Detoxify the Body

It seems just about everyone growing up obtains a special obsession with chocolate. Children at younger ages are always told chocolate isn’t good for them, but studies are now showing adults may be wrong if consuming chocolate is done in moderation and under the correct circumstances.

There has been a recent craze with antioxidants, which are found in green tea, wine, and other different types of healthy drinks and foods. Researchers were surprised to find that even a cup of hot cocoa has been proven to be filled with antioxidants that help the body’s immune system and different functions. In addition, dark cocoa has been able to lower cholesterol and even has been linked to lower the risk of the cancer.

It’s important to make the distinction between cocoa and chocolate. In the example of hot cocoa, the hot cocoa is actually made of cocoa powder while the hot chocolate is made up of chocolate bars that carry much more saturated fat. This means that the average candy bar won’t likely help out too much, but a piece of dark cocoa chocolate will do wonders.

There have been reports of the stress reduction chocolate induces for quite some time, so it’s worth mentioning this effect that chocolate has in general. Stress has been known to make a healthy immune system weak, and more prone to illness. Keeping stress down has become important in these times, and chocolate is one of the ways to take a break and escape to a lower stress level.

The shopping trip to the grocery store in search of the right type of chocolate will require two bits of knowledge. First, saturated fat levels should be as low as possible, and next that sugar levels should follow suit. This is usually going to be a tell-tale sign, judging by the color of the chocolate. A darker chocolate usually indicates a cocoa powder base, which is healthier than the counterpart.

Studies show that not a lot of cocoa is needed each day to get the benefits it offers. On average, a cup of hot cocoa is enough each day to get the benefit described. This equates to about two ounces of dark chocolate, but as few candy bars come in this size, try to span the consumption of the dark chocolate over a few days if need be.

In Conclusion

Most things in moderation are great for you- and cocoa is a very real example of this fact. To take advantage of the antioxidant benefits of cocoa, follow the shopping tips mentioned above to ensure the best benefit to cost ratio is obtained.

Air poppers can be used to make one of the healthiest, fibre rich snacks of all time, air popped popcorn. Air poppers do not require oil to pop the kernels, therefore the popcorn will have practically no fat, cholesterol or sodium whatsoever, while being rich in dietary fiber and manganese.

So what is Air Popped Popcorn?

Air popped popcorn is naturally popped corn kernels popped in a hot air popper. An air popper machine is a standing popcorn machine about 12 inches tall, which has a kettle with an opening on its top, where you add the popcorn.

Once the air popper machine is turned on, it revolves hot air in the kettle, which sends the kernels on a wild ride around the side of the kettle. The revolving hot air heats every single kernel, which eventually pops as it would if you were using an oil popper. As more and more corn start to pop, they are literally shot through the spout of the air popper into a serving bowl you need to prepare beforehand.

And there you have it, the healthiest snack ever, hot air popped popcorn. Of course, you can than flavor the popcorn to your liking, but be aware that all added ingredients change the calorie count of your snack. Some famous quick seasoning fixes are:

- brewers yeast (adds cheese flavor, really!)

- chili powder

- onion powder

- onion powder

- sugar and cinnamon (2 teaspoons cinnamon per 1/3 cup sugar)

Hot air popcorn poppers usually pop almost every kernel in under 3 minutes, making the popping process very efficient. Air poppers are very inexpensive as well, a Presto hot air popper will only set you back around $20. You can get retro design vintage air poppers nowadays as well for as low as $40.

You will see that natural popcorn kernels are much cheaper than microwave popcorn bags as well, so not only is it lighter on your wallet, it’ll be lighter on the calorie side as well. Natural popcorn kernels can be found at any grocery store, usually right next to the microwave popcorn bags, so have a look for yourself! This is one of the very few instances, where a snack thats actually healthy will be cheaper than the “artificial” version. Many are making healthy choices.

Nutrition facts on air popped popcorn (1 serving = 1 cup or 8 g)

- 31 calories

- ZERO saturated fat

- ZERO cholesterol

- 1 mg sodium

How to use your air popper machine safely:

- Hot unpopped kernels can shoot out through the spout while they are still being circulated with hot air, so standing directly in front of the hot air popper while the corn is still popping is not advisable.

- Hot air emitted by the popcorn popper can cause skin burn, but you may not need a lawyer to sue anyone!

- Don’t use metal bowls to collect the popped popcorn in, as the hot air emitted during popping will heat up metal bowls rapidly.