In a rapidly changing and aging world more and more people suffer from age-related decline of intelligence or dementia.

Scientists are looking for more new methods to combat it, because this illness dramatically reduces the quality of life of the patient and often leads to the necessity of reconsidering the ways of living of all family members.

Flavonoids and antioxidants that are found in cocoa beans may be good sources of medicine in this situation.

Ian MacDonald, the scientist from Nottingham, United Kingdom, describes an experiment in which young women were drinking a cup of cocoa before performing complex tasks and performed them under control of a magnetic resonance imaging procedure.

The device showed a significant acceleration of cerebral blood flow in the group.

The next step was to study the impact of cocoa on the brains of people who have initially reduced cerebral blood flow.

According to the researchers, the benefits that cocoa brings were discovered during the investigation of health of the tribes of South America who drink this beverage in very large quantities.

However, the problem lies in the fact that cocoa powder which is delivered to the shops is poor with flavonoids. They are artificially extracted from raw materials, as flavonoids give this drink a bitter taste.

The researchers also fear that patients will “look” the same substance in chocolate that will lead to problems with obesity. Chocolate is food for pleasure and it will never improve health as opposed to cocoa in anticipation of bright future, scientists say.

But soda isn’t just water, corn syrup and carbonation — a can of Coke or Pepsi also contains chemical additives for coloring and flavoring. And according to one public health group, those additives could increase your chance of getting cancer.

That’s the message from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a Washington-based consumer watchdog group. CSPI has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban the “caramel coloring” that is used in Coke, Pepsi and other sodas, on the grounds that the chemicals are carcinogenic.

CSPI says the artificial brown coloring — which doesn’t have much to do with actual caramel, despite the name — is made by reacting corn sugar with ammonia and sulfites under high pressures and at high temperatures. (Just like Mom used to do it!) Those reactions produce the chemicals 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole — chemicals that government studies have found to cause lung, liver or thyroid cancer in lab rats or mice. “It’s a small but significant risk, and it’s the kind of thing that government agencies should deal with,” says Michael Jacobson, the executive director of CSPI.

Is Jacobson right? A 2007 study by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) found “clear evidence of carcinogenic activity of 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI) in male and
female B6C3F1 mice based on increased incidences of alveolar/bronchiolar neoplasms,” otherwise known as lung tumors. The state of California has also concluded that 4-MEI is a carcinogen, and is in the process of crafting regulations that may require food and drinks containing significant levels of the chemical to bear cancer warnings.

According to California’s regulators, a level of more than 16 micrograms per day would pose a significant risk — meaning it could result in at least one excess case of cancer per 100,000 exposed people. Given that there are roughly 130 micrograms of 4-MI per 12-ounce can of soda — and given that the average American drinks 14 ounces of soda a day, with young men drinking far more — that would mean that most of us would be at some risk.

As a result, CSPI has been petitioning the FDA to change the name or ban the use of the chemicals in soda and other foods, or at least force manufacturers to put warning labels on their packaging. “We think industry can solve this problem,” says Jacobson. “They don’t want to put warning labels on their products.”

The soda industry, however, is fighting back. In a statement the American Beverage Association — an industry group that includes soda makers — denied that 4-MEI posed any danger to human health:

4-MEI is not a threat to human health. There is no evidence that 4-MEI causes cancer in humans. No health regulatory agency around the globe, including the Food and Drug Administration, has said that 4-MEI is a human carcinogen. This petition is nothing more than another attempt to scare consumers by an advocacy group long-dedicated to attacking the food and beverage industry.

In California a number of industry groups — including the American Beverage Association — have filed a lawsuit against state regulators to block efforts to list 4-MEI as a carcinogen:

The state agency’s decision does not reflect sound science and failed to follow its own regulations. Also, it did not take into account all the data available on the subject in this process.

Source: http://healthland.time.com

Most drinks do a good job of hydrating, but the components of some common drinks sharply reduce their hydrating ability.

Which drinks are the best hydrators, and which the worst? Here are the three most hydrating and the four least hydrating drinks.

