Article by James L. Snyder

Finally, the medical world has caught up with what the rest of us have known all the time, namely, chocolate is good for us. And I for one think it is about time.

According to recent medical research, chocolate has marvelous benefits for the human body. Who in their right mind did not know this? As a subscriber to the Old England Journal of Homemade Cures and Potions, I have known for a very long time that the consumption of chocolate carries with it healthy advantages. For years, this journal carried many delicious articles touting the benefits of chocolate. And I have eaten it all up not to mention several boxes of chocolate.

This introduces me to a disturbing thought. I’m grateful for the advancement of modern medicine and science but what I want to know is simply this: if the medical world was mistaken about chocolate, what else are they mistaken about? Could it be that my long-time suspicions about broccoli are right? Has the medical world, which boasted for years about the dietary benefit of broccoli, been wrong all these years?

With recent discoveries, I think this is a real possibility.

I have been saying for years that broccoli was bad for you and chocolate was good for you. It seems I have been half right and I suspect another few years will prove I am 100 percent right on both subjects.

Because I have been right about chocolate, I’m not going to take the chance I’m wrong about broccoli. I propose to eat as much chocolate as possible and avoid broccoli in any and every form.

In light of these recent discoveries concerning chocolate, I thought I would lend my expertise on the subject of how to eat chocolate. Because many people have for so long been under the delusion that chocolate was not healthy, most people do not know how to eat chocolate.

I offer myself as an expert on the art of eating chocolate and I have the empty boxes to support my boast.

Before giving my tips on eating chocolate, let me just say that the chocolate chip cookie is the basic host for chocolate for the novice chocolate eater. Each chocolate chip cookie carries the proper amount of chocolate for the person denied chocolate all these years.

So, start out with a chocolate chip cookie to make sure you’re on the safe side of this issue. To know the proper amount of cookies, take your weight divided by your height (in inches) and multiplied by your age. This formula never fails.

Because chocolate is rather a new food category for most people, let me offer a few tips as you begin the marvelous discovery of the chocolate world.

1. When you begin eating chocolate, make sure you do it one bite at a time. This is important. Do not succumb to the temptation of taking double or triple bites as you begin. Down the road as you become more adapt at eating chocolate you might grow into this facet of chocolate eating.

2. If you have a wrapped chocolate bar, remember, it must be unwrapped and allowed to breathe like a fine wine. Many people yield to the temptation of ripping open a candy bar and immediately taking a bite. This is wrong. Chocolate is delicate and must be nurtured carefully in order to enjoy its flavor to its fullest for the longest period of time.

3. When it comes to chewing chocolate, a person must be very careful. Each bite of chocolate must be chewed no less than 12 times out of respect for the cacao seed that sacrificed itself for your toothsome treat.

Eating chocolate is a slow, reverent and loving experience. Perhaps the reason so many thought chocolate was not good for a person is that they ate it too fast.

I once tried chewing a chocolate bar only 11 times and choked. I learned my lesson the hard way and I now wholly respect the delicate nature of chocolate.

4. One final tip I feel is quite important. Chocolate should always be eaten when you are alone for a very important reason. When a person is eating chocolate, his full concentration should be on the process of eating and enjoying the rich chocolaty flavor. Any distractions, even the presence of a loved one, diverts from the whole experience.

When you stop to think about this whole chocolate business, it is almost like a religious experience.

As religious experiences go, the only genuine experience centers on knowing God, as he desires to be known. When it comes to religion, most people rush through without giving it much thought. And of course, they really never get to experience the full benefit of their religious experience.

David understood this concept when he wrote, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalms 46:10 KJV.)

In this rat race of a world, it is almost impossible to find the time or the place to get still enough to really experience the presence of God. We have time for everything but this.

Perhaps God gets a bad rap from people for the same reason chocolate for many years was given a bad rap. To really know chocolate is to love chocolate.

I honestly believe the same can be said for God. For the person who takes the time to get to know God he begins to understand God and consequently loves God.

Article by abbiembs

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Article by Dianne Ronnow

Article by Protica Research

We should all know about healthy eating, but you’d be surprised at how many people know almost nothing about the foods they eat. Many people think their hamburgers are healthy because they have lettuce and tomatoes on them. Sure, hamburgers might be a good source of protein, but what about all those calories and all that fat? Other people don’t understand what specific nutrients do, or why we need to have them in our diets. It’s important that everyone learn about eating healthy and which foods should be avoided, at least most of the time.

You need to have certain nutrients in your diet if you want to be healthy and strong, and without these nutrients, your health will fail. In fact, you will be risking developing many different ailments including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and others. Fortunately, there are many ways to learn about healthy eating. Start by speaking with your physician, or a dietitian or nutritionist, about the things you should be getting in your diet, and what you should be feeding your family in order to keep them healthy and happy.

