Fat is a common enemy for any individual who plans to lose weight. In truth, there is a slight misconception with regard to the role of fat in our own bodies. Rather than being the overall bad guy for any dieter out there, our body also needs fat for it to function properly.

Before you start your fat loss program, you first need to realize that your body requires a specific amount of fat for it to maintain its normal body functions. There are good and bad cholesterol in our body, and we need to maintain the good ones to benefit our health, and get rid of the bad ones to stay healthy.

Good And Bad Cholesterol – The Basics

Doing away with deep medical terminologies, let’s define good and bad cholesterol in a simple way. Good cholesterol or HDL (high-density lipoproteins) carries cholesterol and fatty acids from various tissues in our body to the liver to be broken down. In most cases, HDL can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases from ever occurring in our lifetime.

Bad cholesterol or LDL (low-density lipoproteins) transports cholesterol and other substances from the liver to body tissues. The more LDL you have in your body, the more cholesterol is sent to various areas that don’t require large amounts of cholesterol , like the heart for example. In most cases, too high LDL cholesterol content in our blood can cause cardiovascular diseases that are commonly observed in overweight people.

Coming Up With A Fat Loss Program

Now that you have an idea on the various cholesterols found in our bodies, as well as its own effects to it, we can now come up with a fat loss program that will help us achieve a healthier and leaner body. For starters, we need to know the different kinds of fat that is commonly found in the food we eat, so that we can come up with a fat loss program that contains good cholesterol for a total healthy body benefit.

1. Monounsaturated Fats

This type of fat is known to lower LDL cholesterol and raising the levels of HDL cholesterol in our bodies, thus reducing the amount of bad cholesterol, thus, reducing the risk of heart diseases and stroke. This is a healthier alternative than making use of Trans fats in your meal everyday. Example of food groups that hold monounsaturated fats in abundance includes vegetable oil – olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, and sunflower oil; avocados, peanut butter, and some nuts and seeds.

2. Polyunsaturated Fats

Polyunsaturated fats are known to lower LDL and HDL cholesterol in our bodies. In some ways, including this type of fat into our meals can be a benefit and risk to at the same time. When purchasing products to be included in our meal preparations, it is very important that we read the labels to check if it has polyunsaturated fat in it, to safely determine if the amount added is enough to be beneficial to us and our fat loss program. Polyunsaturated fats are found in soybean oil, safflower oil, and corn oil; and in fatty fishes like mackerel, trout, and salmon.

3. Saturated Fat

Saturated fats are known to have Omega-3 fatty acids that are good for our body. This fat group can also help in the functions of some of our body organs. But taking in too much of saturated fats is known to cause health problems, such as coronary heart disease and stroke.

When designing your own fat loss programs, you need to keep in mind that you don’t have to avoid any fatty, high-cholesterol foods in your everyday meal. In fact, a proper fat loss program will include the various the food groups that provide the right fatty acids needed by our body to function properly, as well as lessening those that can cause problems when taken in abundance.

Overview Of The History Of Heart Disease

The history of heart disease contains some quite interesting facts. We now know many things about coronary heart disease, cholesterol, and healthy heart foods because of science; however, our ancestors lacked this knowledge.

Historical records of ancient Egypt show they knew the heart was a major and important organ. Cardiovascular disease has increased dramatically in our modern age, as the records of the history of heart disease illustrates.

Ancient Egyptians understood the vital importance of the heart to keep the body healthy. The heart had a metaphysical implication in one’s life… it was thought. The Far East and the ancient Egyptians to some degree think the same about the heart.

Ancient Egypt’s Beliefs About The Heart

These ancient Egyptian archaeological discoveries tell us that they believed the seat of personality and of human wisdom originates in the heart. A very common thought among the Egyptian medical field was that the heart had conduits or channels leading from the heart… to locations within the body. The transmission of fluids of the body such as blood, saliva, and air, was made possible by these pathways. They thought the body would become diseased if a channel became blocked.

Far back in time the Egyptians thought that personality, human awareness, soul, and emotions… it was believed the heart was the hub for them. Maybe that is why we use love, our feelings, and poetry, in relation to the heart. The belief that the ancient Egyptians had was that by means of the heart, God spoke to us. We have heard it many times, “She has a broken heart”. The ancient Egyptians had a good understanding of health and medical matters.