Drinks That Are Strong Hydrators

Water
Water is the preeminent beverage for correctly hydrating the body.

Herbal Teas (Infusions)
The leaves from plants such as mint, verbena, linden, balm, and so on give a pleasant aroma and flavor to the water in which they are steeped, which makes infusions a satisfying alternative to people who don’t enjoy drinking plain water.

The medicinal properties of the plants do not have a negative effect on the body’s assimilation of the water.

Note: The benefit does not extend to sweetened infusions, or if the tea is made with plants that have diuretic properties, such as dandelion.

Fruit and Vegetable Juices
The water in fruits and vegetables–their juice–is one of the liquids nature has provided for hydrating our bodies. Juice is water bound to a substance. To maintain our harmonic balance with nature and avoid taking in too high a concentration of nutrients and sugars, we should consider juice a secondary resource to be used in moderation.

Drinks that Are Weak Hydrators

Coffee, Tea, and Cocoa
Drinks that have a base of coffee, black tea, or cocoa are quite high in purins, toxins that must be eliminated from the body by urine or sweat in the form of uric acid. Purines need to be diluted in large quantities of liquid to be evacuated without irritation. A good portion of the water consumed with these drinks is used to eliminate the toxins.

Milk
Milk is a food, not a drink, and its digestion by adults is frequently incomplete.

Whey, on the other hand, is very easily digested, but its diuretic properties are an impediment to its consumption as a daily beverage.

Soft Drinks
Soft drinks often have a high caffeine base, a diuretic, which makes a body lose water before it has time to make its way into the intracellular environment. The other problem comes from the high sugar content of most sodas. The body has a hard time properly metabolizing refined sugar. To correct the reaction to this, the body has to surrender water from the extracellular fluid. Because that makes a person thirsty, a vicious circle is created, as the thirst is being maintained by the very beverage that is drink with the intention of getting rid of it.

Alcoholic Beverages
Alcohol itself has dehydrating properties, removing water from the tissues it contacts and drying them out and increasing the need for water.

Adapted from The Water Prescription, by Christopher Vasey, N.D.

A study that was recently published has determined that it would help American lose weight should the tax was large enough.

However, even then the benefits would primarily be accrued by the middle class and be modest at best.

If the United Stated added a 40% tax to the price of sugary drinks such as sports drinks and sodas that were purchased in a retail store, it would reduce approximately 12 calories from the daily intake of beverages for the average person in the United States. This would translate into a person losing approximately 1 1/4 pounds.

Without doing all of the calculations, it turns out that a 20 % tax wouldn’t work as well as a 40% tax for discouraging the drinking of sugary drinks. Also, should the tax cover more kinds of sugary drinks, the reduction in caloric intake would be somewhat increased which would reduce the options for a substitution of a lower tax.

However, if such a tax could become politically palatable, the benefits from such a tax wouldn’t be advantageous for everybody. The study also determined that increasing the taxes on sugary drinks wouldn’t reduce the weight of the poorest of the wealthiest people in the United States significantly.

The idea of taxing junk food and sugary beverages is gaining some support in some political circles. However, it might be impossible to get public support for such taxes. Recently, a survey was conducted in which people in the United States were ask for their opinion a tax increase directed at sugary drinks.

Over 3,000 people or 51% if the people surveyed either opposed or strongly opposed such tax increases. Only about 1/3 of those surveyed were in favor of a tax increase.

However, there is the deficit to consider and one factor might be how much money the increased taxes might raise. It has been estimated that a tax of 40% on a variety of sugary drinks might gather over $2,500,000,000.

It is energy-giving since it is full of carbohydrates and likewise stimulating since it also contains caffeine and theobromine. Introduced in the market as a chocolate bar only in the 19th century, chocolate has always been used as a drink even during its earliest history. Even today when there are lots of varieties to choose from, the chocolate drink continues to hold its own.

First, there’s the ever-popular chocolate milk drink. Whether pre-mixed or home-made, it remains a big hit especially among schoolchildren. This sweetened, cocoa-flavored milk drink actually needs to be kept cool and refrigerated, which makes it all the more appealing to young kids and choco drinkers alike.

