their macronutrient composition." (1)

Interestingly, one doesn't have to gorge lots of chocolate every day to get the health benefits. A little treat, like a square or two daily will support good health.

A study of almost 20,000 participants in Germany concluded that those who ate 7.5 grams of dark chocolate a day received most of the heart protection benefits of chocolate. Organic dark chocolate bars are usually 100 grams. (1)

Benefits of dark chocolateCardiac and stroke protection : Dark chocolate lowers blood pressure, which lowers risks of heart attacks and strokes. (1)

Reduces risk of colon cancer : Cocoa polyphenols from dark chocolate reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. This was determined in a study by the Science and Technology Institute of Food and Nutrition in Spain, which was published in the journal Molecular Nutrition. (2)

Healthy fats :The fat in chocolate does little to raise cholesterol. It contains abundant oleic acid, the type of fatty acid found in olive oil, which helps prevent heart disease and promote antioxidant activity. (3)

Enhances glucose metabolism : Dark chocolate (70% plus) candy bars inhibit blood sugar issues to help prevent diabetes and obesity. How's that for a surprise! (3)

Improves mood : Studies have shown that dark chocolate contains serotonin and increases endorphin production. It's a natural anti-depressant. (4)

Improves brain function : Nottingham University professor Ian MacDonald used MRI analysis to determine improved brain activity with people who had just consumed cocoa drinks. (4) Hopefully they didn't have to undergo too many MRI scans that would fry their brains!

Eases PMS issues : Here's a hint for husbands and boyfriends to give dark chocolate to your wives and lady friends. (5)

There you have it: many reasons to enjoy organic dark chocolate that is at least 70% cacao. There are brands with 80% to 90% as well. These aren't your kiddy chocolates with lots of sugar or milk or creamy nugget fillings, etc. They are semi-sweet at best.

The more bitter the better. It's not difficult to get used to if you really like chocolate. Enjoy chocolate with the knowledge that it's actually good for you.

Sources for this article include:

(1) http://www.naturalnews.com/031959_dark_chocolate_antioxidants.html

(2) http://www.naturalnews.com

(3) http://greenqueen.wordpress.com

(4) http://www.laurelonhealthfood.com

(5) http://www.ecomii.com
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035035_dark_chocolate_health_benefits_cacao.html#ixzz1n9EGO5jb

ery interesting!!!! Is it time to act??????? Below is a Science fair project presented by a girl in a secondary school in Sussex.
In it she took filtered water and divided it into two parts.

The first part she heated to boiling in a pan on the stove, and the second part she heated to boiling in a microwave.

Then after cooling she used the water to water two identical plants to see if there would be any difference in the growth between the normal boiled water and the water boiled in a microwave.

She was thinking that the structure or energy of the water may be compromised by microwave.

As it turned out, even she was amazed at the difference, after the experiment which was repeated by her class mates a number of times and had the same result.Microwave test – an eye opener

Read the story here:
http://employsnews.org/2011/12/11/microwave-test-an-eye-opener/
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Check out this powerful food supplement. It's called Astaxanthin and it is getting more and more popular.

What is Astaxanthin?
An exceptionally powerful antioxidant, Astaxanthin is over 550 times stronger than either vitamin E  and 10 times stronger than Beta-Carotene. This compound helps protect against the damaging effects of pollution, ultraviolet light, and immune stress. Astaxanthin is also a CAROTENOID, which places it in the family of natural compounds that give fruits and vegetables their orange, yellow, and red colors. In nature, astaxanthin can be seen in the red coloration of salmon and shrimp.

Cellular Protection Healthy Inflammatory Response Potent Carotenoid Antioxidant Natural Extraction Process GMP Quality Assured A Dietary Supplement Astaxanthin is a naturally occurring carotenoid that, because of its unique structure, provides a wide range of antioxidant benefits. Astaxanthin can help to protect cell membranes against free radical attack and potentiates the action of other antioxidants like vitamins E and C. Scientific studies have demonstrated that astaxanthin can help to support a healthy inflammatory and immune system response. Recent research indicates that astaxanthin may even help to support the skin's structure during exposure to sunlight. Suggested Use As a dietary supplement, take 1 softgel daily with a fat-containing meal. Consider taking these other NOW products: GliSODin and Alpha Lipoic Acid.

