Chocolate Cures Coughs

Apparently, Professor Lupin's home remedy does have some validity! 

According to a recent study by the British National Health Service, theobromine, a chemical compound commonly found in chocolate is very effective cough suppressant -- and is believed to be more effective for treating coughs than codeine!

The study says that unsweetened dark chocolate has the highest concentration of theobromine -- eating just two ounces will help with that cough. Sweetened dark chocolate, though, requires six ounces.

Milk chocolate has the least amount of theobromine. You're going to have to consumer a pound -- twice daily for the cough suppressant effects. 

Alyn Morice, MD, the study's leader adds a word of caution: "Eating chocolate on a daily basis may have other unwanted effects, including weight gain."

.........

Say it ain't so. 

My verdict? It's a fun fact, but I'll stick with Ricola  cough drops.

Scream for your Calorie Burn!

Happy Halloween, fellow foodies! I'm not going to tell you to stay away from candy and treats, but if you are trying to lose weight, indulge in a smart way. 

If you're looking for a different sort of burn this 'Fright Night', try a scary movie --a new study has shown that watching scary movies and horror films burns calories!

According to the study, you burn around 200 calories, just by watching a scary movie -- unless you're already desensitized to the gore and adrenaline rush.

A 90-minute horror movie can burn 113, which is about equivalent to the calorie burn that a 150 pound person would experience walking at a leisurely pace for 35 minutes. 

The study found that the scarier the movie, the more calories were burned.  Top three calorie-burning horror flicks were as follows:

1. The Shining -- Average viewer burned 184 calories
2. Jaws -- Average viewer burned 161 calories
3. The Exorcist -- Average viewer burned 158 calories

According to researchers:

     "Each of the ten films tested set pulses racing, sparking an increase in the heart rate of the case studies. As the pulse quickens and blood pumps around the body faster, the body experiences a surge in adrenaline. It is this release of fast acting adrenaline, produced during short bursts of intense stress (or in this case, brought on by fear), which is known to lower the appetite, increase the Basal Metabolic Rate and ultimately burn a higher level of calories"

Happy Halloween, Foodies!

The US has the Saltiest Fast Food in the World

I think we can all come together and admit that fast food is horrendously unhealthy for you. It's processed, has very little nutritional benefit, and has a ridiculous amount of salt. But is this universally true? Is fast food "better" for you in some countries than in others?

The Canadian Medical Association published a study in its journal on Monday which stated that not only does the salt content in fast food vary substantially depending on the type of food, the chain, and the country in which it is produced, but most alarmingly, that the US has the saltiest food in the world.

In the study, "The variability of reported salt levels in fast foods across six countries: opportunities for salt reduction", nutritional data on the sodium content of six international fast food chains in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, the UK, and the US was studied. Average salt contents were compared between chains, and between countries. 

The study found that salt contents across the surveyed countries varied drastically. For instance, while chicken products in the UK contained 1.1 g of salt per 100 g serving, the same portion of chicken in the US contained 1.8 g of salt. 

Even as a non-fast-food-eater, I found the results of this study alarming. A long term high-sodium diet is lethal, and can lead to high blood pressure, hypertension, heart disease, and kidney failure.

I do not like products with high sodium contents, so I opt to use Morton's Salt Substitute in place of salt in all my recipes. Instead of table salt, or sodium chloride, Morton's salt substitute is potassium chloride which is much better for your body, and tastes the same. 

I will be discussing more about sodium, (and potassium, my favorite macro-nutrient after protein) in later posts, but I'm curious what my readers think of this study.