History Of Heart Disease And The Middle Ages

Research on the history of heart disease of the English speaking people in the middle ages, indicate they did not have much disease caused by cholesterol. Congestive heart disease was not commonly experienced by the Briton’s in the middle ages. The food back then was not processed as it is today and also did not contain much fatty compounds. No doubt even the water and the earth itself in those days contained fewer pollutants.

The Modern Age And Cardiovascular Disease

In pre-industrial times, medical research on the history of heart disease, tells us that most people did not suffer from heart ailments and subsequent death from cardiovascular disease.

Society was powerfully impacted by the industrial revolution in the 1800’s. Diseases of the heart were increased after the start of the industrial revolution. With the introduction of modern technology came a decrease in the need for physical labour to keep industry operational. The overall strength and health of the heart increased as a result of physical labour. Physical work has many benefits to the body and mind, including reducing the chances of heart disease.

The Modern Age And Diet

As we all know nowadays, the foods we eat play a huge role in the possibility of whether or not we will have any cardiovascular ailments. The heart’s health is degraded if we eat foods that contain a lot of trans fatty acids, saturated fats, and salt. Foods like fries cooked at high temperatures by deep-frying may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Eating canned food is certainly a part of life nowadays, but some of the additives found in canned foods may not be good for our health. Processed foods may not be as readily absorbed as unprocessed foods. A common rule of health is eat well and exercise, then… we may not become a statistic in the books of the future of the history of heart disease.

When the body is unable to produce enough insulin Type 2 diabetes occurs in the blood. Folks who suffer diabetes have to undergo insulin shots to break down the glucose and raise thier insulin levels. Suffers have to watch what they eat and develop a nutritional type 2 diabetes diet. A proper diet, as well as exercise and weight management will reduce the effects of type 2 diabetes. Excercise and losing weight will help you control type 2 diabetes. At any rate a type 2 diabetes diet can help reduce this disease.

Eating healthy can benefit anyone, whether they have diabetes or not. A type 2 diabetes diet simply reduces some of the foods that cause a rise in your glucose levels. A good place to start is by reducing simple carbohydrates. You should strive to eliminate refined carbs completely from your diet. You want to replace them with complex carbohydrates and fibers. Simple carbs consumption will help your body from producing insulin as quick. These types of foods include fibers, fruits and vegetables. They are excellent for type 2 diabetes diet because they are rapidly broken down and more easily digested. Persons with diabetes will have an easier time with this food because the insulin demand for these foods is much lower.

A type 2 diabetes diet will also include up to 20% daily intake of protein. Eatging more than 20% is not what you want to do. Somewhere between 10 and 20% would be optimal and is an essential part of a diabetic’s diet. Fiber is also an important component of your healthy diet. You should try to eat no less than 20 grams of fiber each day.

Additionally you will want to make sure your fat intake is less than 30% of your daily caloric intake. You should not eat more than 10% in saturated fats in any nutritional diet. Keeping your type 2 diabetes diet as lean as possible is for the best. Satruated fats are contained in a lot of foods we consume like those found in fast foods. The fewer saturated fats that are eaten will make you healthier and they are the best way to lose weight too.

Type 2 diabetes can be treated simply. It is not easy to make a lifestyle change like exercising and eating properly. Motivate yourself to become healthier and you will achieve your goal of eliminating diabetes.

Have your tried everything to try and reduce your cholesterol with little to no achievement then it could be time to explore the option of medication for high cholesterol. Medications for high cholesterol are used when a patient has not responded well to lifestyle and dietary changes. You will find that there is a large variety of medications and they all do different things. All the medications have different probable side effects. 

Your doctor can decide what the best medication for you is. They will look at your family history and other factors such as developing heart disease. But remember that medication alone should not be used to reduce your cholesterol levels also make sure that you change your life style habits.

Statins

 Statins are very accepted medication for high cholesterol. They work to lessen your body’s capability to create LDL cholesterol, or bad cholesterol, in addition to triglycerides. This medication may in addition help to increase good cholesterol somewhat. Unfortunately there are side effects to taking the drug. You may experience diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain, muscle soreness and it is not advisable to take this medication with grape fruit juice. Some people take this drug with no complaints but you should discuss any side effects you experience with your doctor right away. 

