Chocolates loaded with health benefits

Apr 6, 2012

Experts from across the world recently reported about the emerging health benefits and other aspects of chocolate - the food that has delighted people for almost 2,000 years.

"Chocolate is one of the foods with the greatest appeal to the general population," said Sunil Kochhar, Ph.D., one of the symposium participants at at the 243rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

.......That chocolate may be useful in treating of diseases involving disorders of the trigeminal nerve, including migraine and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. ..........

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health/Chocolates-loaded-with-health-benefits/articleshow/12453548.cms

Gah, how ironic that chocolate should be good for us, when it causes me migraines - I haven't been able to eat the stuff for years. No Easter eggs here!

This one did make me smile........ you sometimes wonder how they work this all out...........

Hmmmmmm.


What my migraine specialist told me about food triggers was interesting. That the common so called food triggers aren't actually triggers at all! What he said was that a craving for things like chocolate, red wine, cheese, citrus etc, etc was actually part of the migraine itself rather than a trigger, so it doesn't matter if you eat them or not. I don't appear to have any food triggers, but I do sometimes get incredibly hungry for carbs or junk food before a migraine (as well as really sleepy and really thirsty). I suppose they're all theories, being tested out.

Food for thought.

I think I've heard that before. I guess triggers are complicated things. I definitely can't eat chocolate though. The last time I did, I remember was one Easter (funnily enough!), where my manager had bought me a creme egg (waaah!!!). I had a migraine at the time, so I thought 'how bad could it be? I already have a migraine'. Half an hour later, it was absolutely raging!

That's what I always noticed about chocolate and me, actually; that the migraine would kick in really fast afterwards. Whereas with cheese, it used to come on in the early hours of the morning, so I woke up with it.

I haven't a clue how any of this works really!

P.S. I am really enjoying all of this food talk. The only trouble is, it is making me oh so hungry!

For hunger I recommend topiramate, it removes appetite.

Kidding!

Did I read somewhere, btw, that the FDA was going to recommend that topiramate as a weight loss aid or did I make that up?

Horrific! It's toxic, I feel completely poisoned at the moment.

Sorry, off topic.

sisterphonetica wrote:For hunger I recommend topiramate, it removes appetite.

Kidding!

Yikes!

sisterphonetica wrote:Did I read somewhere, btw, that the FDA was going to recommend that topiramate as a weight loss aid or did I make that up?

Horrific! It's toxic, I feel completely poisoned at the moment.

Sorry, off topic.

That sounds vaguely familiar, actually. What a sledgehammer to crack a nut that sounds!

Sorry to hear you're feeling so rough. Is it helping your head at all?

It was, but it's giving me a headache at the moment, but that's probably because I've not slept for panicking last night! Scary constant palpitations and shortness of breath. Took me a while to convince myself I wasn't going to have a heart attack in my sleep.

Oh you guys make me smile ............ I love that people in so much pain can still smile.........

I have also read that about food and triggers - that its a craving - but I have also read that in some people it sets off a chemical reaction - which is the actual trigger - its all theory when it comes to migs..

And yes the FDA are looking at Topamax for weight control - that scares me to the core..........

Sister - I hope you are managing to get some sleep x

Sarah - it off topic - but how are you getting on with the calcium - I am thinking of adding it in?

It's a long story with the calcium... as these things usually are! I've had a bit of a break from it, mostly due to TMI type digestive problems! I also tried to find a more natural kind of supplement that wouldn't bother my stomach, but failed (I tried Higher Nature's Sea Calcium, but that made my stomach hurt, as so many things do).

But I do think I need it, so I think I'll have to reintroduce it. I think it's the balance between the calcium and magnesium that is difficult to achieve, and it depends on your diet too. I need way more magnesium than calcium, but then my diet is much higher in calcium than magnesium, as most people's are.

I have also been re-experimenting (is that a word?!) with the magnesium oil. I gave up on it (several times!) before, as it irritates my skin so much, but I was reading that if you can put up with the raging irritation for half an hour, then rinse it off, that's pretty much all the magnesium absorbed anyway. So I've been spraying my arms, rubbing it in and leaving it for half an hour, then rinsing it off.

I'll consume plenty of chocolate if it's available in the days before a migraine appears. But it has to be dark chocolate, 75% cacao or better, otherwise it tastes disgusting. I don't think it's a trigger as we don't usually keep chocolate in the house. So usually the craving is left unsatisfied.