The 5 surprising benefits of chocolate

During a recent radio interview, the presenter came out with the following statement: "You won't make me give up chocolate will you?".
The nutritionist part of my brain was automatically flashing red. How can you diplomatically answer such a question? Yes, the average bar of chocolate is more sugar than cocoa, but the darker varieties can be advantageous. 
Chocolate may not be quite as good for you as salad, but there is some evidence that it may not be entirely bad either. 
Here is some science on the benefits:

It increases brain power
A recent study published in the journal Appetite found chocolate to be beneficial for cognition (1). Subjects that regularly consumed chocolate fared better on several tests such as “working memory” and “abstract reasoning” amongst others. 
Whether or not this study was inspired by the average office on any given afternoon isn’t clear, but what it does prove is that chocolate boosts brain power.

It protects your ticker 
A review paper by the University of Freiburg, Germany, concluded that specific compounds within cocoa may be beneficial for the heart (2). 
Flavanols and epicatechins found in chocolate are thought to exert a blood pressure lowering effect by encouraging the blood vessels to relax.
If you think that’s too good to be true then here is the best part: to get a sufficient quantity of these compounds 100g (or a full bar) of chocolate is required. 
The only caveat is to pick a high-quality dark chocolate since sugar has an opposing effect. 

It’s a good source of iron 
Vegetarians and vegans rejoice: dark chocolate is a more abundant source of iron than meat.  
In fact, research by the Molise University, Italy, found 90% dark chocolate to contain three times as much iron as beef gram for gram. (3) 
For best results, combine a few squares of dark chocolate with Vitamin C containing foods such as kiwi or oranges since Vitamin C improves iron uptake.

It’s a natural SPF 
It is not suggested that you forgo suncream, however, researchers at The University of Quebec, Canada, found convincing evidence that high cocoa chocolate may offer some protection against sunburn (4). 
According to this study, just 40g of dark chocolate per day increases the skin’s resilience against sun damage. Unsurprisingly, milk chocolate doesn’t exert the same effect.

It makes you feel good
This isn’t exactly new knowledge since any self-confessed chocoholic will tell you that, yes, chocolate does indeed make you feel good. 
The science on the connection between mood and chocolate consumption was, however, lacking. This is until the clever scientists at Gettysburg College conducted a study.  
They proved that chocolate does indeed increase mood, particularly if it is eaten “mindfully”. By paying attention to the chocolate that you are eating, instead of scoffing it down whilst multitasking, positive mood is amplified. 
 
Please enjoy chocolate responsibly. Life is about balance so don't dodge the salad.

References:
(1) Crichton GE, Eliasb MF, Alkerwid A (2016) Chocolate intake is associated with better cognitive function: The Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study. Appetite,100: 126-132.
(2)Vlachojannis J, Erne P, Zimmermann B, Chrubasik-Hausmann S (2016) The impact of cocoa flavanols on cardiovascular health. Phytotherapy Research, 30: 1641-1657.
(3) Cinquanta L, Di Cesare C, Manoni R, Piano A, Roberti P, Salvatori G (2016) Mineral essential elements for nutrition in different chocolate products.International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 67: 773-778.
(4) Mogollon JA, Boivin C, Lemieux S, Blanchet C, Claveau J, Dodin S (2014) Chocolate flavanols and skin photoprotection: a parallel, double-blind, randomized clinical trial.Nutrition Journal, 13: 66.
(5) Meier BP, Noll SW, Molokwu OJ (2017) The sweet life: The effect of mindful chocolate consumption on mood.Appetite, doi: 10.1016/ j.appet.2016.09.018. 

Is breakfast the most important meal of the day?

If you've ever been on a diet, or even just looked up healthy eating, chances are you've come across the following saying: “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper”.
Made popular in the 1950s by Adelle Davis, a food and health writer, the saying hypothesises that by starting your day on a large meal, you are more likely to stay slim and less likely to overeat later in the day.
Is breakfast really that important?

