Benefits of Raw Chocolate

I have always been a chocoholic. But due to the high sugar and fat content, along with other non-healthy ingredients added to conventional chocolate, I have needed to restrain myself.

 

Not so anymore.

Raw chocolate is a superfood. It is a natural food that has a tremendous phytonutrient content that can confer amazing health benefits. It has a very high ORAC  (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) score, which is an important property, as it denotes the ability to absorb free radicals from your body. This can be a very useful for providing protection of your body from free radicals that cause immune system challenges. So for those of us who are into detoxing and maintaining vibrant health, consider this a staple food.

Another benefit of chocolate was confirmed by a study carried out by researchers at Osaka University in Japan. It was found that parts of the cacao bean, the main ingredient of chocolate, thwart mouth bacteria and tooth decay.

They discovered that the cacao bean husk – the outer part of the bean which usually goes to waste in conventional chocolate production – has an anti-bacterial effect on the mouth and can effectively fight against dental plaque.

Himalayan Salt

Himalayan Salt has recently been re-discovered as one of nature’s purest and most complete mineral salt sources on Earth. There are 84 minerals found in the salt, and for that reason it has tremendous therapeutic effects.

To begin with, it is great in everyday cooking. Take your purified, iodized and chemicalized white table salt and throw it in the garbage. Not only is it demineralized, many brands actually add dextrose (sugar) to make it taste better. So now you can develop a blood sugar problem from the additive, along with the high blood pressure from the excessive sodium content. I not only use Himalayan salt for preparing my family meals, but it goes into the homemade doggy gruel that I make regularly for my puppy, and she is an extremely healthy robust canine. (If anyone wants this health promoting recipe- just ask.)

Oil Pulling

Oil pulling is a super simple healing process for the oral cavity and the entire human body. The results of this healing process may cause astonishment, but by experimenting with oil pulling therapy, everybody can see results on their own. For acute infections the results are very quick, but for chronic health challenges, one may have to practice oil pulling for months before long term results are noticed.

Deepak Chopra promotes the practice in his 2001 book, Perfect Health. He writes that oil pulling is

Meridian Dentistry

Biological Dentistry is a holistic approach which acknowledges that dental health affects not only the teeth, gums and jaw, but the entire body and vigor of the individual. Every organ and every part of your body is directly linked to a specific tooth or area of the mouth via these meridians or energy highways. This connection is so strong that a biological dentist can often accurately "guess" your dental history simply by reviewing your physical symptoms.

 

On one level, this is just common sense; after all, your mouth is physically connected

Invisible Toxins

Throughout the centuries, there have been many toxic substances that were believed to be harmless but then later found out to be just the opposite. A classic example is cigarettes. Hard to believe that just 60 years ago, doctors were suggesting smoking cigarettes as a safe technique for relaxation and promoting health.

Fast forward to today. A highly noxious and precarious toxin is EMF. ElectroMagnetic Fields (EMF) are present everywhere in our environment but are invisible to the human eye.

Electric fields are produced naturally by the local build-up of electric charges in the atmosphere associated with thunderstorms. The earth's magnetic field causes a compass needle to orient in a North-South direction and is used by birds and fish for navigation.

Besides these natural sources, the electromagnetic spectrum also includes fields generated by human-made sources: x-rays, microwaves, cell phones, CAT scans. The electricity that comes out of every power socket has associated low frequency electromagnetic fields. And various kinds of higher frequency radiowaves are used to transmit information – whether via TV antennas, radio stations, mobile phone base stations, computers, power lines, appliances and airport radar.

Green Drinks

Many patients have often asked me to name the one thing that I would recommend most to restore and maintain health.  Now, that is a tough question, since my list of healthy healing modalities gets longer by the week. But if I had to narrow it down to one thing that can be done on a regular basis to promote good health, it would be Green Juices.  I can’t survive very long without my green juices. If I miss more than 2 days, I actually crave the stuff.

So what is this magical mystical elixir  that I ingest on a regular basis?

                                                                                                                      Photo credit Creative Commons: Robert Gourley

Well to begin with, green juices or green drinks are not green tea. Sure, green tea is loaded with immune boosting anti oxidants of polyphenols and catechins to improve your health, but my green drinks are the ones made from green superfoods- foods like barley grass, spirulina and other chlorophyll rich foods. These super foods are packed with the vitamins and minerals that you need but are no longer getting from your fresh fruits and vegetables.

Yes, I know that it is hard to believe that our produce is not that healthy, especially since we have choices of organic and locally grown produce.
But these days, the produce you buy at your local grocery store or green market just doesn’t have the nutritional power that fruits and vegetables had only a few decades ago. Over farming, soil depletion, commercial fertilizer, hybrid crops and genetic modifications are slashing the nutrients found in your fruits and vegetables.

Farmers create “hybrid” forms of your produce – not for their ability to store nutrients – but for their color, weight and shelf life. Why? So they’ll look nice and pretty when they sit under the fluorescent lights of your supermarket.
You may think they look nutritious, but “under the hood,” they contain little more than indigestible cellulose, sugar and water. You may actually need to ingest about 10 servings of vegetables today to equal the mineral content of just one serving from  50 years ago!

That’s a lot of bulk.
Green drinks are a simple answer.

The most obvious thing about green drinks is that they are so green. This is due to their high chlorophyll content. Chlorophyll from green foods supports intestinal and liver health, improves oxygen delivery by the blood, supports elimination of certain toxins and heavy metals.  It may inhibit absorption of environmental pollutants like dioxin and also help your body excrete toxins quicker. The high antioxidant level can slow aging by combating free radical damage. It has even been shown to repair DNA!
 
Chlorophyll also enhances oxygen transport in your body and is a top nutrient for balancing your body's pH by helping to reduce acidity. This is a big deal. We always read your saliva pH  when you come to your dental visits. It gives us clues to your body chemistry and can help us figure out where that periodontal disease may be coming from or why you keep coming back with new cavities. Not to mention that it may explain why your body always feels exhausted.

Low-grade acidosis may not only contribute to fatigue but other health concerns as well, including kidney stones and lower growth hormone levels, which lead to more body fat and loss of lean muscle mass. Now that you know that green juices will get you trimmer as well as healthier, I am sure that you are more interested.

So where do I get theses green juices.
1.    the health food store can make you fresh juices(expensive but delicious)
2.    you can make your own if you have a juicer(messy but fresh and delicious)
3.    buy dehydrated green juice powder (just add liquid and … voila!)

Now for me, personally, I gave away my juicer years ago. I just couldn’t stand the mess. Plus I had all this fiber left over after juicing. It gets a little bit overwhelming trying to figure out what to do with this healthy fiber. And there’s a lot of guilt associated with just throwing it away.

I presently use the green powder. There are many brands to choose from, so read the labels and see what resonates with you. If you want my personal preference, you can ask me at your next appointment.

So the next time you sit down to a nice glass of something refreshing, empower yourself and make it a health promoting green juice.  It is almost a “perfect food” and it gives YOU unmatched health protection.

Your body will be thanking you for years to come. Cheers!


If you like this post, you may also like: Benefits of Raw Chocolate