Food Shop & Short week

Happy Monday… well it is for me because I only have 2 days of school this week! I woke up early today to meet 2 friends to run, one who has been on the DL (disabled list) for a couple of months. I actually trained and ran the Boston Marathon with her this year and she got hurt shortly after so she has not been able to train with us. It was great catching up today! I did not lift this morning because at 4 today I have my FIRST PILATES REFORMER CLASS!!! I WILL LET YOU KNOW HOW THAT GOES! 

GOOD FINDS

 

• Just wanted to highlight a few things I was very excitied about finding. 
• I always buy the kashi puffs because they are low cal and great to add to yogurt and give it a little crunch. This does not substitute my AM cereal but usually I add it in or I will have it at night with some yogurt. 
• I was in desperate need of some more mini cliff bars… I sometimes have one before I run or at night I will have it in my yogurt with some prunes and nuts! 
•  I finally found the hersheys pumpkin kisses which I have been dying to try… they are so good but def something I will have once in a while. 
• I also found the pepridge farms bagels that I read about at Running with Recipe, I have not tried it but they look great, and 170 cals for a bagel is not bad! 
• I bought the Archers Farms granola clusters because they were on sale. I have had these before but not this flavor (this was cashew, vanilla, apricot spice or something) it is 100cals for 1/4 c and would be a great addition to the chobani! 
• The flat breads I have blogged about before and I just love eaither for pre run, for a veggie burger sammie or with egg whites like I had today. 
• Also I by accident bought the stonyfield LF yogurt and the consistency is not sitting well with me.. its quite gummy and I prefer to NF plain to the LF plain.

Monday Lunch

zucchini scramble w/1 egg and 1 egg white, arnold ww flatbread, laughing cow swiss cheese wedge and TJ

** Speaking of Cocoa I have been doing a lot of research on it, because I am thinking about being a distributor for this product I have come across (more info on that in the future) 

HEre is some great information on Cocoa (its long but great info)

WHen looking for chocolate consider: 

So when looking for a healthy chocolate product, look for a dark chocolate product with the following properties:

	Has not been alkalized.
	Has been dried and cool-pressed rather than roasted.
	Consists of at least 70 percent pure cocoa.
	Contains cocoa butter instead of milk fats or hydrogenated oils.
	Contains natural, low-glycemic sweeteners—such as raw cane—rather than refined sugar.

CHOCOLATE’S HEALTH-PROMOTING NUTRIENTS

Have you ever wondered why a chocolate bar left at room temperature never spoils? The reason is that cocoa/chocolate contains potent antioxidants. Cocoa powder is rich in the polyphenols, mainly flavonoids—flavan-3-ols, flavonols (epicatechin and catechin), and procyanidins. Cocoa is from the plant Theobromo cacao. Cocoa butter accounts for 50% of the weight of the cocoa bean, with the main fatty acids being stearic and palmitic (saturated fats), oleic (the one in olive oil, a monounsaturated fatty acid) and linoleic acid (polyunsaturated). Even though we are taught that saturated fats are harmful to the cardiovascular system, the stearic acid fat does not elevate blood cholesterol like other saturated fatty acids. This particular fat in chocolate is not absorbed well by the intestinal tract. It also has been shown that these cocoa fatty acids may modify LDL-C, making it more resistant to oxidation. The cocoa bean also has some insoluble fiber and soluble fiber, which helps lower cholesterol levels. Fiber has been shown to be extremely beneficial in lowering colon cancer rates, improving sugar metabolism, and preventing constipation. The cocoa bean contains several minerals and vitamins which are useful. Dark chocolate contains magnesium, which is necessary for muscle relaxation, nerve conduction, energy production, and bone and teeth development and health. Magnesium deficiencies make PMS (premenstrual syndrome) worse. Copper is involved in many of the chemical processes in the body and dark cocoa is a rich source of copper. Potassium is vital for cardiovascular health and dark cocoa contains a high level of potassium. The flavonoids in cocoa are the flavan-3-ols, flavonols (catechin and epicatechin and procyanides), and proanthocyanidins. Chocolate on a per-weight basis has the highest concentration of these flavonoids of any food. Cocoa is loaded with a variety of phytonutrients, making it very high in antioxidants. There is a scientific test which helps rate the level of antioxidant properties. The test is the ORAC, or oxygen radical absorbance capacity. Cocoa rates as one of the highest on the ORAC scale. It is even higher than green tea and red wine, which have been shown to very effective antioxidants. Cocoa can stop the oxidation of the LDL-C cholesterol as discussed previously, resulting in reduced cardiovascular damage. Cocoa flavonoids can also increase the production of good cholesterol (HDL), which cleans and mops up the blood vessels from the harmful fats. Cocoa flavonoids also discourage platelets from forming harmful clots and damaging heart muscle blood vessels. The flavonoids help the blood vessels dilate easier, allowing more blood flow to the heart (nitric oxide (NO) activation). This same principle is applicable to insulin-stimulated blood sugar uptake resulting in improved diabetic control. Cocoa has been found to have anti-inflammatory properties, stopping the inflammatory process (cytokines) from damaging the body. In several studies, dark chocolate has been shown to decrease blood pressure, which in turn decreases the damage to heart vessels. Cocoa is thought to be a rennin-angiotension enzyme inhibitor, which is the same principle that many blood pressure pills work on (ACE inhibitors). There have also been studies showing that dark cocoa can help reduce dental cavities, decrease the plaque on teeth, and prevent gum disease. Additionally, antioxidant principles can be applied to slowing the progression of dementia. Several vitamins like vitamin E and certain B-vitamins have been used to help with dementia. As we discussed previously cocoa has the same ability to decrease the free-radical damage, which also helps with limiting dementia and improving memory. Dark chocolate improves the body’s ability to use insulin and stops the resistance problem that can lead to diabetes. Cocoa can increase nitric oxide levels to help with insulin-stimulated uptake of blood sugars. The increase in nitric oxide also improves the health of the blood vessels, limiting the damage of diabetes on the small vessels. Cocoa has been found to help with liver damage and can repair liver cells after long-term exposure to alcohol. Cancer can also be impacted by the antioxidant properties of cocoa. As was pointed out before, the oxidative process can damage DNA and lead to cancerous cells. By stopping this process antioxidants can hinder the development of cancer cells. Chocolate does contain theobromine, a very small amount of caffeine, phenylethylamine (PEA—the “love-chemical”), and anandamide that can increase your mental awareness. The antidepressant effects of chocolate have been studied, showing that serotonin and dopamine levels are increased. The small amount of fat in chocolate also helps curb our appetite for fats and helps decrease our fat intake. Cocoa by itself can decrease appetites. The carbohydrates in chocolate provide an energy source. The theobromine stimulates the central nervous system and gives us additional energy. Theobromine, a cousin of theophylline, is used to open up lungs and improve breathing as well as its use as a cough medicine. Even a recent study thought that low libidos in women could be improved with chocolate. In elderly patients cocoa has been found to be an appetite stimulant and may help in increasing their weight (not fat weight gain) and provide nutrients needed for their body to function. It may even slow down the process of aging but interfering with the free radical destruction of body cells.