Recently, chocolate has been getting a lot of attention not only as a yummy snack food, but also for its benefits to our mental and physical (not to mention sexual) well being. It seems that the special bean the god Quetzalcoatl gave to the Aztecs more than 800 years ago is rather magical indeed.

Chocolate, or more specifically the Cacao fruit, first appears in historical records in Egypt in the 16th century BC. Little is know of its use in Egyptian culture, but we know that the Mayan culture used it and called it xocoatl, from which we get its current name. The Aztecs and Mayans believed that their ancestors brought the Cacao seeds from paradise. This fruit bestowed wisdom and power upon all who ate it or, in most cases…drank it. It’s suspected that the Cacao tree originated in the Amazon region.

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by Valerie Brooks
Bacteria received a really bad rap until probiotics became all the rage. Now we know that there are good bacteria and bad. Probiotics, of course, are the good guys—those live microorganisms that live in the gut and balance the flora, which, health professionals are now learning, may be doing a world of good for us. So much so that nowadays, there are probiotic supplements galore. There’s also a great deal of emphasis on pro-probiotic foods. Some health professionals believe that many diseases begin with a reaction to what’s going on in the gut, so the popularity of probiotic continues to expand daily, gaining the interest of those with serious illnesses and those looking to ward them off.
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The Story on Gluten

Remember when it was all the craze to eliminate wheat from your diet because of a known wheat allergy? Well, now you’ll notice that it’s since been narrowed down to gluten, an ingredient found in wheat. Now that we know that gluten is really the culprit, it is no longer just wheat that must be avoided for those with an intolerance, but all food products that contain gluten.

So, what’s the problem with this plant protein called gluten? For some people, there’s no problem at all. For others, it can wreak havoc on the body if the immune system recognizes it as a harmful substance. If it does, the small intestine will react negatively, causing inflammation, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. This condition is called celiac disease and is actually considered an autoimmune disorder because the body sees it as an enemy of the digestive track and therefore, rejects it.
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by Valerie Brooks

Appetite Suppressants

Suppressing the appetite has seem to become an American obsession. Just consider how many ads a day you see for something that promises to help you lose weight by kicking your hunger. The natural health community is an equal participant but offering healthier choices than the traditional synthetically made pill. Here’s the latest buzz on how to keep your weight in check through foods, herbs, and lifestyle choices.
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by Valerie Brooks
America’s favorite vitamin just can’t seem to stay out of the limelight. The medical community and health experts just keep on boasting of its benefits. Most people’s first reaction to Vitamin C is that it’s a supplement to be taken to prevent or treat a cold. But its history actually has its roots in the treatment of scurvy, a serious disease that plagued sailors in the 1590s who didn’t have access to fruits and vegetables at sea because they were perishable. They started to notice that when they ate citrus fruits, their condition improved. It was then discovered that ascorbic acid (literally meaning “no scurvy”) was the specific nutrient that turned the disease around. That’s when its healing properties were first noticed. Since then, it has been in Linus Pauling’s microscopes as a possible cure for cancer and many other things. We may still only be scratching the surface of this vitamin’s true potential.
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The World’s Oldest Fruit

Considered the world’s oldest fruit, the pomegranate is a long way from extinction. In fact, it’s making a major comeback as one of our healthiest and most versatile foods…and considered by many to be one of the Earth’s healthiest things. First, the delightful red juice of this timeless fruit is one of our best sources of antioxidants and many of the new anti-oxidant “red drinks” coming onto the market include pomegranate in their formulations. You can also find pomegranate juice with nothing but…pomegranate juice in it. One great source is POM juice.
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The idea of cleansing and detoxifying the body has been around for thousands of years. References to colon cleanses appear in the Old Testament, the Vedas, and other spiritual texts and are part of just about every culture on the planet. Given that the digestive system and colon are two of the main entry and exit routes of the body — most cleansing systems focus on these areas. Plus, it’s now well known that years of poor eating habits can cause toxins and other matter to build up in the colon and intestines. So that’s where detox is primarily focused.

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The Return of Hemp

If you think that hemp plantations are just making excuses for growing marijuana, you couldn’t be farther from the truth. Although a relative of the marijuana plant, the hemp plant that used for nutritional products, paper and cloth fiber has almost no THC, the compound that makes the other plant a favorite smoke-able pastime for many. No, the hemp plant is poorly understood and vastly under-utilized, given its amazing qualities. It suffered from a negative PR campaign back in the days of George Washington, who was, in fact, a hemp farmer. According to history, the cotton growers ran the hemp farmers into the ground to put cotton on the top of the heap, as it were. As a result, our founding father died poor and the world suffered the loss of the hemp industry. But natural health and green living enthusiasts have gotten behind some of the more exciting products that come from hemp. And with more and more companies jumping on the trend…we’re benefiting from lower prices and more variety in the products available to us.

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The coffee business is just too lucrative to let a thing like “increased awareness on health” take a bite out of it. So coffee makers have turned their resources to making healthier beans and enriching the coffee experience at the same time. The trend toward health-enhancing coffees is on the rise. Here are some of the early entries…
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