When the kids are fighting, traffic is bad, the boss is exceptionally unreasonable, or the funny noise the car was making turns out to be not-so-funny, reach for chocolate!
STRESS: It’s been scientifically confirmed: Dark chocolate and other cocoa products are loaded with heart-healthy flavonoids that can lower your blood pressure. The numbers may be tiny, but their benefits are big. Blood pressures proved to lower on average of 2.8 points systolic and 2.2 points diastolic. If you’re approaching the borderline of hypertension, those numbers could keep you off the meds. How much to take? About 1 ounce of dark chocolate, or 3 tablespoons of cocoa daily will do the trick.
MIGRAINE: In many instances, chocolate will cure what ails us, and you can depend on a steaming mug of hot cocoa to alleviate migraine discomfort. Cocoa raises your body’s level of phosphatases, compounds that counter-balance inflammation of the nerves that are thought to create migraine pain. Choose a premium hot chocolate that is at least 60% cocoa to ensure you get the level of healing flavonoids you need, and to avoid the artificial flavors and sweeteners that can actually trigger nasty headache pain.
The “Original” Peanut On Its Way Back!
The original peanut that flourished in the American South was brought over on slave ships centuries ago from West Africa. The Carolina African Peanut vanished nearly a century ago, replaced by growers with the less sweet but more popular Virginia variety. A joint project of scientist Brian Ward of Clemson University and food historian David Shields of the University of South Carolina are reviving the lost legume. How? Working with seeds from the 1930’s found frozen in a seed bank! The first crop was harvested several months ago, and by 2018, we may get to taste what we’ve been missing!
Whew! That’s a Relief!
If you didn’t pack enough of this month’s fruit and nut selections before setting out for a hike in one of Ohio’s state forests, don’t worry. It’s perfectly legal to forage for fruits and nuts in every state forest in that state, though illegal in many less hospitable states around our country. It’s guaranteed you will NOT be able to forage for chocolate, so better double-check that backpack for goodies from your favorite Chocolate of the Month Club!
“This Month’s Heavenly Selection from Your Favorite Chocolate of the Month Club: “FRUITY NUT MIX Middle pieces are ORANGE PEEL BAR in MILK & DARK CHOCOLATE Outer pieces include assorted MILK & DARK
CHOCOLATE PEANUT CLUSTERS with raisins, DARK CHOCOLATE BRAZIL NUT CLUSTERS and MILK CHOCOLATE CASHEW CLUSTERS
