February is Heart Month
Each month has its own dedicated health topic and February is for hearts! As a primary driver for health decline, its great to know there are many things we can do proactively to improve cardiovascular function. Read more about heart health here.
The heart is made of muscle fibres, and is directed by electrical signals. Magnesium is an important nutrient for muscle function and nerve conduction, which makes it crucial to the heart! Well, guess what? Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, is a great source of magnesium. In fact, our intelligent bodies will often search for foods that we require, and with magnesium deficiency being so prevalent, it's one reason that so many people crave chocolate!
In honour of Valentine's Day, I thought it would be nice to share some chocolate recipes with you.
Cocoa is a Superfood
Cocoa powder is rich in other health benefits too. (Just be sure to not overdo it, as dark chocolate has some lead and cadmium in it too.)
Recent Observations
It's important to me to stay up to date with the latest information and trends. Recently, I'd been noticing a large increase in the number of lab tests that are showing elevated HbA1C (3 month blood sugar average marker) as well as elevated Total and LDL Cholesterol. I checked in with some colleagues who are also noticing this trend. I suspect that declining cardiovascular health and overall inflammation is a big factor in this observation.
If you'd like to understand your numbers better, please bring me your blood work results, and we can review them together. The ideal time to make changes is before there's a problem (and the second best time is right now).
Have a great day,
Dr Christa
Each month has its own dedicated health topic and February is for hearts! As a primary driver for health decline, its great to know there are many things we can do proactively to improve cardiovascular function. Read more about heart health here.
The heart is made of muscle fibres, and is directed by electrical signals. Magnesium is an important nutrient for muscle function and nerve conduction, which makes it crucial to the heart! Well, guess what? Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, is a great source of magnesium. In fact, our intelligent bodies will often search for foods that we require, and with magnesium deficiency being so prevalent, it's one reason that so many people crave chocolate!
In honour of Valentine's Day, I thought it would be nice to share some chocolate recipes with you.
- Peanut butter chocolate protein balls
- Chocolate protein overnight oats
- Chocolate strawberry chia pudding
- Chocolate zucchini bread smoothie
Cocoa is a Superfood
Cocoa powder is rich in other health benefits too. (Just be sure to not overdo it, as dark chocolate has some lead and cadmium in it too.)
- high in polyphenols which lower inflammation and reduce cholesterol
- elevates nitric oxide which in turn lowers blood pressure (by 2 mmHg, but every little bit helps!)
- improve blood flow to the brain and therefore boost cognitive function (as long as it's not too sugary)
- boosts mood and lowers depressive symptoms
- may helps with weight loss in small doses e.g. 1.5 oz of dark chocolate per day
- flavanols can also be anti-carcinogenic
- theobromine can open airways and be helpful for asthma
- improve insulin resistance and blood sugar
Recent Observations
It's important to me to stay up to date with the latest information and trends. Recently, I'd been noticing a large increase in the number of lab tests that are showing elevated HbA1C (3 month blood sugar average marker) as well as elevated Total and LDL Cholesterol. I checked in with some colleagues who are also noticing this trend. I suspect that declining cardiovascular health and overall inflammation is a big factor in this observation.
If you'd like to understand your numbers better, please bring me your blood work results, and we can review them together. The ideal time to make changes is before there's a problem (and the second best time is right now).
Have a great day,
Dr Christa
RSS Feed