Author: Scott & Rhonda

Cacao Paste, it’s healthy!

Todays post is about Cacao Paste.

In February last year I wrote about the benefits of Raw Chocolate and posted a recipe.

Yesterday I went to buy more ingredients for making my chocolate and I came across Cacao Paste. I talked to the store owner who informed me that is could be used in a number of ways. It is most popularly used for making chocolate.

So I decided to give it a try, as well as do a bit of research to find out a bit more about it.

 So, what is Cacao paste?

Cacao paste is created when whole cacao beans are fermented, sun dried and roasted at temperatures below 47°C. They are then ground into a paste or liquid, commonly called cacao liquor. This liquid quickly solidifies at room temperature and the result is cacao paste, which is then dried.

Because no heat is used in this process, cacao paste retains its natural properties. Cacao paste is naturally about 55% cacao butter and is an extremely smooth product. Cacao paste is 100% pure organic cacao. No additives, sweeteners or anything else.

 It’s healthy

Not only does cacao paste provide a delicious, chocolatey taste, but it’s also packed with health benefits. It contains more antioxidants than blueberries, black and green teas, and red wine. These antioxidants give cacao the power to lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and risk of stroke.

A single cacao bean contains 54% fat (that’s the cacao butter), 31% carbohydrates (mainly fibre with a tiny amount of sugars), 11% protein (including arginine, glutamine and leucine), 3% polyphenols (flavonols and proanthocyanins) and less than 1% trace minerals including magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus.

Cacao has been studied for its ability to reduce blood pressure and has been shown to produce “a small but statistically significant effect in lowering blood pressure by 2-3mm Hg in the short term”. It contains phenylethylamine, which controls pleasure and the feelings you get when you are in love. It also acts as a stimulant and can improve mental alertness. Cacao also contains serotonin and dopamine – which also stimulate good moods and ‘pleasure’ feelings.

Cacao also contains great levels of magnesium, which is an essential mineral during times of stress and helps you to feel more relaxed.

 How do you use it?

Cacao paste is recommended for use in several ways. It seems it can be used in any recipe that requires unsweetened chocolate.

Small chunks can be added to dried fruit and nuts to create your own trail mixes, or grate fine shavings over ice cream or sweet desserts. It is also suggested to use it to make a rich, European style ‘hot chocolate’.

I used it to make my Raw chocolate. It was recommended to use the paste instead of ½ of the cacao butter. I did this. The chocolate actually started to set at room temperature. It also gave the chocolate a very rich texture, however, I found that it started to melt a little quicker as I held it.

I think next time I will try making the recipe with 70grams cacao butter and 30 grams of the paste. Check out my recipe page for the recipe.

Enjoy,

Till the next post,

 Live clean n Prosper.

Cold Water Therapy

Today’s topic is Cold Water Therapy.

A friend of mine commented that after reading my post on the Brain – Body connection and Set Point theory, he had started using ‘Cold Water Therapy’ to reset his metabolism.

I had not heard of Cold Water Therapy being used in this way. So it was time for some Internet research.

I was amazed at what I learned.

Hydrotherapy (the use of water for treatment) has been around for thousands of years. It is one of the most basic forms of treatment used in natural medicine. It has many names – such as water therapy, aquatic therapy, pool therapy, and balneotherapy.

According to a research article published on the US National Library of Medicine site, the use of water in various forms and temperatures can produce different effects on different system of the body. Cold water immersion induces significant physiological and biochemical changes in the body such as increase in heart rate, blood pressure and metabolism.

Here are the most researched benefits for cold-water therapy.

Cold water for sore muscles

Researchers did find that cold-water baths were better than resting or doing nothing, reducing muscle soreness by about 20%. This is because the cold water lowers the damaged tissue’s temperature and constricts the blood vessels. This helps reduce the swelling and inflammation, and even numbs the nerve endings to bring immediate relief to any pain.

Improved Immune system

Cold-water immersion causes your lymph vessels to contract, forcing your lymphatic system to pump lymph fluids throughout your body, flushing the waste out of the area.