Most adults, however, prefer their chocolate drink to be hot. There’s a very nice warm feeling in the stomach when drinking no less than hot chocolate early in the morning, especially if it’s cold outside. Now coming in a variety of flavors, hot chocolate drinks are very popular all over the world. Some serve it frothy while some garnish it with whipped cream and candy canes. Some serve it with eggnog, chocolate chunks, toffee chunks, and marshmallows.

Some combine coffee and chocolate while some put in some spices with vanilla. Some are trying on new combinations that include chocolate and ginger or chocolate and tea. Some put in cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg as ingredients while some experiment with chili. Some have cardamom spice and orange peel while some have tried coffee liquor and rum. And have you ever heard of ‘hot chocolate shot,’ ‘hot chocolate latte,’ and ‘hot chocolate martini’? In whatever way you mix and fix it, hot chocolate still is the perfect drink on a cold day.

Here’s how to make the most of chocolate for your chocolate drink, whether you take it hot or cold. For chocolate-flavored liquids, take the ratio of 1 to 1, that is, 4 ounces of chocolate for every 4 cups of liquid. Chop the chocolate into small cubes and allow it to melt slowly over low heat. To melt chocolate, heat it in a bowl suspended over but not in a pan of hot but not boiling water. Melt it slowly without stirring and it should just be lukewarm.

Chocolate will lose its glossy shine and delicious aroma if it is overheated. When done properly, the result will be a rich velvety smooth indulgence every chocolate lover will enjoy. Nonetheless if you prefer it, this mixture may be substituted with ¾ cup cocoa powder and ¼ cup sugar for every 4 ounces of chocolate. For cold chocolate mixtures, always remember that the mixture will thicken quite considerably as it cools.

As a result of frequent consuming of different energy drinks people can get upset stomach, leg weakness, heart palpitations, being jittery, nervousness, can have problems with sleeping, and affected blood pressure. All of these are the result of inorganic chemicals used in that drinks.

However, there are some more natural ways to get the needed effect. The same coffee, for example, served with skim or soy milk can help you a lot. It’s important not to overstate it. Not more than 2-3 servings a day of caffeinated beverages are recommended, preferably served along with food. If you find caffeine overly stimulating, try half-caffeinated beverages.

Being dehydrated can lead everyone to fatigue. That’s why sports drinks, fruit juices, water, and low-fat milk are recommended. The best are fresh fruit juices and purified water, of course. You can try some weak green tea, too.

One of the most useful and energizing drinks is the yerba mate tea. This plant is well known in the Latino American Countries. Now it becomes even more fashionable then coffee. The main reason for drinking it is the enormous number of useful ingredients it contains.

A low-fat yogurt or any low-fat yogurt drinks can also give you energy, because of the carbohydrates contained there. Apart from that you can add a healthy diet, physical activity, good night’s sleep, vegetables, and fresh or dried fruits.

However, it seems that your active lifestyle requires some more efficient and portable solutions. Fortunately, there are some. A few energy healthy drinks exist these days, and they are not as known, among big masses, as the unhealthy ones.

One of them is Vemma Verve Energy Drink. It is filled with vitamins, plant minerals, phytonutrients from exotic and rare mangosteen fruits, organic aloe, and green tea. Its secret, as the producers say, consists in the specific way of preparing all this stuff.

Another source of energy is the Electrifire Energy Healthy Drink. This one is known for its absolutely natural composition. It contains purified water, orange, lime, ginger, frankincense, pomegranate, geranium, Ylang Ylang, aronia berry, passion fruit, peppermint, cranberry, rosemary antioxidant, rose, chili, and Vitamin B-12.

A.C.T. energy drinks speed-up your metabolism with natural and whole food ingredients such as guarana, green tea, panax ginseng, and maca root. This healthy drink also contain Fibersol-2, a natural, safe, and healthy source of soluble fiber. It’s known to support and promote healthy weight loss.

Names are different, effects are the same. But the consequences are different, too. If you really care about your health and about your future success, then spend some time on finding out the truth about things you consume. It will definitely economizes lots of time in future.

