wellbeing
with Jacquie Dale
CELEBRATE THE SEASON WITH
CHERRIES AND CHOCOLATE
Dark chocolate and cherries make delicious desserts or snacks over summer. Cherries are not
only rich in several vitamins but there's a tremendous body of evidence suggesting that cherries
are one of the most nutritious fruits you can eat.
At less than 100 calories per cup, fresh cherries
are good for the waistline as well. Cherries may
be especially important for older adults as studies show that tart cherries may offer protection
from age-related diseases, such as arthritis and
gout. They contain a type of antioxidant known
as anthocyanins that have been shown to have
strong anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Chocolate makes the perfect cherry partner.
Produced from cacao beans, dark chocolate is
rich in flavonoids, which provide antioxidant protection against premature ageing. Eating rich
dark chocolate could lower your risk of stroke
by 8%. A new study published in The Journal of
the American Medicine Association found that a
daily intake of chocolate reduced the prevalence
of hypertension (high blood pressure) from 86
percent to 68 percent.
NEW YEAR���S RESOLUTIONS ���
ARE PROTEIN BARS GOOD OR BAD?
A study published in The Journal of the American
Dietetic Association, showed that meal replacements like shakes and bars can be successful
in facilitating weight loss. If your goal is to tone
up for 2013, then protein shakes and bars could
be a good fit in your diet. Bars and shakes help
you to spread your protein intake over the day
without having to blow your calories on junk. For
example, the Proactive Go-Slim bar contains
only 165 calories, but has 10 times the protein
of a banana and an assortment of vitamins and
minerals. Having a chocolate protein bar in your
handbag means that you'll be less likely to have
a muffin or worse still, skip a meal. For allergy sufferers, gluten free or dairy free bars and shakes
are available too.
www.realnutrition.co.nz
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