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Lose weight with dairy foods.

Cheese, milk, yoghurt and other dairy foods could help dieters lose those extra kilograms, a new scientific study suggests.

Researchers have reviewed 14 clinical trials involving 883 adults, which delved into how consuming dairy impacted on people's weight, body fat, waistlines and lean muscle mass.

The authors of the article, published this month in the International Journal of Obesity, said they wanted to reveal more about the relationship between weight loss and dairy consumption, which they argued was "still to be fully explored".

From comparing studies they argued that boosting dairy intake without cutting energy intake might not lead to a significant change in weight.

But if adults included three to four servings of dairy per day in an energy-restricted diet they were likely to experience weight loss, as well as a shrinking of the waistline.

"Dairy consumption would help people to lose weight from fat compartments of the body, particularly from abdominal adipose tissue, which has been reported as a main determinant of cardiovascular risk factors," the review found.

Dairy Australia dietitian Glenys Zucco said the organisation had nothing to do with the study but welcomed it.

She said more research was needed to understand how dairy foods assisted weight loss when dieting.

Ms Zucco said earlier research suggested dairy calcium might help people lose extra padding by decreasing the amount of fat absorbed from foods.

"Dairy protein and calcium are thought to help control hunger, particularly in a calorie-restricted diet," Ms Zucco said in a statement on Monday.

Source: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/8410929/dairy-foods-could-help-weight-loss-study 

A Harvard study suggests that avoiding BPA packagingmostof the time isn't enough to avoid its toxic side effects. Even a daily bowl of canned soup is enough to spike your BPA levels by more than 1,200 percent.

Researchers at theHarvard School of Public Healthstudied levels of the chemical BPA (bisphenol A) in 75 volunteers who ate 12 ounces of soup each day for five days. One group ate fresh soup, while the other ate canned. When BPA levels were measured, the results were no less than shocking: eating canned soup on a daily basis raised urinary BPA levels by a whopping 1,221 percent.

"The magnitude of the rise in urinary BPA we observed after just one serving of soup was unexpected and may be of concern among individuals who regularly consume foods from cans or drink several canned beverages daily," said Karin Michels, senior author of the study.

She adds, "It may be advisable for manufacturers to consider eliminating BPA from can linings."

Researchers say more studies need to be done to determine how long these elevated BPA levels can last.

BPA has many dangerous side effectsWhy is this so concerning? Study after study has linked high BPA levels to serious health risks. Just glancing through a small portion of BPA studies is like walking through a health house of horrors. Believe it or not, the following are just a few of the problems caused by BPA:

- High urinary BPA levels have been strongly linked with heart disease and diabetes risk. (http://www.naturalnews.com/024207_BPA_health_plastics.html)

- Prenatal BPA exposure is connected with a higher breast cancer risk later in life. (http://www.naturalnews.com/033782_BPA_exposure_breast_cancer.html

- New findings say prenatal BPA exposure can cause aggressiveness in toddlers (http://www.naturalnews.com/034288_BPA_prenatal_exposure.html) and asthma in babies (http://www.naturalnews.com/032304_BPA_asthma.html).

- BPA can also impact fertility by damaging sperm health. (http://www.naturalnews.com/031161_BPA_sperm.html)

While some organic food suppliers have taken the hint and removed BPA from their packaging, most food manufacturers blatantly ignore BPA risks and package their foods in materials that contain BPA. This is one more important reason to choose fresh foods whenever possible.

