April 20, 2023 | issue 137

What's Inside This Week:

Dark chocolate is rich in minerals, such as iron, magnesium, and zinc. The cocoa in dark chocolate also contains antioxidants called flavonoids, which may provide several health benefits. Flavonoids such as epicathechin, catechin, and galic and phenolic acids offer potent health benefits. These compounds help protect blood vessels, boost immune and cardiac health, support efforts to prevent cancer, promote brain function, and counteract mild hypertension. 

Chocolate comes from cacao, a plant with high levels of minerals and antioxidants. Commercial milk chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar, milk, and very small quantities of cacao. In contrast, dark chocolate has much larger amounts of cacao and less sugar than milk chocolate and none of the dairy (check your label, though). The percentage of cocoa listed on the chocolate refers to the percentage of all ingredients that the cacao plant makes up. That means a dark chocolate product with a higher percentage of cocoa may have a larger amount of the nutrients that deliver its benefits. The higher percentage options are also more of an acquired taste…being somewhat more bitter than the lower percentage varieties. 

Many of us love chocolate. Some of us love it too much. It's one of those 'foods' that can trigger a binge. Caution must be taken as even dark chocolate is high in calories, fat and sugar. Dr. Greger says the bottom line is, “Although the positive effects of chocolate and cocoa products seem apparent, precautions exist” when we’re talking about the calories, fat, and sugar in chocolate. Cocoa powder, then, offers the best of both worlds. “Although [not as tasty], cocoa-based products with little or no sugar or…fat are certainly preferred.”

Cocoa powder is easy to add to recipes. I have a recipe for chili that calls for a tablespoon of cocoa powder and you can't even tell it's in there. Consider experimenting with adding pure organic cocoa powder to your recipes for the benefits without the risk of overindulging. 

It's the call none of us want to get. It takes your breath away and stops you in your tracks. It may shock you; it may rock you when a friend tells you they are sick and it doesn't look good. It's okay to feel all the emotions that come up…sadness, anger, a sense of unfairness, fear. Even when we are not facing the diagnosis ourselves, it can impact us deeply. 

 

First thing to do is to take a couple deep breaths. Maybe shake your body all over for a minute or two…then consider how you can support this person and possibly their family. Just holding a hand in silence can be comforting. Being there to help with the little or the big things can make a huge difference. It may be with transportation for appointments. It may be with bringing a healthy meal. It may be with laundry or child care. It might be just sitting on the couch and binge watching Netflix for a few hours with your friend. The list of things we can help with can be endless. Often the person receiving the diagnosis is overwhelmed and confused and very scared. They may not even be able to articulate what they need help with. 

 

As with all habits, the way we do things is the way we do things. This can be true of ‘healthcare’, as well. We get stuck in protocols and care plans and can lose sight of looking at the individual and what their needs and desires are. Often doctors and other healthcare professionals tell patients what they need to do…and they need to do it now or it will be too late. They can rush patients into procedures and therapies without giving them time to absorb it all and make conscious decisions about how they want to proceed. 

 

What I know is that there may be alternative treatments that can sustain life and even enhance it. The thing is what we know may not be what your friend knows. Sharing information can be useful as long as we keep in mind that your friend may not be in the best place mentally to absorb new information. One of the things I have done is to share books and websites for exploration. One of the books I highly recommend is the one I am highlighting this week, Chris Beat Cancer. This book shares a comprehensive plan for healing naturally. One of the most memorable statements I recall from the book is when Chris said, “Your body created the illness, it can heal it”. I truly believe this to be true. Our bodies are designed to heal. We have so much more power than we know when it comes to healing. If you, or someone you know is interested in preventing or healing cancer, check out the book. 

 

Meantime, support your friend in the best way you can. There is grieving not only for the person getting the diagnosis but for those who love them. Put on a strong front when necessary but also cry with your friend when appropriate. It's a process we all move through in different ways. Finding the best way to be supportive may take a little time…just being there is often so appreciated. All this while remembering that you cannot save your friend if they are not willing to make changes in their life. They are the boss of their world. They get to decide what is right for them. Being open to big lifestyle changes is something not everyone is ready for. Offer information if they are willing to accept it and accept it if they are not. Not easy but absolutely true. Prayer helps.  

Rohrman S, Linseisen J, Nothlings U, et al. Meat and Fish Consumption and risk of pancreatic cancer: results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Int J Cancer, 2013;132(3):617-24.

Recipe of the Week

Yield: 2 ½ cups      Serves: 4 (or 1 if you can't stop eating it…lol)

4 medium avocados, peeled and seeded

¼ cup minced red onion (about a ¼ of a red onion)

Juice from 1-2 medium limes (about a tablespoon)

½ teaspoon maple syrup

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ to 1 small garlic clove, minced

Use a fork to mash together all the ingredients in a medium bowl, leaving some avocado chunks for texture. Store in fridge until ready to serve. Serve asap though so it doesn't brown. Some say to drizzle with a little lemon juice to avoid browning.

2 cups Guac of Ages

1 cup cooked corn kernals

Combine the guac and corn in a large mixing bowl. Enjoy!!

Recipe  from Beat Cancer Kitchen (a must buy!)

There is more than one way to approach a cancer diagnosis. This book describes Chris's journey and how he healed his stage IIIc colon cancer without chemo or radiation at age 26!

Catch my Health Tip Tuesday video on Facebook on Tuesdays to hear my book review! 

My Favorite Quotes

“The moment you change your perception is the moment you rewrite the chemistry of your body… If the brain expects that a treatment will work, it sends healing chemicals into the bloodstream, which facilitates that. And the opposite is equally true and equally powerful: When the brain expects that a therapy will not work, it doesn’t. It’s called the ‘nocebo’ effect.”

--Dr. Bruce Lipton, renowned cell biologist, author 

hen Basics tea