Green tea. It is one of the most useful and healthy drinks, known for more then 4700 years. It contains over 700 chemicals that protects us from more then 300 different kinds of bacteria.

Tea plays an important role in improving beneficial intestinal micro-flora, as well as providing immunity against intestinal disorders and in protecting cell membranes from oxidative damage. The role of tea is well established in normalizing blood pressure, lipid depressing activity, prevention of coronary heart diseases and diabetes by reducing the blood-glucose activity.

Tea also prevents dental caries due to the presence of fluorine. Green tea infusions contain a huge number of antioxidants, mainly used to make our lives longer. Apart from that, green tea can easily reduces your thirst in hot, sunny days.

Black tea. It is a variety of tea that is more oxidized than the oolong, green, and white varieties. Black tea is generally stronger in flavor and contains more caffeine than the less oxidized teas. It also retains its flavor for several years. In spring, cold days it is perfect for rising up your mood and to keep the body temperature higher.

These types of tea can be mixed with different fruits, usually small, dried pieces. It will add something new in the casual process of drinking tea. Every tea-drinking can become a small holiday. If you have no time for creative work – the same teas mixed with fruits can be bought in the neighbor shops.

Water. One of the oldest and most undiscovered substances and healthy drinks. Using natural water in you daily food is essential for a healthy life. Some raw-eaters consider water the only drink that must be consumed.

But only clean water is really useful for our body. There are many and difficult ways to clean it, but one of the most available and workable is just using silver in the process of purifying. It will give you the possibility to drink clean water and to have a healthy body and life.

Juice. It is a healthy liquid naturally contained in fruit or vegetable tissue. Juice is prepared by mechanically squeezing or macerating fresh fruits or vegetables without the application of heat or solvents. Juice may be prepared in the home from fresh fruits and vegetables using variety of hand or electric juicers.

It’s composition and taste depend on the fruits mixed there. Juices are often consumed for their health benefits. For example, orange juice is rich in vitamin C, while prune juice is associated with a digestive health benefit. Cranberry juice has long been known to help prevent or even treat bladder infections. Besides, today it’s popular to combine different fruits into a single juice drink.

These simple and accessible drinks do help everyone to support a healthy body and good mood. They represent a part of everyday life for all people who cares about themselves.

Protein Drinks are usually associated with body building, endurance, weight loss or supplementation but no matter what is your interest, there is a protein drinks formulated that certainly suits your needs. High protein beverages have now become one of the fastest growing areas of health foods. The best protein drinks is fortified with all the needed nutrients and packed with benefits. It works on beefing up or slimming down, immunity enhancement and boosting endurance.

Our body is capable of making amino acids but not the essential amino acids. Essential amino acids can be achieved by eating quality protein foods. Quality protein foods are based on person’s age, weight, sex, activity level and overall health.

To ensure that your protein drink is nutritious and safe, you can prepare a homemade protein drinks for your family. Make your own protein drink by using protein powder combined with orange or grape juices. A fruity flavor like bananas, peaches and blueberries is great especially for children. Here is a suggested ingredients and procedure that will make a tasty and delicious homemade protein drinks.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup of frozen yogurt vanilla flavor or ice cream
• 1/4 medium-size ripe banana, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 2 pecans, broken
• 1 tbsp of raw or toasted wheat germ
• 1 tbsp protein powder

Direction:

1. Put the frozen yogurt or ice cream, milk, banana, pecans, wheat gem and protein powder altogether in a mixer or blender.
2. Cover and blend them until all ingredients are mix thoroughly.
3. Serve and enjoy!

The main source of protein is the animal meat. However, eating them everyday is not advisable. Meat cannot be digested easily and it contains cholesterol which is harmful to health. Protein Drinks is the best alternative. It will sustain your daily protein requirements and can be digested easily. This is widely used by body builders, weight losers, athletes and people that are always on the go. On the other hand, protein drinks is not exclusively for them, it is for everyone.

