The Steaks Are High

Better than...Kissing?

Chocolate seems to be all over the news lately, so I thought I'd share some of the latest (and to a chocolate fiend like me, the greatest) studies. The benefits of chocolate, I've found, are many: massive amounts of antioxidants, lowering your blood pressure, guarding against blood clots, and even more pleasurable than kissing!

The April issue of The Archives of Internal Medicine brought us an analysis of four studies of black tea, green tea and dark chocolate. Researchers chose from over 3,000 papers, favoring the most randomized and controlled studies. After using statistical technigues to combine the data, their analysis found four of five studies showing that chocolate reduces blood pressure after eating.

None of the tea drinking studies found any significant benefit.

Chocolate, however, is where it's at: eating three squares of dark chocolate was almost as effective as taking common antihypertensive drugs.

The good things found in dark chocolate are chemical substances called polyphenols, which are known to help control blood pressure. Milk proteins will prevent the absorption of polyphenols, so milk chocolate is not effective in helping blood pressure.

Find the full text of the study here: Effect of Cocoa and Tea Intake on Blood Pressure: A Meta-analysis (Site requires registration)

Another paper from the Pennington Nutritional Series outlines the advantages of cocoa powder as a powerful antioxidant. In Cocoa Polyphenols, the authors Heli Roy and Shanna Lundy break down the antioxidant capacity of various foods.

The method they used to quantify the antioxidant capacity of food is Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC). Basically, the technique measures how well a sample food disarms free radicals, and how long it takes. ORAC values are expressed as mmole TE/g (micromoles Trolox equivalent per gram of substance – Trolox being a water-soluble derivative of tocopherol, the standard control for antioxidant activity). And if all of that was Greek to you, let the numbers speak louder than words:

Strawberry 1,600

Blueberry 2,200

Prunes 5,700

Milk chocolate 6,800

Dark chocolate 13,000

In other words, dark chocolate wins again!

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health also found that dark chocolate guards against blood clots. This was a pretty funny story: 139 people were excluded from a larger study on aspirin. Why? Participants were told to refrain from eating certain foods known to affect platelet activity - including chocolate – and these chocoholics just couldn't stay away!

Professor Diane Becker said: "What these chocolate 'offenders' taught us is that the chemical in cocoa beans has a biochemical effect similar to aspirin in reducing platelet clumping, which can be fatal if a clot forms and blocks a blood vessel, causing a heart attack."

And lastly, Dr David Lewis, formerly of the University of Sussex, and now of the Mind Lab, found that "chocolate beats kissing hands down when it comes to providing a long-lasting body and brain buzz. A buzz that, in many cases, lasted four times as long as the most passionate kiss."

This study monitored the heart rates and brain activity of couples in their 20s, as they melted 60% dark chocolate in their mouths, and as they kissed.

Dr Lewis said: "These results really surprised and intrigued us. While we fully expected chocolate- especially dark chocolate - to increase heart rates due to the fact it contains some highly stimulating substances, both the length of this increase together with the powerful effects it had on the mind were something none of us had anticipated."

As the chocolate started melting, all regions of the brain received a boost far more intense and longer lasting than the excitement seen with kissing.

So, I hear you wondering, what's a low carber to do? Well, the interesting part about all these studies for me were the conclusions which emphasized that both milk and sugar undo the benefits of consuming dark chocolate. Low carb chocolate treats are the way to go!

• Try eating a couple of squares of Lindt 85% chocolate – at 1.25g of carbs per square, these will not set you back far in your carb count, and are delicious too.

• If sugar alcohols agree with you (and be warned, they disagree with many tummies), you can try some of the low-carb chocolate bars around. I've been taste-testing a few available in Montreal (just doing my part, ya know), so I'll be posting the results soon.

• Use cocoa powder for your sweet treats! There's the Ten Minute Chocolate Cake recipe, or low carb hot chocolate made with unsweetened cocoa powder and Splenda.

• Make some bark, a perennial favorite for low-carbers dying for some crunch. Melt a couple of unsweetened chocolate squares, pour in two tablespoons of sugar free syrup (or substitute Splenda), add a couple tablespoons of coconut oil, and then stir in the unsalted nuts of your choice: pecans, walnuts, pistachios or almonds all work well. Spread the mixture on some wax paper or foil, and pop in the freezer for 15-20 mins, until hardened.

Lastly, sit back and enjoy – you're doing your body good. And even though it apparently doesn't do much for blood pressure, I still enjoy a cup of tea with my chocolate.

Apologies & Announcement

I'd like to apologize to my regular readers for the lack of posts recently. My fiancé and I set a date for our wedding – this August – so I have been dress shopping, venue scouting and otherwise brimming with all things bridal. But now the dress is bought, the reception mostly organized and the pace considerably less frenetic. Posting shall resume as normal, and apologies for my absence!

Creamy Avocado Dip

I've made this low carb dip so many times now I could do it in my sleep. If you add the water to it, it's smooth enough to use for a thick dressing on a salad with grilled chicken or tuna. Without, it's a great dip for shrimp or served with salmon, or spicy chicken strips.

Ingredients:
2 medium, ripe avocados
1 very small onion (preferably a sweet one, but I use whatever I have)
2 cloves of garlic (can be adjusted to taste)
Juice of one lime
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Splash of water (optional)

I usually just wait until the avocados at my local store are ripe before making this. Ripe avocados should have darker, almost black skin, and should give just a little if you push with your thumb. Too-ripe and they feel soft and mushy to the touch.

If you need to ripen them at home, don't store them in the refrigerator or they'll stay like little rocks. Instead, put them in a brown paper bag and leave out on the counter and they should be ready in a few days.

