In the Pink

No cane sugar

No Corn Syrup

No Fructose

No White Flour

No Caffeine

No Milk Products

No Butter

No Table Salt

No Preservatives

and Still Lip Smacking Good

"In the pink" is a phrase that means "in good health." There have been many instances in my life that have led me to make a serious change in my family's eating habits. My three year old son was diagnosed (at 4 months of age) with urticaria pigmentosa. This is a skin disease that (I am told) no one can cure, however I have noticed that there are certain foods that make the situation worse for him. Another is my younger sister who was recently diagnosed with wegeners disease. She too has to be extremely careful on what she eats.

The problem is that I always thought healthy food was gross... I am so pleased to find out that there are healthy yet major yummy foods out there. I stick to a simple plan including the "No's" listed above. Meat is used sparingly. When meats are used I try to stick with chicken (organic) and fish (wild caught).

Enjoy! Feel free to comment!

Article of the Week

          I would like to take this opportunity to discuss one of the most controversial subjects that I come across--and that is-- wait for it… CHOCOLATE. That’s right ladies--I went there. Is it actually good for you or are you just justifying your addiction or craving for wanting to eat it? What about dark chocolate? What about cacao? Isn’t it a “super food” with antidepressant properties? Doesn’t it relieve headaches? What about antioxidants? Hmm. Let us take a look shall we?

          A study that I want to focus on, deals with chocolate and premenstrual syndrome (Vo, 2007). This study was conducted at the University of Maryland. The reason why I personally want to focus on this subject is because I have premenstrual dysphoric disorder and I feel that I can contribute a lot of personal experiences to the subject. Also, there are a lot symptoms involved in premenstrual syndrome that can be measured upon their severity. This makes it a little bit easier to track the effects that chocolate can have on the symptoms.   

     In an article by Lori Zanteson the author discusses how dark chocolate is good for your heart (Zanteson, 2014). However another article has information about how caffeine which is contained within chocolate has been linked to heart disease (PMS Risk, 1990). Another article states that chocolate only has short-term benefits on heart risks (Harvard Women’s Health Watch, 2014). There is so much controversial information out there about chocolate.

     I think there are a lot of conflicting findings about the subject because chocolate has been around for centuries. It comes in many forms, which is also a leading reason why there are conflicting findings. I think a small reason that contributes to this conflict is that chocolate is addictive which can create some bias on the subject. The media also plays a role in creating conflicting findings. In an article, Dr. Eric Ding stated that the media will snatch up a cocoa story so that they can say that eating chocolate is good for you (Harvard Women’s Health Watch, 2014).

     For ladies, I would say the most common time to crave chocolate correlates with the menstrual cycle. For me, it is during the week before my cycle that I crave this yummy treat. Why is that? Well, fatigue is one of a couple hundred premenstrual syndrome symptoms (Vo, 2007). Could it be that because we are tired we are craving stimulants? Memory problems are also a symptom of premenstrual syndrome. Cocoa flavonoids when consumed are absorbed into the part of your brain that assists in memory (Zanteson, 2014). Maybe this is why chocolate is craved during this special time of the month. Headaches are another symptom of premenstrual syndrome. How many of our doctors have been prescribing chocolate as a way to relieve those headaches? I know I’ve heard it from family physicians many times. Could this be another reason why? Or could it simply be that food craving is another symptom of premenstrual syndrome (Vo, 2007)?

     Some researchers suggest that caffeine is often craved or consumed because of the lift that it provides during a menstrual cycle (Vo, 2007). However, it was found during the study that caffeine increases the severity of symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (Vo, 2007). So may cause a lift for temporary amount of time, but once that lift is taken off the results end up being worse than they were to begin with. The sugar crashes or the caffeine crashes from chocolate end up creating worse symptoms. The fatigue that you had been experiencing before will increase. The depression, headaches, the food cravings, will all increase.