There are different kinds of protein drinks available in the stores, supermarkets and online. In purchasing one, see to it that you read the nutritional facts posted in its label. By knowing the nutritional facts you can determine which product is suited to your age, sex, weight and taste. If you prefer to buy them online, there are websites that provide proper information about the product. Visit one of them and choose what best protein drinks are for you and your family.

1. Portuguese National Drink
Yerba Mate or hierba mate or erva mate, in Portuguese (Ilex paraguariensis), or sometimes called simply mate, is a species of holly (family Aquifoliaceae) native to subtropical South America in northern Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brazil and Bolivia. It is used as a herbal tea.

Mate drinking
As with other brewed herbs, yerba mate leaves are dried, chopped, and ground into a powdery mixture. Unlike other brews, however, mate is traditionally sipped from a dried and carefully carved, hollow calabash, through a special metal straw (traditionally silver) called a bombilla. Bombilla usually means “light bulb” in Spanish, but locally it is “little pump” or “straw”.

Preparing the Mate
The method of preparing the mate infusion varies considerably from region to region, and it is hotly debated which method yields the finest outcome. However, nearly all methods have some common elements: the gourd is packed with an abundant amount of yerba, and very hot water (typically from 70–80 degrees Celsius [160–180 degrees Fahrenheit] and never boiling) is added.

2. Nicaragua National Drinks
Here are many national drinks that you will enjoy when you go to Nicaragua.
Some of them are: Fresh tropical fruit juice, Chicha de maíz and de jengibre (in order to make this drink you have to boil corn and then grind it with food coloring), Tiste (this is another unusual drink that you will have the opportunity to taste. It is made from corn and cocoa drink.
Another original drink is cacao. This is actually one of the favorite drinks in the world.

Here goes, a sampling of some of the more unusual national drinks.

3. Sosro Tehbotol National Drink
This is basically sweetened jasmine tea from Indonesia. It has a crisp, clean taste, flowery. It’s an iced tea, but doesn’t need lemon.

4. De Sarro & Torchia BibiCaffe National Drink
This is a carbonated, concentrated coffee. Espresso, caramel, vanilla with bubbles. Not too sweet, a bit of a kick, almost chocolaty. Cute small bottle. One of the best drinks.

5. Almdudler National Drink
Almdudler is the national soft drink of Austria. Tastes like a light lemonade with a sour apple flavor. The bottle design is pretty sharp, with two Almdudler-holics in funky hats looking straight from a Tin-Tin comic.

6. Fentiman’s: Five interesting flavors
Fentimans is a British maker of botanically brewed, slightly fermented beverages. These are microbrewed, hand crafted soda for grownups.

7. China Cola National Drink
A real novelty, this is a cola where the flavor is created by a careful mix of Chinese herbs. Seems like a lot of effort for what’s basically a coke.

8. Sprecher’s Orange Dream National Drink
From Wisconsin, this microbrewed orange soda comes in a hefty bottle with a cow mascot. It’s an orange cream with vanilla and honey.

9. Kombucha Wonder Drink
This Kombucha Wonder Drink is described as “A Sparkling Himalayan Tonic” and a “blend of jasmine tea with essence of Niagara grape”. It’s a kind of sweet and sour, like a musky grape juice. Kombucha is some kind of funky mushroom.

Kombucha is a popular health promoting beverage and natural folk remedy made by fermenting tea. Kombucha is a colony or culture of yeast and other microorganisms embedded in a pure cellulose “pancake.” When the “pancake” is grown in a blend of tea and sugar, it transforms the liquid into a refreshingly lightly sparkling, sweet and sour drink with a fruity fragrance full of health giving acids and nutrients. The Kombucha culture feeds on the sugar and, in exchange, produces other valuable substances which change into the drink: glucuronic acid, glucon acid, lactic acid, vitamins, amino acids, antibiotic substances.

Kombucha tea has about 0.5% to 1% alcohol as do some fruit juices such as apple juice. Harold Tietze in his book KOMBUCHA, THE MIRACLE FUNGUS observes that Muslims and Buddhists drink it without concern. “Recovered alcoholics do not have to fear the small amounts of alcohol.” The Salvation Army is using Kombucha to help alcoholics.