Bile Acid Binding Resins 

This is one of the medication for high cholesterol that work to reduce LDL levels but a side effect may be that you experience an increase in triglycerides. Other side effects associated with this drug are bloating, gas, nausea and constipation. 

Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitors 

This medicine does precisely what the name says. It inhibits your body’s capability to soak up cholesterol from the food you eat. This will decrease LDL levels as well as slightly decrease triglyceride levels. Your HDL levels may also increase somewhat though continued exercise and consumption of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats is advised to keep increasing HDL levels. 

Fibrates 

These drugs do not decrease the level of LDL cholesterol in your body. Instead it will lower the level of triglycerides and increase the level of HDL cholesterol in your body. There is a risk of developing gallstones, nausea and stomach pain in terms of side effects. 

Niacin 

Niacin is one of the uncommon medications for high cholesterol that are available over the counter. It is however desirable to seek prescription niacin to obtain the correct dosage. The benefits of this medication are that you will be able to up your HDL cholesterol while decreasing your LDL and triglyceride levels. Some of the more serious side effects include high blood sugar, peptic ulcers and gout.

If you are an adult over twenty years old it is important to have your cholesterol level checked about every five years to make sure you have what is considered to be a healthy good cholesterol level. High cholesterol levels is the primary factor for hardening of the arteries that create heart attacks, and can cause heart disease. It is very common these days for people to have their cholesterol levels checked. A lipid profile test perscribed by their doctor would have the patient check their HDL (good cholesterol), the LDL (bad cholesterol), and the triglyceride level.

Healthy Cholesterol Level

Experts believe that if your overall cholesterol level is below 200mg/dl than you have a healthy cholesterol level and are considered to be at low risk for acquiring heart disease. It is difficult for people to achieve a healthy cholesterol level or keep an acceptable  cholesterol level if they eat an unhealthy diet loaded with saturated fats or if they do not get enough exercise.

If your cholesterol test reveals a cholesterol level between 200 and 240 mg/dl you are placed in the category of people who are considered to have a moderate risk of getting heart disease. If your cholesterol test shows a cholesterol level over 240 mg/dl you are placed in the high risk category. If you are considered high risk, then you are twice as likely to acquire heart disease than someone that has a healthy cholesterol level which is under 200 mg/dl.

If due to your high cholesterol level you are considered a high risk patient you should have an exercise plan created for you by an expert, reduce the saturated fat in your diet, eat healthy foods and if you still have a high cholesterol level your doctor might recommend drugs designed to lower cholesterol such as statins.

HDL the Good Cholesterol

Increasing your good cholesterol level (HDL), get plenty of exercise, avoid smoking, and eat a health diet. For an average sized woman, the HDL cholesterol lever can be anywhere from 50 to 60 mg/dl, compared to a male where the level should be 40 and 50 mg/dl.

Your LDL (bad cholesterol) level is the best source for determining your risk of having a heart attack or having a stroke. It is a better indicator for your heart attack risk than a level of total cholesterol can provide. A LDL level under 100 mg/dl is preferred. A level of 130 to 159 is considered borderline high and 160 to 189 mg/dl is considered to be a high LDL level. Experts consider a very high level to be 190 or higher. In order to avoid heart disease, heart attacks and strokes you should have your LDL cholesterol checked to find out if you have a healthy cholesterol level.

The glycemic ind

ex diet and low glycemic index diet are more than diet books. The glycemic index is a nutritional index that’s used to rank carbohydrate based foods. It is a system of ranking carbohydrate foods according to how much a certain amount of each food raises individual’s blood sugar levels. To get abs it is advised to take foods with low glycemic index because the higher the glycemic index the faster the food raises your blood sugar and in process affects your metabolism. Originally GI was used as tool to help diabetic patients to control their blood sugar level but now a day’s glycemic index diet has become more popular diet to get six pack abs.

Switching to low glycemic index diet has a lot of benefits for people who carries lot of fat around their belly. It has been proved that low GI diet control diabetes and at the same time helps people to control and lose weight. Such foods reduce the risk of heart disease and reduce blood cholesterol levels. Low GI foods acts as an appetite suppressant and keep you feel fuller for long time. If you’re performing some intense abs workout to get abs then glycemic index diet foods plays a vital role as it helps to re-fuel carbohydrate stores after exercises. All carbohydrates are not bad and remember you body needs carbohydrates to perform certain activities, hence it’s important to choose between bad and good carbohydrates to get abs.

