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Do this before bedtime to reduce heart disease...
13th April 2007
New research suggests that I, Ray Collins, am a descendant of Montezuma II - Emperor of the Aztecs.
Or maybe I was Montezuma in a past life.
I can just see myself draped in gold and feathers, sitting on a throne with an army of maidens to do my bidding. And if Montezuma's wife was forever telling him he should give his chariot a wash and clear out the garage - then my theory is conclusive.
So why do I think I'm a long lost son of the Aztecs...?
Well apparently, Montezuma drank at least 50 cups (sorry, make that goblets) of chocolate every single day. And it wasn't just because he liked curling up in front of a stone telly at night with a cup...
He drank this much chocolate because the cocoa bean was sacred. The ancient civilisations of the Aztecs and the Mayans used to offer cocoa beans to their Gods.
Not only this... the beans were so valued, they were used as currency (can you imagine that if we used chocolate coins in this country I'd eat my savings).
And, more importantly, these civilisations used cocoa beans for medicinal purposes.
And now it seems that, some 1,500 years on, western medicine is finally catching up...
How to prevent heart attacks with hot chocolate
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New research has suggested that enjoying a traditional cup of hot chocolate at bedtime can help lower blood pressure and protect you against the threat of a heart attack.
And get this...
It can help you as effectively as prescription medicine!
Once again it shows that foods (even enjoyable, so-called 'naughty' foods) have the power to mend us, protect us, and fight our corner.
In chocolate's case, it's the polyphenols and flavanoids that seem to act as a blood-pressure regulator to protect us from heart attacks and stroke.
In this latest research (published in the American Medical Association's Archives of Internal Medicine), 173 patients were studied over a course of 5 trials, 87 of whom were told to drink hot chocolate, against 86 who did not.
Out of those 5 trials, 4 showed that there was a reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure over a period of two weeks… as much as if the participants had taken a course of blood pressure medication like beta blockers!
But simply, this study suggests that drinking hot chocolate could reduce the risk of stroke by 20%, reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 10%, and reduce the likelihood dying by 8%.
Hot chocolate or beta blockers...?
Hmmmm, I know which one I'd choose. After all, you try melting a marshmallow on a beta blocker; it's impossible.
Now, we all know that chocolate isn't something that should be consumed in vast quantities.
All right, I might ignore this rule on special occasions… Christmas, Easter, birthdays, Thursday, days when it's raining etc etc… but the mass production of chocolate these days means there's too much sugar and fat added to make it a truly healthy alternative.
So chocolate should still be classed as an occasional treat rather than an essential part of your diet.
But this research just goes show - the health nags have got it all wrong. Chocolate, wine, beer, red meat, cheese… none of these taboo foods will do you any harm if enjoyed in moderation. In fact, they'll ALL do you some good.
Even the occasional pizza or burger won't kill you - and if it's something you truly enjoy, then limit yourself to one a week, but don't ban it. Being happy and healthy are the key to a good life - not being a size zero.
And talking of being happy and healthy... |
A thousand women to every (portly) man
A couple of weeks ago I put myself through several weird ordeals...
And this, dear reader, was all on your behalf.
I attended the Vitality Show in London's Olympia, to see what's new - and to see if there was anything there that might benefit your health.
Now, I don't know if you've been to Olympia before, but it's huge. There must have been 150 stalls there, and about 2,000 visitors... and they were nearly all ladies.
Honestly, I felt as though I'd walked into an Amazonian convention by mistake. There were girls EVERYWHERE.
But, being the dedicated health man I am, I ploughed straight in to see what I could find.
And after three or so hours, I discovered four great health products that I'm testing out right now to see if they do what they say on the tin.
And if they do, you're in for a treat.
But let me tell you, I had to wade through A LOT of rubbish to find them.
I had crystals put on my head, I was told that spending £4,000 at a retreat would be good for me (but not for my bank balance thank you very much), I was given some artificial sweetener chocolate (urrrgh!) and, bizarrely, the audience were given a demonstration of pole dancing.
(I suppose pole dancing IS pretty healthy, but I just couldn't face the embarrassment of having neighbours tucking £5 notes in my waistband).
But like I've said, after a lot of searching I've found 4 things that, on the surface of it, look great.
But I'm not going to tell you about them until I'm 100% sure they work.
If they do - I'll tell you about them straight away. Because they really could benefit your health enormously!
I'll keep you posted.
That's it for today. I'll be back again on Sunday.
Till then, have a great weekend!
Yours as ever,
Ray Collins
The Good Life Letter
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