Is Chocolate Better Than Sex?

Here are 12 reasons looking at why the dark sticky stuff wins every time.

1. It stays hard by simply putting it in the fridge

2. It doesn't snore straight after the act of passion is finished

3. Chocolate is an aphrodisiac. The Aztecs and the Mayans used it in rituals that resulted in wild orgies. The Aztecs allegedly banned their women from eating chocolate just in case they got horny ... even in Aztec days there was obviously a time and a place for everything.

4. Chocolate gives you stamina, most men could do with some.

5. Chocolate contains a naturally occurring amino acid called phenylethylamine. It helps to cure hangovers, it gets rid of the headache; sex doesn't, it normally makes it worse.

6. Chocolate contains theobromine. This is a mild long lasting stimulant that leaves you in a good mood for ages afterwards. Sex normally doesn't quite match up to this.

7. Casanova drank melted chocolate by the pint before performing his charms. I wonder what he would of been like if he hadn't.... “Not tonight dear, I'm out of chocolate”

8. Staying on the historical theme, France's, Louis XV had a well known mistress, who always served up chocolate before letting her lovers into her boudoir. Maybe she was being paid by the hour.

9. What tastes best, chocolate or sex?

10. Sex can pass on diseases. With the odd exception of a salmonella scare, chocolate doesn't.

11. The antidioxants in chocolate reduce cardiovascular disease and can help you live longer. What's cheaper to insure? A bar of chocolate or a husband.

12. Eating chocolate can be messy at times, however sex can be a whole lot messier, on more than one level.

100-Calorie Snacks

Use these 24 snacks under 100 calories to satisfy your hunger without damaging your diet.

The lure of between-meal snacking is one of the main obstacles to losing weight or maintaining an already slim-and-trim body. But never fear -- you don't have to give up the occasional nosh entirely, as long as you stick to low-calorie foods. In fact, eating regularly throughout the day keeps your metabolism up and keeps your blood sugar at a more consistent level. With that in mind, what follows is a list of healthy snacks that are all 100 calories or less and require little or no preparation.

1. Peanut Butter Celery Stalk -- One stalk of celery dabbed with a tablespoon of natural peanut butter (the kind without added hydrogenated oils) equals about 100 calories of protein-rich deliciousness.

2. Reduced-Fat Triscuits -- Six of these crunchy whole-grain crackers tote up to under 100 calories. The fiber content will help fill your stomach.

3. Dry-Roasted Pumpkin Seeds -- A quarter cup of this mineral-rich snack comes out to about 75 calories.

4. Chocolate Treat -- For a quick and easy chocolate fix, take about six tablespoons of any brand of light whipped cream or light whipped cream substitute, and fold in a teaspoon of a powdered cocoa mix. Blend it thoroughly. Only about 50 calories.

5. Strawberry Newtons -- Nabisco sells a two-cookie snack pack of these. Each cookie is 100 calories. Eat one and give the other to a friend.

6. Cheese Stick with Marinara Sauce -- Put a low-fat mozzarella cheese stick into a bowl along with a quarter cup of marinara sauce. Heat briefly in the microwave (be careful not to overheat or you'll end up with soup). About 100 calories.

7. Half-Cup of Sherbet or Sorbet -- A good ice cream substitute, and under 100 calories.
Root Beer Float -- Take eight ounces of diet root beer. Add a scoop of non-fat vanilla frozen yogurt. Around 90 calories.

8. Watermelon -- Two cups of watermelon cubes are fairly filling and equal only about 85 calories.

9. Corn on the Cob -- One medium-sized ear with a dash of seasoning will set you back only 80 calories.

10. Puffed Wheat Cereal -- Grab two-thirds of a cup of puffed wheat. Add a half cup of skim milk and a teaspoon of sugar or sugar substitute. About 100 calories.

11. Blueberries -- They're delicious fresh from a farmer's market. A cup equals only 90 calories.

12. Vegetarian Baked Beans -- Doesn't taste much different from the kind with pork in it. One third cup is only about 75 calories.