This then triggers the immune system’s white blood cells to attack and destroy any unwanted substance in the fluid. In a way, it’s sort of a domino effect — the cold water affects the lymphatic system, which in turn affects the immune system, which ultimately keeps you healthy.

Improvement in Circulation

Exercise and diet are two well-know ways to improve cardiovascular circulation. However, cold-water immersion can also stimulate blood flow. When you immerse your body in cold water, the blood rushes to surround your vital organs. Your heart then is forced to pump more efficiently, pushing blood through all your vessels and supplying every part of your body with the oxygen and nutrients it needs. Do this on a routine basis and you can help promote healthy blood circulation, and, ultimately, a healthy body.

A way to feel happy

A 2007 research study found that cold showers can help treat depression symptoms, and if used on a routine basis, may be more beneficial than prescription medications. The reason for this is that cold-water triggers more mood-boosting neurotransmitters in the brain, which make you feel happy.

And finally, Cold-water therapy can boost the body’s metabolism.

Cold showers and other types of cold-water or ice therapy may also help boost your fat-burning abilities.

According to a 2009 study, cold water can promote healthy brown fat. Brown fat is the good fat our bodies generate to keep us warm and is activated when exposed to extreme cold, and helps eliminate the white fat. White fat is the body fat that piles up around our waistlines and thighs when we consume too many calories.

Sources : www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov  & www.tonyrobbins.com

Always use common sense when engaging in cold-water immersion. Listen to your body and work up to the more advanced ice therapy techniques gradually.

Of course, cold-water immersion should not be considered a substitute for diet and exercise, though it would make an excellent addition to our daily routine.

Till the next post,

Live Clean n Prosper

The brain, food and our weight.

Today I’m writing about the brain, how it’s affected by food and it’s connection to our weight.

With Scott’s study we have some interesting conversations. Usually about the latest things he has learned. Most recently we were discussing the role of our brain plays in regards to our weight and how it’s affected by food.

I thought I would share what we have learned.

How food affects our brain

Interestingly, of our total energy input, our brain actually uses up to 20% of our body’s energy resources. The different compounds in foods affect the production of hormones in our brain, which in turn, govern our moods.

The micronutrients in fruits & veg, such as antioxidants, help to reduce free radicals in the brain, which destroy brain cells. Essential fatty acids such as omega 3 & 6 are essential for the creation and maintenance of brain cell membrane. Proteins & amino acids affect how we feel and behave. The vitamins B6, B12 & folic acid help prevent brain disease.

Most of the energy comes from processing the carbohydrates we eat, to blood sugar.

The types of carbohydrates we eat have different effects on the levels of blood sugar. There are basically 3 types of carbohydrates, starch, sugar & fibre. The ratio of these in the food affects how the body and brain respond.

Simple carbohydrates has less fibre and are therefore processed quickly. This creates more energy, however it is not sustainable. This results in an energy deficit or slump.

Having a diet that contains a broad selection of foods help keep everything balanced.

So we know that different food affects the brain. What is really interesting is that the brain then regulates how much we eat and use for energy according to our weight.

Is the brain connected to our weight?

Researchers in 1982 theorised that the brain has a ‘body weight set point’. Which means that the brain actually has a say in how we put on, or lose weight.

This is the reason that many people plateau when actively trying to lose weight. It is also why many people put the weight back on after losing it.

The set-point theory suggests that body weight is regulated at a predetermined, or preferred, level by a feedback control mechanism. Information from the body is carried to a central controller in the brain, located in the hypothalamus.

The controller uses the information to modulate food intake or energy expenditure to correct any deviations in body weight from the set-point. (Source – www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/)

According to this theory, body fat percentage and body weight are matters of internal controls that are set differently in different people.

There are several different theories on how to re-set the body’s set-point. Some say it can be done through diet, others say constant intense exercise.

I think that this will vary for each individual as much as our internal controls are different.

Either way, I found it quite interesting to learn about this particular ‘brain – body’ connection.

 Till the next post,

Live clean n prosper.