To find a low glycemic index diet to get abs may be little confusing at times. You cannot always search for labels stating GI of that particular food. Hence just make a habit of eating cereals based on oats, barley, and bran. You can eat breads prepared from whole grains, ground flour. Make a habit of eating plenty of fruits and vegetables. You can even try vegetable salads with a vinaigrette dressing. If you like to eat rice choose basmati and don’t forget to eat lean proteins and healthy fats. You need to avoid unsaturated fats and eating pizza, burgers, fries, and cookies to get ripped abs.

You must be eager to know how glycemic index diet can be useful in getting ripped abs. When you consume carbohydrates it gets converted into blood sugar. Blood sugar is used by the body to manufacture ATP molecule which is important to power up all functions. It’s important to keep check on blood sugar levels as high blood sugar levels can affect the insulin levels. If the insulin levels are high it may affect the process of losing body fat. Insulin is one of the most important hormones that affect weight loss. Hence it’s important to eat low glycemic index diet to maintain steady insulin level. It not only helps to control diabetes but very effective in losing stomach fat to get six pack abs.

It is clear that low glycemic index diet plays an important role in losing body fat. It’s important to understand the effects of foods on your blood sugar and it’s true that low glycemic index diet keeps you full all the day. The energy level is kept maintained and if you’re looking for those ripped abs low glycemic index diet must be your first choice.

Tony Leong is giving away a secret MP3 recording that he did with fat loss expert Rob Poulos and in this recording; Rob reveals some fascinating diet tips that will fire up your metabolism. You can download the free MP3 here.

Hundreds of years drinking Wu Yi d tea has keep scores of Chinese men and women slim. New studies have documented that the dieters claims for the weight loosing properties of Wu-Yi tea have indeed worked. Not only that but these studies found that drinking Wu Yi diet tea strengthens the immune system and even clarifies the skin and reverses the effect of aging, but it really does help dieters to lose weight fast.

Many studies have been conducted on the effects of tea. Notable is the recent study that has verified a 2.5 greater rate of burning calories than that of drinking just green tea. This study was conducted in Japan at The Tokushima School of Medicine where tea drinkers in Japan use WuYi Oolong tea from China as a choice drink.

You can spice up your amazing tea with a slice of lemon or lime. Limes for some reason seem to keep longer in the refrigerator. A cinnamon stick and some honey also give a lovely occasional tweak.

It can even be chilled and served in a margarita glass adding carbonated water and a splash of fruit juice. Then garnish the tea with a slice of lemon, pineapple or lime and it will appear tropically fabulous.

Dieters need to be looking at everything they eat. The needto pay more attention to snacking on vegetables instead of junk foods is important. Fill up on fiber and look for foods low on the Glycemic Index. Eat a healthy balance of foods. Get enough proteins, carbohydrates and healthy fats in your diet.

Stay away from bad fats such as found in processed foods in the way of trans fats and saturated fats. Full fat dairy products and red meat are not the healthiest. There are good fats such as olive oil, flaxseed oil and nuts. Since these are high in calories try to limit your intake of them.

Don’t use sugar; if you possibly can, avoid it. The average American consumes an incredible 2-3 pounds of sugar each week. 100 year ago, average consumption was 5 pound a year. Avoid soda, full fat milk and substitute water or tea instead. Use a fat-free, low calorie dairy substitute in your tea or coffee. Drink unsweetened apple juice and other fruit juices sparingly.

Eat five or more times a day in small quantities and refrain from eating in the evening. Don’t eat right before you go to bed. You need to burn the stored carbohydrates when you are sleeping not the carbohydrates in your stomach from a late night snack. Drink dieters tea and turn your body into a super fat burning machine!

If you’re one of those people that just eats everything that is put in front of them and then some, this may be of interest to you. Some of these people just eat everything in sight, including all the food past its sell by date. It is not unusual to find someone that just cannot resist anything that is sweet. There are many people that do it, something that gives an instant high never considering how unhealthy this is and dismissing the better option of health supplements.

That may have been rather vivid but I would never encourage people to consume anything and everything. I can’t tell you how bad it is for your health to eat like that, so perhaps it’s time you took a step back and started to look after yourself by taking health supplements. This isn’t as bad as you think because these are generally very good for you. The worst thing to happen when you mention the subject is that someone will tell you how awful they are but has never tried them to give that opinion.