13. Teddy Grahams Crackers -- The chocolate ones are particularly yummy. Fifteen clock in at 82 calories.

14. Plums -- Three on the small side add up to around 90 calories.

15. Bagel Bites -- Found in the freezer section of your grocery store. Two of these little pizza treats equal 100 calories.

16. Turkey Sandwich -- Make a half-sandwich using a slice of whole-wheat bread and about two ounces of low-fat turkey breast. Add mustard and/or lettuce or a thin slice of tomato if you like. You're looking at about 100 calories.

17. Seven-Ounce Bottle of Dannon Lite 'n' Fit Carb Control Smoothie -- Good source of protein and calcium. Only 70 calories.

18. Campbell's Soup-at-Hand -- A convenient microwavable soup that you sip right from the container. The chicken noodle flavor is only 80 calories.

19. Red or White Wine or Champagne -- Five ounces of the bubbly stuff is under 100 calories.

20. Fruit and Whipped Cream -- Take a half cup of your favorite kind of berries -- raspberries, blueberries, boysenberries, etc. -- and place them in a bowl. Top with two tablespoons of a low-fat whipped cream or whipped cream substitute. About 100 calories.

21. Craisins -- Dried cranberries make a nice change of pace from raisins. Four tablespoons come to around 90 calories.

22. Grapes -- Ever try them frozen? A great treat! Thirty are under 100 calories.

23. Bagel -- A half a bagel with a very light sprinkling of low-fat butter substitute will be around 100 calories.

24. Breadsticks -- The kind with sesame seeds -- two of 'em add up to about 85 calories

By eDiets Staff

Small Changes, Big Results - Part II

Pick Your Beat


Tempo can be a powerful motivator, according to Costas Karageorghis, PhD, associate professor of sport psychology at Brunel University in England, who studies how music affects people. Recently he reported in the International Journal of Sports Medicine that when musical beats per minute (bpm) roughly correspond to a person's heart rate during exercise, motivation dramatically improves.
Costas suggests experimenting with music of different tempos to see what coaxes you into a more positive frame of mind.
To get you started, he's created playlists for different activities with bpm guidelines. (You can determine a song's beats per minute by Googling the title with "bpm," or try sites like EZ-Tracks.com and JamGlue.com.)




Meditation and yoga (50 to 76 bpm):

"Albatross ," Fleetwood Mac (66 bpm); "Evenstar," London Philharmonic (50 bpm); "Terrapin," Bonobo (76 bpm).



Walking (95 to 120 bpm):



"Let's Get It Started," Black Eyed Peas (105 bpm); "Pon

De Replay," Rihanna (100 bpm); "This Is How We Do It," Montell Jordan (104 bpm).



Running; elliptical machine (125 to 160 bpm): "Push It," Salt-N-Pepa (124 bpm); "Put Your Hands Up for Detroit," Fedde Le Grand (129 bpm); "Run to You," Bryan Adams (135 bpm).

Time Major Decisions


During the week before ovulation, both estrogen and testosterone increase in order to help prepare the egg," says Rebecca Booth, MD, author of The Venus Week: Discover the Powerful Secret of Your Cycle...at Any Age .
. "Estrogen is going to make you more creative and emotional, while testosterone will raise your assertiveness and your self-confidence." So the week and a half after your period is the ideal time to work on projects that require insight and out-of-the-box thinking, or to tackle something you need courage for, like asking for a promotion. However, she cautions against making relationship decisions during this time. "The estrogen will make you sappy, and the testosterone can make you rash," says Booth. "So if you feel like doing something big and sweeping, give yourself a few days to think it over."



When You Learn Something, Say It Out Loud


The more actively you engage your brain in the process of learning, the more likely you are to retain knowledge, says Janet Sherman, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. In fact, researchers have found that repeating information—the name of a person, a phone number, anything you're trying to absorb—in different ways increases retention. You might try phrases like "So you're saying…" as an opportunity to go over the fresh information and build on it. Or when you hear a story, tell it to someone new; just thinking about it in a different situation will help your mind store the details.

Small Changes, Big Results - Part I

Eat an Apple...

Have a walnut. Speak your mind. Forgive that lousy friend. Plan ahead. Sara Reistad-Long has a little list of tiny but powerful life tweaks that will make you happier, healthier, and—yes!—better.