     Let’s talk about headaches. I have to laugh every time I hear a doctor suggesting chocolate to relieve headaches. I’m married to a psychologist who specializes in addictions. Caffeine is highly addictive. One of the biggest symptoms of withdrawal is a headache. It does not surprise me that consuming caffeine will get rid of the headache. That’s because you’re feeding the addiction! The problem with that is that as soon as it wears off you need to eat more chocolate! You are stuck in this endless cycle. You are not fixing the problem.

     Let’s talk about depression. I have depression. It is part of my premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Sure I feel great after eating chocolate in any form (i.e. cacao, dark, milk, etc). Once the fun wears off I end up having a panic attack. My symptoms are worse than they were before. I find it humorous when I read about the antidepressant properties of chocolate. Like this one article for instance called “The Food of the Gods” (Crespo, 2012). Let me tell you, chocolate makes me very happy. It does relieve stress... for a while. Just let me tell you that the last time I ate a brownie, within 24 hours I was hyperventilating and having an anxiety attack. Ever since I took chocolate out of my diet I haven’t had a single attack.

     Let’s talk about food cravings. Based off the glycemic index, when your blood sugar drops, you crave food. Cocoa has a very bitter taste. Sugar is needed if it is ever going to be palatable. So what happens when you have a sugar crash? Cravings!

     Some studies link depression and cravings to low serotonin levels (Grain, 2006). One thing that happens in accordance to my premenstrual disorder is when my estrogen levels raise my serotonin levels are not raising with it or at least not as much as it should. One of the biggest things that I’ve been cautioned about has been my consumption of chocolate and caffeine. In a study conducted at Oregon State University women who partook of caffeine or seven times more likely to experience depression, anxiety, mood swings, and bloating (PMS risks with caffeine, 1990). This suggests a dip in serotonin levels. In another study conducted on rats with serotonin deficiencies, caffeine proved to increase their serotonin levels but as soon as they were taken off the caffeine, they received caffeine-induced depression particularly due to conditions under caffeine withdrawal (Haleem, Yasmeen, Haleem, & Zafar, 1995).

     Dr. Ding from Harvard states that flavonoids are the contributors to the health claims of chocolate (Harvard Women’s Health Watch, 2014). The flavonoids are greater in raw cacao and dark chocolate. Dr. Ding felt it was important to note that while the flavonoids help to counteract factors that contribute to a heart attack, there is no proof suggesting that the flavonoids can actually prevent heart attack (Harvard Women’s Health Watch, 2014). Because of this situation, I feel that the media and people in general jump to the conclusion that chocolate can prevent a tragedy from occurring. What a novel idea! Something as delicious and delectable as chocolate can save the world from heart attacks, headaches, depression, etc? No wonder the rumors started to fly. So sure, there are benefits to chocolate. But do the benefits outweigh the consequences? I’m going to go with “no.”

    

References

Chocolate: Pros and cons of this sweet treat. (Cover story). (2014). Harvard Women’s Health

     Watch, 21(6), 1-7.

Crespo, H. (2012). The food of the gods. Lilipoh. 17(68), 49.

Grain, E. (2006). Why do I get cravings when I’m PMS-ing?. Cosmopolitan. 240(3), 218.

Haleem, D., Yasmeen, A., Haleem, M., & Zafar, A. (1995). 24h withdrawal following repeated

     administration of caffeine attenuates brain serotonin but not tryptophan in rat brain:

     implications for caffeine – induced depression. Life Sciences. 57(19). PL 285-PL 292.

PMS risk with caffeine. (1990). Off our Backs, 20, 8. Retrieved from http://login.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/197159338?accountid=4485.

Vo, H. (2007). The effects of caffeine on premenstrual syndrome. (Order No. 1443434,

     University of Maryland, College Park). ProQuest Dissertations and Thesis, 121. Retrieved   

     from     http://login.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/304847330?accountid=4485. (304847330).

Zaneteson, L. (2014). Dark chocolate for your heart. Environmental Nutrition. 37(2), 1.