Dark chocolate, unlike milk or white chocolate has been proved to have a myriad of health benefits.

1) Many dark chocolate bars are sugar free and offer excellent alternatives for anyone on low glycemic diet. As a matter of fact, dark chocolate is a perfect dessert for those that love chocolate but are at risk for metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance.
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In one classic episode of Seinfeld, George Castanza is sternly reprimanded by another party guest when caught double dipping his chip in the salsa sauce:

“That’s like putting your whole mouth right in the dip.”

A recent study has confirmed that indeed this could well be the case.

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For those not familiar with the term, Insulin Resistance is a status where one’s body does not have a healthy sugar metabolism resulting in continuous presence of above normal insulin levels in the blood. That in turn leads to a fat deposition and a myriad of health problems. It is completely curable and reversible early on with lifestyle changes, such as healthy eating and exercise, but left unattended, can lead to full scale diabetes.

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Fiber have significant health benefits and are an essential and necessary component of any healthy eating regimen. Fiber are undigested carbohydrates that course through the digestive system without being absorbed into the blood. They course in and out and do not contribute any energy.

The numerous health benefits of fiber include:

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Salads are rich in fiber, vitamins, antioxidants and nutrients. Furthermore, they have no processed food, no saturated fat, and no trans fats. There is no enriched flour, chemicals, or other harmful substances. And so obviously it is healthy and does wonders for you.

Recently, a study by Louisiana State University researchers involving more than 17,000 individuals found that those who ate just one serving of salad daily consumed significantly more folate, vitamins B6, C and E than those who didn’t. Furthermore, and most importantly, one daily serving of salad was shown to increase longevity by 2 years!

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I am subscribed to the low carb eating lifestyle and try to avoid any foods that are abundant with processed flour, starch, sugar, and other addictive-and-health-damaging powder ingredients. Prior to embarking on an extended months-long trip around Italy, I wondered how hard it will be, if at all possible, for me to stick to this eating lifestyle while continuously changing locations, moving from city to city, always staying at hotels, and having no recourse to prepare my own food.

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The glycemic index (GI) measures how much blood sugar level rises following the ingestion of 50 grams of sugar coming from a particular food. The higher the number, the greater the blood sugar response will be and thus the insulin release. So a low GI food will cause a small rise, while a high GI food will trigger a dramatic spike. A glycemic index of 70 or more is high, 56 to 69 is medium, and a GI of 55 or less is low.

Glycemic Load (GL) addresses the matter a bit further by taking into account the amount of carbs that exists in a food serving. This is far more valuable and worth addressing than the glycemic index. For example, carrots have a high glycemic index and based on that GI, they may be considered ‘bad food’. However, 50 grams of sugar coming from carrots require the ingestion of 2 lbs of carrots in one meal. Carrots have a low glycemic load and for all practical purposes are excellent highly recommended foods.

A GL of 20 or more is high, a GL of 11 to 19 is medium, and a GL of 10 or less is low.

GL is GI *(carbs in food serving) / 100

As expected the foods with high GL and GI, are those filled with added sugar, processed flour, and those of low nutritional value. Not surprisingly, these wreak havoc on your body on top of making one gain weight. Examples include various bakery items (cakes, pastries, white bread, cookies, brownies, chocolate bars, most cereals (exception:Fiber one), sugary beverages, refined products, pasta, rice and potatoes.

The best (low GL) fruits are:

Strawberries 1
Cherries 3
Oranges 3
Plum 3
Pear 4
Peach 4
Cantaloupe 4
Watermelon 4
Apricots 5
Apple 6
Pineapple 6
Mango 8

All of these are great foods to have.

Most vegetables have low glycemic load.

As for legumes, the best are:

Chickpeas 3
Lentils 4

I was given this tip today about a good natural source of calcium. All one needs is a wide mouthed mason jar, some lemon juice, and some eggshells. Just soak the eggshells in lemon juice until they stop bubbling, and voila! You have a highly assimilable source of calcium called calcium citrate. The eggs may be soaked before or after using the contents within (doesn’t matter).

I already eat a lot of eggs, so this would be a way of getting extra calcium for free. Plus the eggshells are likely to contain other trace nutrients that work in cooperation with calcium. It’s no good to supplement with x amount of calcium if collaborating nutrients are out of ratio.

Excellent tip.

I have noted on many ‘health’ food labels confusing numbers about the carb content of the product.

My original understanding about ‘net carbs’ is that this represents ‘all carbs’ minus fiber. But numbers are really not adding up if this is the case.

A recent label on a protein replacement meal showed 36 grams of carbs, 2 grams of Fiber, and a claim in bold that there were only 3 net carbs!!!!

Turns out that sugar-alcohols fill the gap. 1 gram of sugar alcohol only has 2 calories and has no glycemic effect (Does not cause insulin spike) and thus manufacturers do not have to include it in the nutrition label.

One learns something new every day.

With the obesity epidemic reaching unheard of proportions, following good nutritional habits and a healthy eating style are becoming more essential than ever.

The following are the 15 commandments of good nutrition:

1) Thou shall have 6 meals daily: 3 main meals and 3 snacks.

2) Thou shall have protein and fiber in each meal.

3) Thou shall eat within 30 minutes of waking up.

4) Thou shall have 25 grams of fiber each day

5) Thou shall avoid fruit juices, non-diet carbonated sodas, and alcohol.

6) Thou shall stay away from canned and processed food

7) Thou shall limit fried food

8) Thou shall stay away from diet and fat free products and consume natural food instead.

9) Thou shall have at least two large salads a day.

10) Thou shall have at least 1 gram of protein per kilogram per day

11) Thou shall stay away of bread, added sugar, deserts, and various bakery stuff

12) Thou shall have 2 servings of grilled fish every week

13) Thou shall drink 8 glasses of water a day

14) Thou shall stop eating 1 hour before going to bed.

15) Thou shall limit your intake of red meat to lean cut and shall have it no more than 3 times a week.

Bodybuilders and other fitness and nutritional experts generally recommend the following daily protein intake:

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