Research by the University of Missouri on breakfast skipping adolescents holds eating breakfast in high regard. (1) Through a 12-week study, they compared breakfast skippers with normal and high protein breakfast eaters.
Weight gain was observed in the breakfast skipping group but not in the high protein breakfast group, indicating that eating breakfast may be beneficial to beat the bulge.
On the contrary, the part of this research that is often overlooked in the “normal” breakfast group, where moderate amounts of weight gain were also seen.
Based on this study, it seems that eating breakfast is only beneficial if it is a high protein one.

Part of the reason for the breakfast skipping weight gain may be down to changes in the way food is perceived. A study carried out by Imperial College London (2) found subjects that skip breakfast are more likely to choose and crave higher calorie foods. Needless to say, if you skip breakfast, self-control may be an issue at lunch.
Interestingly, by having a larger lunch, you’ll still be in a caloric deficit in comparison to those that eat breakfast. A study by the University of Bath (3) found breakfast skipping groups are only likely to consume and additional 200 calories which is less than the caloric value of the average breakfast. Thus it seems that breakfast skipping groups eat fewer calories in a day than breakfast eating ones.

On the other end of the spectrum, skipping breakfast may be beneficial.
Current research by the National Institute on Aging (4) indicates that repair, such as the rebuilding of internal structures, is more efficient in a fasted state. This is a big deal since health issues often arise from incomplete or flawed repair.
To add to the confusion, a recent review of scientific evidence (5) concluded that on the whole, skipping breakfast doesn't have a significant impact on weight.

So, is breakfast the most important meal of the day? It can be if you eat the correct foods.
A mix of protein, carbohydrates and nutrient dense vegetables would be an ideal start to the day.
If, however, you are more likely to have a sugar-laden bowl of cereal or you just simply aren't a breakfast person then waiting until lunchtime for a more balanced meal has its advantages.
Irrespective of your preference, choosing foods that are high in nutrients and minimally processed will be the most beneficial for overall health.

References:
(1)  Liedy HJ, Hertel HA, Douglas SM, Higgins KA, Shafer RS (2015) A high-protein breakfast prevents body fat gain, through reductions in daily intake and hunger, in "Breakfast skipping" adolescents. Obesity, 23: 1761-1764.
(2) Goldstone AP, Prechtl de Hernandez CG, Beaver JD, Muhammed K, Croese C, Bell G, Durighel G, Hughes E, Waldman AD, Frost G, Bell JD (2009) Fasting biases brain reward systems towards high-calorie foods. European Journal of Neuroscience, 30: 1625-1635.
(3) Chowdhury EA, Richardson JD, Tsintzas K, Thompson D, Betts JA (2015) Carbohydrate-rich breakfast attenuates glycaemic, insulinaemic and ghrelin response to ad libitum lunch relative to morning fasting in lean adults. British Journal of Nutrition, 114: 98-107.
(4) Mattson MP, Longo VD, Harvie M (2016) Impact of intermittent fasting on health and disease processes. Ageing Research Reviews, S1568-1637: 30251-30253.
(5) Dhurandhar EJ (2016) True, true, unrelated? A review of recent evidence for a casual influence of breakfast on obesity. Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity, 23: 384-388.

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Whole baked cauliflower

A couple of months ago, I was asked to do the cooking for a women's leadership retreat taking place in late December. Although I've never actually cooked for a crowd this size before, my "can do" attitude stepped in and off I went to design a 3-day menu.
Menu design complete, I sent off my quote but soon realised that I should probably practice the dishes that sounded so good on paper. That's when disaster no. 1 occurred.
One of the vegetarian dishes uses jackfruit in lieu of slow cooked lamb shoulder. Jackfruit, or the king of fruits, is an Asian fruit that shreds/ pulls apart just like slow roasted meat. Sounds great on paper, except it's super hard to obtain outside of Asia and I seem to have forgotten just how bad it smells. 30 minutes in the oven and my entire house was covered in the gentle aroma of exploding sewers.
So, to avoid evacuating the retreat, that recipe had to be swapped for something a little friendlier to the nostrils.
This whole baked cauliflower is what followed. It should serve 2-4 people dependent on the size of cauliflower you use but I shamelessly ate the whole thing in a sitting. Basically, it's insanely tasty and I wouldn't want you to miss out so here is the recipe.