New research from Pennsylvania State University found that people who did consumed nearly 190 fewer calories at the meal than those who'd taken in the same number of calories (125) in the form of applesauce, fiber-fortified apple juice, and plain apple juice.
"All calories are not created equal", says Mark Hyman, MD author of Ultrametabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss . "A whole apple feels like more. It has more fiber and nutritions, and make you feels full longer."
The Penn State volunteers ate their apple about 15 min before lunch - and the authors suspect the effects might have been even more dramatic had they eaten the peel (which was removed) thanks to the extra fiber.

Brush Your Teeth with Your Other Hand

Using your nondominant hand to do simple chores can improve your mood and your memory; that's because the action stimulates the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that encourages the growth of neurons linked to long-term memory and mood. "When you're depressed or under stress, your brain's production of BDNF plummets," says Moses Chao, PhD, professor of neuroscience and psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine. (One of the lesser-known effects of antidepressants, he says, is to raise the levels of BDNF.) Anything unexpected—smelling rosemary first thing in the morning, for example—can activate BDNF.

Drink Filtered Coffee.

A growing body of evidence is linking unfiltered coffee to higher levels of both LDL and total cholesterol. The reason, scientists suspect, has to do with terpenes—compounds found in the oil from coffee beans. Unfiltered coffees such as those made in an espresso machine or with a French press or a percolator have more terpenes, which interfere with cholesterol metabolism. "Filters catch surface oils," says Nancy Snyderman, MD, chief medical editor at NBC News and author of Medical Myths That Can Kill You: And the 101 Truths That Will Save, Extend, and Improve Your Life "I learned the hard way that gold filters do very little. Paper filters are far more effective."

Power Up Your Walk

If you've been anywhere near a gym lately, you've probably heard the word "core". Targeting the abs and back, core work develops supple muscles and decreases the risk of injuries. It also improves athletic performance and eases lower back pain, according to a 2008 review from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. You can easily slip in a little core conditioning while you're walking, says Michelle Demus, program director at New York's Pure Yoga studio. Take a deep inhalation, then, with a strong exhalation, pull in your navel toward your spine; hold for a count of five, and release. Do this 10 times while you're walking, take a short rest, and do two more sets. Another way to add core conditioning to your walk is to throw in a few lunges: Keeping the spine long and abdominals engaged, step about 3 feet forward with the right foot—the knee must stay directly above the ankle—and draw the left foot up, so you're balancing on the right leg for a moment. Repeat with the other foot.

Have a Few Walnuts

If you're dragging, consider an unusual suspect: your liver. Thanks to the fatty, carb-heavy American diet, millions of adults are "increasing their odds of liver inflammation and putting themselves on the path toward cirrhosis—and they might never have touched a drink," says Jan Garavaglia, MD, host of the Discovery Health Channel's Dr. G: Medical Examiner and author of How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America's Favorite Medical Examiner . Fatigue and malaise are early symptoms of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; to help prevent or reverse it, try eating an ounce of walnuts daily; they contain liver-healthy omega-3s.

In general, try to replace junk food with fruit, vegetables, fish, and whole grains.

NOT ALL FAT ARE CREATED EQUAL

There are basically four types of fats in our diet.

Saturated fats are found in beef, chicken, cheese, butter, palm and coconut oil. They are solid at room temperature and melt when you heat them. These fats may increase artery-clogging LDL cholesterol in the blood, which is associated with an increased risk for heart disease.

Monounsaturated fats , which are found in canola, olive and peanut oil, may actually lower the LDL in the bloodstream.

Polyunsaturated fats are found in corn, sunflower, safflower and canola oil and are necessary for maintaining healthy cell structure.

While monounsaturated , polyunsaturated and saturated fats can have a rightful place in our diet, there is another fat that should be avoided altogether.

Transfats are often formed when vegetable oils are processed into margarine or shortening and are found in a variety of packaged foods. Transfats are the most harmful type of fat because even small amounts can increase the LDL and lower the HDL (the "good" cholesterol).

At home, transfats can be eliminated from many recipes by replacing margarine with canola oil, although some adjustments to the recipes must be made.