This is absurd because you have to try certain things in life before you can determine what you think of them; besides no-one is asking you to eat a frog now are they? The powdered health supplements I take are great with a variety of tastes and they contain essential minerals to boot. Although I have tried many, I have stuck with two regulars and one of them is a multivitamin that I have been taking for as long as I can remember. It wouldn’t hurt everyone to take a vitamin supplement everyday and it’s so easy to do, just swallow it with your meal, now how hard is that?

The second health supplement is a whey protein shake which I started taking a little while back. Not only does it taste fantastic (try it yourself and see), it is full of good protein. It’s also easy and very convenient to drink, in the morning and at lunch time. And guess what, the shake also provides you with a full 30 grams of protein which is good for healthy muscles.

Health supplements these days are just crammed with everything good for you that the body needs but doesn’t always get from food, but nothing that is bad for you. The things you don’t want are cholesterol, sugar, saturated fat and salt, we all get enough of these things as it is. So take a look on the internet and do a little checking because I can guarantee you will feel better for taking health supplements, in fact they could give you a whole new lease of life!

INTRODUCTION: Heart disease is a number of abnormal conditions affecting the heart and its blood vessels. Also known cardiovascular disease, it mainly affects people who are older and is a sign that there are problems with the heart and blood vessels.

It has become the #1 cause of death in the USA, is a major cause of disablement, doesn’t go away, but by working with your MD, you can live longer and feel better. Types of cardiovascular disease include: Coronary artery disease (CAD), the most common type and is the number one cause of heart attacks.

In 2003, almost twice as many women died of cardiovascular disease (both heart disease and stroke) than from all cancers combined. The older a woman gets, the more likely she is to develop cardiovascular disease; however women of all ages should be concerned.

African American and Hispanic American/Latina women are more likely to develop heart disease because they tend to have more risk factors such as obesity, not enough exercise, high blood pressure, and diabetes than Caucasian women. Women of color are also more apt to die of the disease.

Having diabetes elevates your chances of developing heart disease and high levels of triglycerides are linked to the disease in some people. Also Being obese increases your risk. Chest or arm pain or discomfort can be a symptom of cardiovascular problems and a warning sign of an actual or impending heart attack.

If your father or brother had a heart attack before age 55, or if your mom had one before age 65, you’re more likely to get heart disease. Birth control pills can present risks for some women, especially women older than 35, women with elevated blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol and those who smoke.

Close to 700,000 people die of heart disease in the USA each year. You can find out more about heart disease by phoning the National Women’s Health Information Center at 1-800-994-9662.

The chance of developing coronary disease can be reduced by taking steps to prevent and control those factors that put people at larger risk for cardiovascular disease and heart attack. The very best ways to prevent the disease are to control high blood pressure, diabetes or a elevated cholesterol level and, if you smoke, STOP SMOKING.

CHOLESTEROL: What does high cholesterol have to do with heart disease? Cholesterol can clog your arteries and keep your heart from getting the blood it needs. People with high blood cholesterol or high blood triglycerides often have no symptoms, so have your blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels checked regularly. If your levels are high, talk to your doctor about what you can do to lower them. You may be able to lower your levels by eating better and exercising more, if not, your doctor may prescribe medication to lower and bring it under control.

If there is too much cholesterol in your blood, it can build up on the walls of your arteries, forming plaque and producing blood clots. There are basically two kinds of cholesterol: Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is usually called the “bad” type because it can clog the arteries that transport blood to your heart. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is known as the “good” kind because it takes the bad cholesterol out of your blood and keeps it from building up in your arteries.

All females age 20 and older should have their blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels checked at least once every 5 ys. If you are overweight, reducing your weight can help decrease your total cholesterol as well as LDL (“bad cholesterol”) levels.

Attempt to eat more meals low in saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol. Skim (fat-free) or low-fat (1%) milk and cheeses, and low-fat or nonfat yogurt, Fruits and vegetables (go for for 5 a day), Cereals, breads, rice, and pasta produced from whole grains (such as “whole-wheat” or “whole-grain” bread and pasta, rye bread, brown rice, and oatmeal), Eat lesser amounts of organ meats (liver, kidney, brains), Egg yolks, Fats (butter, lard) and oils, Packaged and processed foods.

