Chocolate Cereal with a bit of health!

One of my daily missions is to find sugar, chocolate & health intertwined & here they are!  Good fiber, whole grain, no high fructose corn syrup & real chocolate!  Special K Chocolaty delight & Chocolate Mini Wheats are good dessert or anytime snacking material!

My Dentist Loves Me

Did I mention my 10 year old filling cracked & I waited just long enough for sugar to decay it MORE.  SO, I just got a new CROWN in my back molar!   But first I have to wear a temporary crown while they officially make my real one which means no eating milk duds for a whole month!

The design of molars have two important features: the trigonid, or shearing end, and the talonid, or crushing heel.  And people say I shouldn't annihilate my suckers - I have the tools!!!

Dark Chocolate RULES!!!

I forget that chocolate is derived from a plant (the cacao plant).  It contains cell-protective phytochemicals, more commonly referred to as "antioxidants." Researchers have discovered that a standard dark chocolate candy bar contains about twice as much antioxidants as a glass of red wine. This is great news!!!

Chocolate contains a surprisingly big quantity of heart-protective antioxidants, most notably plant phenols, procyanidins and catechins. In recent studies, these compounds have been shown to increase HDL (good) cholesterol, reduce blood clots that can cause heart attacks & strokes and may even lower blood pressure. As an added bonus, the phytochemicals in chocolate may also prevent cancer.

Here's a link to Hershey's research: http://www.hersheys.com/nutrition/antioxidants.asp
Data from the recent study sponsored by The Hershey Company and previous data from USDA and others indicate that dark chocolate is one of the most concentrated sources of flavanol antioxidants among plant foods. The antioxidant capacity of 1 serving of HERSHEY'S EXTRA DARK dark chocolate (37g) is equal to 3 cups of tea, 2 glasses of red wine or 1 1/3 cups of blueberries.  Hip Hip HOORAY!!!

Swim when ya can!

Driving home from L.A. I passed a public pool at 6:15pm.  I pulled in and asked when lap swim times were & got LUCKY, 5-7pm! 
Moral of the story: ALWAYS carry your swim suit & goggles in the car.  Even though I only swam for 35 minutes it was rewarding & breathtaking to see the sun set around me!  Swimming always clears my head ~ counting laps, practicing techniques & rhythmic breathing.

Candylicious

The annual trip to Texas to see my brother is only complete with daily visits to Houston's 2 finest stores (thoughtfully side by side):   The Chocolate Bar & Candylicious.

If you want any candy, foreign or domestic, retro or hot off the press, it's at Candylicious.  A framed newspaper article stated that M & M's are the best candy (health-consciously speaking), which couldn't have made me happier since I consume them regularly.  The Chocolate Bar's homemade ice creams, gorgeous cakes, desserts & every kind of item attached TO chocolate are pure extacy.  I'm not kidding.  Each bite I felt the love of that Chocolatier carefully hand crafting my item. 
Who doesn't want 11 vitamins & minerals with their chocolate cereal "bon bon"!!!

Did I exercise?  Yes I did.  YMCA family membership came in handy!

Ordering, finding & tasting all the new products would be the best job!!!
 
http://www.theoriginalchocolatebar.com

Vegas Buffets Rock!

12 friends met in Vegas for 2 days to celebrate my college roommate's 40th Birthday!   On the flight there I customized my cell phone settings, changed it's display & finally read all the "tips" in its manual!  I'd been stuck in my 2007 habits & now I'm in the 2010 decade of shortcuts.

While IN Vegas I was impressed & pleasantly surprised how much our large group of girls did in a weekend!  ate, drank, exercised, spa, craps, watched & bet on The Jets game then The Saints playoff game, ate late dinner, drank, danced, blackjack tables, slots.  Day 2 Repeat, but we included a BUFFET! 

Now, I grew up going to Vegas once a year doing the buffet thing with my blackjack playing dad... it was a special treat to pay $20 for casino buffets.  The girls were hesitant to pay $32 but agreed to try a buffet at The Wynn.   It was unbelievable how much delicious, fresh, gourmet food was offered.  Japanese - sashimi, Southern -shrimp etuffe, Thai -grilled beef salad, Indian - lentils & curried chicken, Chinese - Potstickers, Italian cuisine - fresh butternut squash gnocci & imported olives & cheeses - mustard seed sharp cheddar.  But the icing on the cake were the desserts.  Gelato bar, Perfiterols, peach cobbler, coffee mouse, chocolate souflee, lime tart with fresh rasberries, OMG!  I'm sitting on the plane ride home very satiated, very happy.   On my "50 things you must do before you die" list is: a high end buffet at a big casino at least once, maybe annually, and THE WYNN was outstanding! 

If you go at 11:30 am, you'll be set with breakfast & lunch items, & one meal lasting ALL day.

Dieting

Dieting was the topic on the Today Show this morning.  The Cookie Diet, currently popular, spurred me to go get an apple fritter at Starbucks.  I liked the diet strategy of "portion size" & Starbucks' "Nutrition by the Plate" brochure confirmed my doughnut was NOT even the worst food there.   WHO KNEW that a zucchini & walnut muffin (vegetable & nut) had more calories & fat than my fritter!  This was great news!  Also worse was banana bread, every type of scone & all egg sandwiches.   For years I assumed a blueberry scone or vegetable muffin were healthier than a doughnut...THANK you Starbucks for relieving my restriction of doughnuts.

I love sugar no doubt, but I know I can't perform solely on it.  That whole day I ate on the run - the fritter then a candy bar for lunch & pizza for dinner.  BUT the next day I pulled a 180: 2 fried eggs for breakfast, salad for lunch & fish/veggis & potatoes for dinner.   I savor the days of orgasms in my mouth (fritters, cheesecakes, mixed drinks) as well as the bland calorie reducing days so my body never gets used to anything.  I couldn't have one without the other.  Embracing my busy life (accepting I'll eat un-nutritiously for a day or 2 & knowing I'll flip back to health) has made me mentally comfortable.

And I actually work out harder & better when I've eaten poorly, so junk food fuels my fire!