Happy pills in a jar for this season---Dark Chocolate

Its winter and the weather is chilly cold, recession is knocking at our door and we are worried about what gifts to send and a little depressed from stress, which can cause free radical build up and damage to our bodies. (Free radicals are highly charged atoms that are missing one electron, making them unstable. They enter our body through sunlight, poor diet, use of alcohol, tobacco, airborne chemicals, and stress; they steal an electron in order to gain electron stability. Free radicals target fatty acids, cell membranes which are rich in phospholipids, DNA, and proteins and in the process cellular activities are replaced by chaos of electron swapping, which eventually disrupts cell function. Free radicals are the primary factors in aging and inflammation because they produce random radical change and disrupt normal metabolic processes, over time leading to disease). So what can we do to reduce stress---bring some joy and Santa moments to our life this candy season; we can make time for candies--chocolates of course. Dark chocolate are little bitter, sweet and high antioxidant snacks that brings on pleasurable feelings because it releases natural feel-good chemicals called endorphins in your brain.

Dark Chocolate is a psychoactive food. It is made from the seeds of the tropical cacao tree, Theobroma cacao. The cacao tree was named by the 17th century Swedish naturalist, Linnaeus. The Greek term theobroma means literally "food of the gods". Dark chocolate made of cocoa bean from the plant (Theobroma cacao) is a rich source of flavonoids, rich in cell-protecting antioxidants.

                                          

                                         Other benefits of Dark chocolate:

• Dark chocolates are highly loaded with epicatechin- an active member of a group of compounds called plant flavoniods. Epicatechin may improve blood flow and can potentially improve the health of the heart. 
• Dark chocolates have antioxidant properties that are effective against aging caused by oxidative stress, inhibition of platelet activity, and activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase due to its flavonoids content. 
• Flavoniods in dark chocolate prevents cholesterol from gathering in blood vessels, reduces the risk of blood clots, and slows down the immune responses that lead to clogged arteries. 
• Dark chocolate was found to reduce blood pressure, improve blood flow and prevent plague formation in the arteries and had mild anti-clotting effects

• Dark chocolate has potential cancer-fighting properties---immune boosting.

• Dark chocolates improve cognitive function.

• Pure dark chocolate improves endothelial function and increases plasma epicatechin concentrations that aids wound healing.

• Pure cocoa can help elevate insomnia because it’s relaxing and can put you to sleep—you tend to dream more when you drink pure cocoa by nettle and eat dark chocolate! 

   Send an antioxidant gift to a friend ---organic dark cacao chocolate truffles as a Santa gift.


 

Benefit of Edible Mushroom

Mushroom is a delicious delicacy for Obese, cancer patients and vegans. Mushroom is a fleshy spore bearing fungi, an organism without roots, leaves, flowers or seeds. It is not a vegetable or plant and therefore do not require soil and light to germinate. Mushrooms are grown using decaying organic matter of some kind, decaying wood, leaves and manure. Mushroom is best grown in an organic, controlled and sterilized environment.

There are 10,000 known types of mushrooms hunted by mycologist but let's talk about just a few commonly grown once and their features.

Cremini/crimini Mushrooms is a good choice for vegans seeking the chewy feel of meat  because they are nutritiously chewy like goat meat skin when sauteed right using the right type of seasoning. They are coffee-colored variety of the most common mushrooms called "Button mushroom". Cremini mushrooms are also called babybella mushrooms, mini bella mushrooms, baby portobello mushrooms (these are cremini left to mature), portobellini mushrooms, and brown mushrooms.  Cremini Mushrooms contain naturally-occurring substances called purines. Purines can be broken down to uric acid that  have powerful antioxidant properties, helps fights heart disease, cancer and extends lifespan however, excess amounts of uric acid in the body could lead to hyperuricemia, gout, kidney stone formation.

PORTOBELLA/White button Mushroom

• Shitake (Lentinula edodes) are widely known for immune support in traditional chinese medicine. They have a meaty taste and chewy texture like the crimini/cremini mushrooms but much stronger flavor
• Portobella/Button (agaricus bisporus) are white in color and are very common. they taste like half meat and half vegetable
• Black Trumpet (Crateerellus cornucopioides) are very delicious edible mushrooms.
• Morels are an exclusive delicious species that is quite common with mushroom hunters. They are sometimes called Morchella angusticeps, Morchella esculenta.
• Oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus) has cholesterol reducing effects.
• Maitake (Grifola frondosa) looks like brain and has anti-tumor properties.
• Reishi (Ganoderma Lucidum) is very common and important in Chinese medicine.
• Shaggy Mane (Coprinus comatus) has an antibiotic property.
• Enokitake (flammulina Velutipes) is easy to grow and commonly used in soups.
• Porcini (Boletus edulis) is commonly used in soups and sauces.
• Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) have spiny head instead of the regular cap head, they are edible healing to nerve tissue.
• Yellow House plant mushroom (Leucocoprinus birnbaumii) known to grow in potted house plants.
• Psilocybin mushroom has psychedelic properties commonly known as Magic mushrooms or shrooms. They are known to trigger profound life-changing insight and most who used it describe their experience as mystical.
• Amanita muscaria is psychoactive as well; it contains active ingredients called ibotenic acid and muscimol.
• Truffles (Tuber melanosporum, Tuber magnatum), 
• Chanterelles (Camtharellus cibarius, cantharellus formosus), 
• Matsutake (Tricholoma matsutake), 
• Honey Fungus (Armillaria Mellea, Armillariaostoyae), 
• Catepillar fungus (cordyceps sinesis)-preys on insects, 
• Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor), 
• Giant puffball (calvatia gigantean), 
• Chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) etc.

Mushrooms contain 80 to 90 percent water, 8 to 10% fiber, one serving of mushrooms contain approximately 20 to 40% copper known to protect the heart. They are low in calorie, low in sodium and fat therefore making it an ideal food for hypertensive patient.  It is an excellent source of potassium (minerals), Portobella mushroom has more potassium than banana and oranges; mushroom lowers high blood pressure, reduces the risk of stroke and helps reduce risk for cancer.  Mushroom is a rich source of riboflavin, niacin, selenium which has been reported to help protect the body against free radical damage, breast cancer and prostate cancer. Mushrooms have cardiovascular, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-parasitic, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and bio-luminescent properties.
Mushrooms contain polysaccharides, glycoproteins, and proteoglycans that helps modulate immune system responses and inhibit tumor growth.



Mushrooms contain approximately 52.6% Selenium, 40% Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), 35% of copper, 25.5% of niacin (Vitamin B3), 25% of tryptophan, 21.5% of pantothenic (Vitamin B5), 15.5% of potassium, 15% of phosphorus, 10% Zinc, 10% Maganese, 5.9% thiamin, 5.9% pyridoxine, 5% Protein, 5% Folate, 0-5% of dietary fiber, Magnesium, Iron, calcium, 0 Calories (31) %DV of a serving of cremini mushrooms.

MUSHROOMS are tasteful meat replacement food item. I Love Mushrooms, it is a vegan meat that you can grill, toast, boil and fry. Note: Carcinogen found in A.bisphorus called hydrazines, even more common argaritine carcinogen are destroyed when cooked so no worries.

Dried SHITAKE Mushroom

 Apart from it's medicinal and nutritious value, mushrooms are also used for dyeing wool and other natural fibers.  Used for making biodegradable packaging to replace petroleum based expanded polystyrene packaging. It can be used in filtration technologies such as mycoremediation and mycofiltration.

Onyinye A