Getting Your Kids To Eat Healthy Foods

For many parents, one of the biggest challenges in raising their children is getting them to eat healthy. For some reason, kids really have an aversion to anything nutritious. Maybe it is because the foods don’t look good to them. Or maybe it’s simply an act of rebellion to refuse healthy food, because they don’t want to be told what to do. Whatever the reason, many children are not getting the proper nutrition, and childhood obesity is becoming more and more of a problem all the time.

There are many ways to get your kids to eat healthy foods, without them even realizing it. Pizza is a healthy food, containing foods from all four of the important food groups, and when made right, it’s loaded with all kinds of nutritional value. You can make a homemade pizza with sauce made from fresh tomatoes in a blender, topped with lean ground meat, peppers, mushrooms, pineapples, and low-fat cheese for a very healthy meal that just about every kid (and adult) in the world will absolutely love.

Another thing to try is adding cheese to foods your kids wouldn’t normally eat. It is amazing what a little bit of cheese can do to change a kid’s mind. Or if you have a juicer, you can make slushies for your kids with delicious, healthy vegetables, which will be overpowered by the taste of fruit juice. Get creative and you can be assured that your kids will get all of the proper nutrition they need to grow up healthy.

Don’t Forget Healthy Food For Your Pets

When making sure that your family is eating healthy, don’t forget about your four-footed family members. You don’t have to give your pets commercially prepared pet foods to make sure that they are healthy. In fact, many of the commercially prepared foods are actually more harmful for your pets than the scraps you feed them from the table. Many of the foods that we eat are perfectly healthy for both dogs and cats, and there are all kinds of recipes available for healthy, homemade pet foods that Fido and Fluffy will love.

If you start them out when they are young enough, you can even have your pets on vegetarian diets, as long as you are making sure that they are getting enough protein from sources other than meat. Some healthy, protein-rich foods that you can add to your pets’ diets include lean red meat, poultry, fish, broccoli, carrots, rice, low-sodium soup broth, and some dairy products (dairy is much better for kittens than full grown cats). Garlic is also excellent for pets, and helps keep the fleas away. Never give your pets chocolate or onions, as these are poisonous for non-humans.

Getting Enough Protein In Your Diet

There are many nutrients that you need to have in your diet, and one of the most important is protein, which is a natural source of energy and helps our muscles to grow and be healthy. Protein is necessary for healing soft tissues following injuries and other trauma, and each and every cell in our bodies relies on protein to function properly.

There are all kinds of ways to get enough protein in your diet. Some of the things that you should be incorporating into your meals include lean red meats, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds, low or non-fat dairy products, fish, and poultry.

You might also want to start using protein supplements, if you aren’t doing so already. There are a number of different types of protein supplements available, including many snacks that are ideal to have between meals or to satisfy your sweet tooth without adding a whole lot of fat and calories.

Protica has many protein supplements available that are healthy for you and your whole family, even your children. If you happen to love candy, you will love the Protein Candy, or Protein Gem, a fruity, Jello-like treat that’s loaded with protein. Gum chewers will love NutriGum too. If you would like to learn more about the protein supplements available from Protica, you can find them on the Protica website at http://www.protica.com.

Article by Judith Hofstadt Lambert

It makes me proud to admit to being the ultimate bargain hunter. If there is a free offer, discount, or rebate out there, I am going to find and use it to its fullest. As a regular entrant in online sweepstakes and contests, my prize chest includes products, services, and even some cold, hard cash. But, the thing that often gets me most excited is the chance to win free food. You see, food is the way to my heart and I am not ashamed to admit it.

Stomach-friendly sweepstakes and contests provide us with the opportunity to win free candy, supermarket shopping sprees, and meals at our favorite restaurants. Some of them even include the equipment and supplies needed to create a tasty meal. At no cost to us, we can fill our bellies and do it by eating some of the best food sold on the market. This is a great way for us to sample new products without spending the money to purchase them.

Once I learned about these free sweepstakes and contests, no time was wasted in completing the entries. Rules of some permitted one entry per day, week, or month. Others allowed me to submit unlimited entries on a daily basis, enticing me to spend quite a bit of time on the contests with prizes like chocolate and restaurant gift certificates. After finding my favorites, I began completing the entry forms, which involved supplying personal information and sometimes doing a bit of writing.

The timeframe for many of these online sweepstakes and contests is usually short, so it is important to stay on top of the entries. After setting electronic reminders regarding each entry frequency, it becomes easier to manage the process. I submit all of my entries at the start of my day so I will not forget during the work hour rush. In some cases, I even get to exercise my creativity by submitting recipes or a story of a memorable moment using a certain food product.

Aside from the ability to win cash through these contests, the chance to win free food is my favorite. My stomach gets happy just at the thought of all the goodies I can win and my wallet enjoys not being opened as frequently. These contests have provided me with opportunities to sample some excellent food. After submitting so many entries, I should probably consider entering contests that offer exercise equipment prizes!