Hot MedFax

Love dark chocolate and been think you've been conned into eating it because it's "healthy." I know, my friends and family laughed at me, too.  But it's true ; a new study has confirmed it.   Turns out  certain bacteria in the stomach "gobble the chocolate and ferment it into anti-inflammatory compounds that are good for the heart," newswise.com reports. “We found that there are two kinds of microbes in the gut: the ‘good’ ones and the ‘bad’ ones,” explained Maria Moore, an undergraduate student and one of the study’s researchers, at newswise.com. “The good microbes. . . feast on chocolate,” she added. “When you eat dark chocolate, they grow and ferment it, producing compounds that are anti-inflammatory.  When these compounds are absorbed by the body, they lessen the inflammation of cardiovascular tissue, reducing the long-term risk of stroke,” said John Finley, Ph.D., who led the work. He noted that cocoa powder, an ingredient in chocolate, c...

There's been a lot of talk lately about foods that fight fatigue.  One web site lists whole grain crackers, walnuts, dark chocolate, and watermelon.  Also, pumpkin seeds.  Yogurt.  Wheat bran cereal.  Tea.  Red bell pepper (which a friend, whose toddler fought leukemia, was told is the perfect food). “We find that fatigue generally is coupled to foods that are nutrient-poor,”   nutritionist Nicolette Pace  told CBS TV New York. Speaking last night on CBS, Pace reported that "Our bodies need essential nutrients, like protein, fats and complex carbohydrates, as well as vitamins and minerals, to function properly. " She suggested quinoa (I can't even pronounce it) and buckwheat products.  Another big one?  Foods containing zinc.  And eating one cup of sweet potatoes a day "helps 78 percent of women shake off fatigue in as little as three days.," she told CBS. Without nutrition-rich foods, you feel tired — even irritable — and t...