"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson



My morning started off well yesterday when I read in the newspaper that "Cocoa may have cognitive benefits."  http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/04/2983409/cocoa-may-have-cognitive-benefits.html.  I know that eating a small piece of dark chocolate each day is good for our hearts and that it is full of antioxidants, thus helping rid our bodies of free radicals.  And now research published in the American Heart Association journal, "Hypertension," reports that older subjects given a daily drink with intermediate to high amounts of cocoa had higher overall cognitive scores, lower insulin resistance, and lower blood pressure and oxidative stress than those given smaller amounts.

Dark chocolate can also reduce the risk of stroke in men and women.  It is a rich source of flavenoids, the same plant-based polyphenols found in fruits, vegetables, red wine, and legumes, and can thus reduce inflammation throughout the body.  Additionally, it can reduce the aggregation of platelets causing blood clots which cut off blood supply to the brain or the heart.

Everything in moderation, however, because chocolate is also high in fat and calories.  But, with fall approaching, it is soothing to know that we can curl up at night with a good book and a healthy cup of hot cocoa and not feel guilty (low sugar, of course)! ♥

Cherries -- the fruit with the highest anti-inflammatory content of any food!  In case you didn't  know this, eating cherries or drinking cherry juice can really reduce joint inflammation. "Anthocyanins, the antioxidant in tart cherries that lead to their bright red color, are the compound that have been specifically linked to high antioxidant capacity and reduced inflammation, at levels equal to common pain medications."  http://www.treehugger.com/health/new-study-says-tart-cherries-are-highest-anti-inflammatory-food-can-ease-joint-pain.html.

As mentioned earlier in this blog, I am one of the millions suffering from osteoarthritis.  Certainly eating healthy plant-based foods and getting a lot of exercise is beneficial, but eating cherries daily or drinking tart cherry juice twice a day can really reduce inflammation.  I have been experiencing severe joint pain this week (much worse than usual) and have taken anti-inflammatory medications.  I was still in considerable pain this morning and took two ibuprofen tablets.  I felt a little better thus decided to go grocery shopping.  While in the produce section, and having completely forgotten what I already knew about cherries (Dr. Oz calls tart cherry juice the "ultimate antioxidant"), I noticed that cherries were on sale thus I bought a pound.

By the time I got home I really ached and went to bed ... taking a small bowl of cherries with me.  I ate the cherries, took a brief nap and, when I got up, the pain had almost completely subsided.  In 2006, the USDA reported that eating cherries can reduce the inflammation of arthritis, heart disease, and cancer:  http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2006/060511.htm, and Medical News Today reported in 2009 that cherries relieve post-exercise muscle pain: 

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/151881.php.

Hereafter, I intend to keep my refrigerator stocked with fresh cherries during the summer months and make tart cherry juice a staple the remainder of the year.  Eat more cherries! ♥