Baking with heart-healthy chocolate
Have you heard that eating chocolate can lower your risk of heart disease? A candy-bar diet won’t help, but studies have shown that small, regular servings may help boost your body’s levels of heart-protecting antioxidants, lower your blood pressure and improve your circulation.
Cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate, is responsible for these perks. However, most chocolate also has enough sugar and fat for the sweet treat to negate its health benefits. If you plan to eat chocolate regularly, cut calories elsewhere to avoid weight gain and consume no more than 3 ounces daily. If you’re planning to bake with chocolate:
- Consider a recipe’s fat and sugar levels. Too much can pack on the pounds, a heart-disease risk factor.
- Go dark. Studies have shown that dark chocolate contains more antioxidants than milk chocolate. Experts recommend buying chocolate containing at least 65 percent cocoa.
- Experiment with sugar levels. To cut back on the amount of sugar in your diet, try cooking with unsweetened chocolate baking squares and reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe. Or replace chips with chopped up no-sugar-added dark chocolate bars.
Lower your diabetes risk in 150 minutes a week
Want to avoid diabetes? Women can improve their chances if they get moving for around 20 minutes a day or 150 minutes a week. And you don’t have to run a triathlon to attain this fitness benefit, either. Going for a walk, hopping on a bike or even a stint in the garden fits the bill.
But a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that women who are at high risk for diabetes aren’t heeding this advice. Only 1 out of 4 women with risk factors such as a family history of diabetes gets 150 minutes of physical activity each week compared to 1 in 3 women who aren’t at high risk for the disease.
In addition to getting more exercise, women at high risk for diabetes can also reduce their risk by losing weight. A drop of 5 percent to 7 percent, which is between 10 and 14 pounds for a 200-pound person, shaves the diabetes risk by nearly 60 percent. Looking for more tips on how you can reduce your risk? Check out www.cdc.gov/diabetes to learn about preventive care and changing your behavior.
Deborah turns 90!
Join Deborah Heart and Lung Center this year as we celebrate our 90th anniversary. Deborah has evolved tremendously since its founding in 1922 as a tuberculosis sanitorium, growing into one of the country’s most prestigious heart, lung and vascular centers. Celebration events are planned throughout the year. Visit www.deborah.org for the latest updates and special anniversary programs as they unfold during the year.
Check Deborah's calendar of events for health fairs and screenings in your area. Visit www.deborah.org and click on "Calendar."
Did you know?
- The heart pumps 2,000 gallons of blood through the body each day and beats 2.5 billion times in an average lifetime.
- Women need 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day to maintain healthy bones. After age 50, a woman should consume 1,200 milligrams a day.
- Trans fat is the result of adding hydrogen to vegetable oil through a process called hydrogenation, which makes oil less likely to spoil.