Sources for this article include:

http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/diet-nutrition/story/2011-11-23/BPA-levels-spiked-after-eating-canned-soup/51368968/1

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5id9bkzm72jPr5kksdPsUWj5vSXqA?docId=CNG.79f628c9c1938ad91cee1d0a964c4b1a.a01

http://www.consumersearch.com/blog/canned-food-consumption-may-pose-health-risk

About the author:
Elizabeth Walling is a freelance writer specializing in health and family nutrition. She is a strong believer in natural living as a way to improve health and prevent modern disease. She enjoys thinking outside of the box and challenging common myths about health and wellness. You can visit her blog to learn more:
www.livingthenourishedlife.com/2009/10/welcome.html

Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/034811_BPA_canned_food_soup.html#ixzz1kwTPhT00 

_From Naturalnews.com
Raw milk: Good enough for Queen Elizabeth, but prohibited for ordinary Canadians.

Finding access to raw milk is difficult in many parts of the US, but the situation is even worse in Canada where national law prohibits the sale of raw milk anywhere in the country. Few people realize, however, that Queen Elizabeth and her two sons drink this supposedly "dangerous" food item, as do nearly all Canadian farmers surveyed in a 2010 study published in Preventive Veterinary Medicine.

A writeup on raw milk published in The Globe and Mail back in 2010 explains that Queen Elizabeth personally drinks raw milk, and that when her grandsons Harry and William were students at Eton College, she went out of her way to smuggle it in for them as well. The Queen apparently recognizes some value in raw milk beyond what health authorities are willing to admit.

On the same token, nearly 90 percent of more than 2,100 Canadian farmers who sell their milk to the country's government-run dairy cartel revealed that they siphon off raw milk from their own cows to feed to their families before it gets shipped off for homogenization and pasteurization. Like the queen, these farmers are apparently unswayed by the pseudoscientific nonsense about the so-called dangers of raw milk.

And yet ordinary Canadians continue to be deprived of their freedom of choice in choosing what type of milk to drink. Those with lactose intolerance, for instance, are forced to simply stop drinking milk, as only raw milk contains the lactase enzyme that properly breaks down and digests lactose in the system. The process of pasteurization destroys lactase and all other enzymes, which makes it difficult for many to digest.

Like the US, Canada has had its share of government raids and tyranny against those that even just try to set up herd shares, which allow individuals to purchase shares in a cow or goat, and access the milk. Back in 2010, for instance, the Supreme Court of British Columbia issued an injunction against dairy farmer Alice Jongerden for boarding other people's cows, and forced her to basically stop milking the cows altogether, which is a form of animal abuse (http://www.homeontherangefarms.com/).

But the fact that both Queen Elizabeth and thousands of Canadian dairy farmers drink raw milk proves that milk can be produced and consumed safely in raw form. It also represents a blatant double standard, where only the "elite" are privileged enough to make their own food choices, while everyone else is subjected to erroneous and arbitrary restrictions on a wholesome food item that has been consumed safely for centuries, long before tyrannical governments came along and prohibited it.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/raw-milk-fans-are-getting-a-raw-deal/article1722070/comments/

http://www.realmilk.com/healthbenefits.html
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/034747_raw_milk_Queen_Elizabeth_Canada.html#ixzz1kSN7co1

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Vitamin D deficiency can cause very dangerous disorders. Vitamin D deficiency symptoms are a warning sign that let’s you know something is not quite right. You need to make sure you are getting enough vitamin D from exposure to direct sunlight, vitamin D rich food and vitamin supplements.

Watch this youtube video:

Warning of dangerous weight loss drug:

So you need to lose some weight, burn some fat, getting in shape? well the watch out for scammers and dangerous weight loss drugs. Research and educate yourself on this matter a find the truth about weight loss supplements. This news is about a dangerous drug that can cause liver problems:

The most popular weight-loss drug in Britain is under investigation over fears it may be linked to liver failure.

The European Medicines Agency said there had been four suspected cases of “serious liver toxicity” linked to the medicine in recent years, one of which was fatal.

Although a small number of cases considering 38million dieters across Europe have been given the pills by doctors to lose weight, the regulator said it was now looking at what evidence there is linking the drug to liver damage.

Read here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/pharmaceuticalsandchemicals/8782796/Popular-weight-loss-drug-under-review-over-liver-failure-fears.html

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