There are 2 diets that may help reduce your cholesterol: Heart Healthy Diet and Therapeutic Lifestyles Changes (TLC) Diet. Exercise can help reduce LDL (“bad cholesterol”) and raise HDL (“good cholesterol”). If your MD has prescribed medicine to reduce your cholesterol, take it exactly as you have been told to.

CONCLUSION: Heart disease is not contagious – you can’t get it like you can the flu or a cold. It is a general term that refers to a variety of acute and chronic medical diseases that affect one or more of the components of the heart. The signs you describe to your physician will help to decide if you need to be tested for heart disease. Your physician will also check if you have any conditions that can increase your chance of developing the disease.

These conditions include: high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, elevated cholesterol level, menopause in women, family members who have had heart disease at a young age. If you have cardiovascular disease, your angina can be treated by treating the heart disease. Maintaining a healthy diet and weight in addition to a regular exercise program can help you avoid developing heart disease.

If you love to eat chocolate there is good news, it is good for you! Chocolate is high in flavanols that have potent antioxidant potential and have been shown to reduce the risk of many diseases.

The quality of the chocolate you eat is important and the darker the chocolate, the more chocolate flavanols it has. The darker, high quality chocolates use cocoa butter and cocoa solids as their main ingredients. Chocolates contain some saturated fats, but some saturated fat in your diet is good for you. Cocoa butter is a fat derived from cocoa plants (Theobroma cacao). Cocoa butter is expensive, the cheaper brands replace the cocoa butter with milk fats and hydrogenated oils. Fat is essential for the body, just make sure it is a good fat and not too much. Milk chocolate is diluted with milk and bleached white sugar, bleached white sugar is not good for your body.

The best is unsweetened cocoa, it is one of the purest forms of chocolate. It makes a great hot chocolate with a spoon of honey. Unsweetened cocoa powder is lower in fat and calories and it has more of the dark chocolate flavanols. This is a way to experience the characteristic properties of the cocoa bean, another way is to relish a bar that is 99% cocoa. A 99% or 85% cocoa content does not always mean there is going to be the great flavor you want. The quality of the beans and the way they are processed have the biggest part in determining the quality of the taste.

Flavanols are a group of phytonutrients within the flavonoid family. Flavonoids are a diverse class of phytonutrients found in a assortment of foods. Flavanols are the predominant flavonoids in tea, red wine and dark chocolates.

How flavanols work in the body is becoming much better understood. There is evidence that flavanols are responsible for preventing blood platelets from aggregating, improving blood flow and vessel function and may help prevent certain cancers.

The cocoa flavanol responsible for a reduction in platelet aggregation has been found and can be synthesized. This means cocoa flavanols can be made by drug companies into a major new class of drugs, based on flavanols, to treat vascular complications associated with diabetes, strokes, cardiovascular disease and a range of other impairments.

Cocoa butter has long been used to add flavor, scent, and smoothness to skin creams, lotions, cosmetics, tanning oils and soaps. There is evidence that eating cocoa flavanols may increase hydration, improve skin smoothness, and help the skin defend it’s self against sun damage.

This is great news for all chocolate eaters. Just don?t forget that a little dark chocolate is good, too much is not better, chocolate is loaded with calories. Over consumption of caffeine should not be a problem, chocolate has very little caffeine. A small serving only contains about as much caffeine as a cup of decaffeinated coffee. That is why I eat the chocolate covered espresso beans.

The chocolate you eat should contain at least 70% cocoa and should be dark or bittersweet. I eat nothing less than 85% cocoa. 85% cocoa is not for everybody, it is not sweet and may be a bit bitter for some people. My advice is to eat a small amount every day with your morning tea. It goes great with irish breakfast tea, but if you want to get a real dose of morning flavonoids try 85% cocoa with gunpowder green tea.

That is a great way to start the morning. Make sure you enjoy it, when you enjoy your flavonoids they are even better for you. Let each bite melt in your mouth and think about how good it is for you. Make it your morning meditation. Take a bite and think about how good things are going to happen today, how much you are going to get done and how easy things are going to go. Your day is going to go just like the chocolate melting in your mouth. Now, wash it down with gunpowder green tea and get to work.