Ingredients (Serves 2)
1 large cauliflower, leaves removed and stalk cut back
1 lemon, juice and zest
Leaves from a small bunch of parsley
seeds from 1/2 pomegranate
40g pistachios
black pepper to season

For the flavour paste:
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
leaves from 4 sprigs of thyme
2 tablespoons of rapeseed oil
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Method:
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C.
Mix together the flavour paste ingredients and rub the mixture over the cauliflower.
Put the cauliflower in a casserole dish, squeeze over the juice of a lemon and season with black pepper. Pop the lid on the casserole and bake in the oven for an hour.
Take the lid off and bake for a further 15 minutes. Put the pistachios on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 15 minutes. 
Remove the cauliflower from the casserole and cut into two pieces.
To serve, put half a cauliflower on a plate, sprinkle over a generous pinch of lemon zest, a small handful of parsley leaves, pomegranate seeds and pistachio.

The foolproof guide to a healthy Christmas - kind of

December, the month of Christmas, is a wonderful collection of seeing friends, office parties and festive family gatherings. It is also that time of the year when nutrition becomes an obsolete trade, well kind of.
Having lost count of how many times I've been asked to write about how to have a "healthy" Christmas or how to stop festive weight gain, I thought I'd take to this blog with some foolproof pointers. So here is what I came up with:

1. Don't have a health conscious Christmas
Yes, I'm registered nutritional therapist. Yes, my job is to make people healthy and tell them to eat more vegetables. BUT, no, I don't want you to have a health conscious Christmas.
You see, there is more to staying healthy than just food. Social circles and human connections are just as important. 
I realise this sounds a bit hippiefied so let me explain:
You go to your aunt's/ uncle's/ sister's/ brother's (delete as appropriate) house, they spent all day cooking up a storm, went to great expense to purchase some fabulous alcoholic beverages, you know because it's Christmas so why not, and you turn up to announce that you are in fact gluten free, paleo and don't really fancy a drink. 
The rest of your family conversations will revolve around a. has she/he gone mad? b. she/he has an eating disorder c. how can we convince her/him that this isn't a good idea. So for the remainder of that day your newly found eating habits will be questioned until you either finally give in or can't take anymore and end up downing a bottle of Christmas plonk.
The moral of this story is: don't be a party pooper. Drink the wine, eat the food and make the most of having a good time with people that have made an effort to be with you. It's better to get to January a couple of pounds heavier and with lovely new memories of great family gatherings or parties where you didn't feel restricted.
Live it up, laugh and be merry.

2. Don't ignore the veg
You won't be judged for dodging an overcooked brussel sprout but ignoring vegetables altogether is a mistake. Vegetables are where the majority of essential nutrients come from and putting some on your plate when they are in front of you anyway isn't such a struggle.
Besides, those veggies are the difference between having an OK hangover or a "can't cope with this day" style epic hangover. 
Indol-3-carbinols found in cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, kale, cabbage (and brussel sprouts), can speed up detoxification and generally give your liver a hug when it needs it.

3. Drink up
Before you get carried away and think a nutritional therapist is encouraging more alcohol, let me just be clear: I meant drink water. 
Keeping hydrated is especially important when the unavoidable combination of salt, protein and alcohol are present. Either drink a glass of water following every alcoholic drink or ensure that you get your 8 glasses of water in somehow.
You won't just have more energy this way, but you'll also avoid putting too much pressure on your kidneys and since you need your kidneys to stay healthy, it's best if you look after them.

The end!
Have a wonderful Christmas and make the best of spending time with your friends and family.
Just in case you get too carried away, check out the Upgrade your Health package in January. It may just help you shift that excess weight.