The easiest way to prepare is to slice the pear lengthways, and then twist the two sides against each other until they come loose:

Then you can peel off the skin (if the avocado is ripe enough, it should come off very easily), and dig out the stone. Don't throw the stone away though!

Now, for the dip, peel the onion and garlic cloves, slice them in half and throw into the blender. Squeeze the lime juice on top, and blend until everything is chopped. (As you can see, I like mine a bit more garlicky - three cloves in this one!)

Add the avocado halves to the onion mixture, and some freshly ground black pepper.

Then blend! As soon as the mixture starts getting smooth, add the olive oil slowly. (I do this spoon by spoon through the top of the blender.) After this step, you should have a creamy, smooth consistency:

Stop here if you're using as a dip, but if you want a more dressing-like consistency, add some water (less than 1/4 cup total) until you get your desired thickness.
I stuck with the dip, and added some more pepper on top:

A friend of mine swears that leaving the stone in any avocado mix (she makes amazing guacamole) prevents it from turning brown.

I try and leave this in the fridge to sit for at least an hour before serving, so the flavors have more time to meld. Then serve with your protein of choice!

Counts for this recipe:
1065 calories
107g fat
34g carbohydrate - 25g fiber = 9g usable carbs
8g protein

The Secret

               

So I promised to post my thoughts on “The Secret”. This is a phenomenon sweeping books from the stores and library shelves, and causing fiery discussions on the forums. First of all, I downloaded the DVD version, so the book may be better.

I thought they had a lot of great things to say about the power of positive visualization. They explained the "Law of Attraction" in a way that was accessible and easy for lots of people to understand. As one of the contributors, Bob Doyle, put it:

“What you focus on with thought and feeling is what you attract into your experience, whether or not it's something you want.”

Basically, if you observe only what is, you attract more of it. When you visualize, then you materialize. This is the power of visualization, of using thoughts to shape your life. They draw on the Buddha:

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought.”

And Winston Churchill:

“You create your own universe as you go along.”

They collect more fantastic quotes from leading thinkers across the centuries, and presented them with lovely pretty graphics and dramatic music. I think it's worth a watch for curiosity's sake. But bear in mind – the Law of the Attraction, powerful as it can be, is not original to “The Secret”.

I also found the majority of the things they talked about very materialistic. They spoke of the universe being a catalog, and all you have to do is place your order – just name the amount of cash. The examples were all about mansions, earning $100K a year, driving your brand new car, getting a new bike. The one about finding a partner turned me off too, which seemed to me to objectify the women as just more fancy status symbols to be envisioned and then dropped in the guy's lap. There were brief mentions of God/spirituality, but I think they were trying to make it appeal to a wider audience, so they didn't get too specific about that.

My honest thought at the end of it was that they did an okay job of packaging other people's wisdom. The wisdom is good. The quotes are awesome. I liked the old-timey scrolls and the cool, swooshy whispers. The illustrations they use to describe "what you can get" were to me, overly material-focused, but I can accept that this approach would appeal to people who are into that stuff.

My biggest problem with it was this "blame-the-victim" mentality that could easily arise from some of the suggested techniques.

My first flinch came at "Why do you think 1 or 2% of the world's population owns 96% of the world's wealth? It's because they know the Secret." Er, not really, but way to endorse the suffering of millions.

Or how about, "The one who speaks most of illness, has it." They told the story of Cathy Goodman, who cured her breast cancer simply by believing she was healthy. Mind over matter. I'm amazed that this has worked in some cases, and truly thankful for those people. I know from medical studies that thinking positively has a massive effect on recovery rates, and should definitely be encouraged among patients. But this seemed a bit extreme, writing off the poor and sick as deserving of their poverty and sickness. One of the commentators, Dr. Joe Vitale even went so far as to say that your car accident didn't just happen to you – you attracted it!

Alright, so maybe we can set aside the irritatingly smug and disturbingly uncaring attitudes toward other people, and focus on the good stuff we can glean from the good stuff “The Secret” has collected.

• Focus on the positive, not the negative. Instead of being anti-war, be pro-peace. Instead of saying “I have to get out of debt,” and focusing on the debt, focus on the positive steps of increasing income. I think this can be valuably applied to weight loss. I found it intensely depressing to formulate my thoughts as: “I HAVE to stop being so fat! God, I'm so overweight, I need to get rid of these rolls, these gross squishy bits.” Instead, focusing on the great feeling of slipping on jeans that fit, a flat tummy smooth above your waistband, enjoying climbing stairs and hills without getting out of breath – that gets you there faster, and with way less misery!

• “Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

  This would have helped me a lot when I felt like I had a mountain of weight to lose. Thinking about all the weeks, the months it would take to lose that weight led me to be quickly discouraged when I wasn't losing quickly enough at first. Whatever plan you pick to lose weight, it helps to have faith it will work as you take those first difficult steps.

• Complaining doesn't help. I don't think that this means we're never allowed a vent, a rant, or a shoulder to cry on after a bad day. I do think it's helpful to become more aware of thought patterns, speech patterns, to notice when we are complaining and try to reformulate things in a happier light. Complaining about weight, or the strictness of a diet, will only enforce the feelings of fat and heighten the feelings of being restricted.

I'm trying to incorporate some of the positive visualization into my own thinking. Basically, I don't think it can hurt. Thoughts are powerful things, and I think it's exciting to be able to use them for good, to explore the extent of the power. I don't think that means we get to dismiss all the people in less-than-desirable situations as having attracted it to themselves, but as a self-improvement project, this makes a lot of sense.

Has anyone else read or watched this? Have the techniques worked for you? 

“Follow your bliss.”~Joseph Campbell