Kombucha tea isn’t something you can buy in a bottle or a bag. You need to brew up a batch of kombucha starter culture and grow your own.

The health benefits of kombucha tea are many, and the taste is distinctively tart. The final product is lightly carbonated too. If you’re interested in trying some, be prepared to do a little work and to wait for the finished product.

Kombucha Tea Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 – 6 Tea bags (at least 2 are black)
• 4 litres ( 140 fl oz) Pure water, rain or spring
• 300 grams (10 oz) White Sugar
• 1 Kombucha tea fungus
• 400 ml (1 3/4 cup//14 fl oz) Kombucha tea (mother tea), from your last brew or obtained with the mushroom / fungus – If you don’t have enough mother liquid

Instruction:
Boil the water in a stainless steel pot, add sugar, turn off heat and stir sugar until dissolved. Add teabags and let soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove tea bags and allow to cool. Strain (not necessary) and pour into fermenting jar. Add the fungus and mother tea to the jar. Cover and leave for one week in a place free from contaminants such as mould, cooking fats etc.

Recipes for Kombucha Tea with Pawpaw (Papaya)

Ingredients:

• 100 grams (3.5 oz) Paw paw leaves and flowers
• 4 litres (140 fl oz) Pure water, rain or spring
• 300 grams (10 oz) White sugar
• 2 Green tea bags
• 4 Black tea bags
• 1 Kombucha tea mushroom
• 400 ml (1 3/4cup / 14 fl oz) Kombucha tea (mother tea), from your last brew or obtained with the fungus. If you don’t have enough mother liquid

Instruction:
Cut, clean and chop the stalks off the papaya leaves and flowers. Place in pot, bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 1/2 hour. Let cool, strain and bring to the boil again, add sugar, turn off heat and stir sugar until dissolved. Add teabags and let soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove tea bags and allow to cool. Strain (not necessary) and pour into fermenting jar. Add the fungus and mother tea to the jar. Cover and leave for one week in a place free from contaminants such as mould, cooking fats etc.

Ingredients:
The following quantities are for one litre.

• 5 tablespoons = 1/3 cup
• 3-5 tablespoons of white sugar.
• 1 – 2 teaspoons black tea (organic).
• 1 – 2 teaspoons green tea (organic).
• 1 teaspoon elderflower tea (optional).
• 1 tablespoon papaya leaf tea (optional).
• 1 litre water (Grander water).
• 100 mls of Kombucha tea, (as an acidic starter).
• 1 piece of Kombucha plant. (about 4 inches in diameter.)

Instruction:
Add the sugar to a glass bowl, dangle the tea bags over the side, then pour on boiling water. Use the tea bags to stir the liquid and dissolve the sugar. Leave the tea bags to steep until the tea has cooled. If you are using loose tea then steep the tea in a teapot, then mix with the sugar and boiled water in a bowl. Some herbs such as papaya leaf will need simmering in boiling water for 2 hours. Strain the herbs through muslin cloth.
When the tea has cooled to below 25C, mix in the Kombucha tea, then float the Kombucha plant on the surface. Cover the bowl with a tea towel held in place with an elastic band and leave it where it won’t be disturbed for 2 – 4 weeks at 20-25C. The longer you ferment the kombucha the less sweet and the more acidic it will become. The Kombucha tea is ready when a new mushroom has covered the surface and all of the sugar has been digested. When the kombucha is ready, scoop the tea out the bowl with a small jug and transfer to bottles. Discard the sediment. Refrigerate the kombucha before drinking. Store unused kombucha mushrooms covered with kombucha tea in a jar in the refrigerator.

Honey Kombucha Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1. Two cups of starter tea
• 2. 3 quarts of water
• 3. 1 cup of Liquid Honey
• 4. 1/2 cup of sugar

Instruction:
Boil water for 5 to 10 minutes and remove from heat. Using a cooking thermometer monitor the temperature. When the temperature has fallen below 150 degrees F. add the cup of honey (or 1.5 cups to speed fermentation) and stir until the honey is dissolved. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Once the tea reaches room temperature you can pour off the mixture (leaving the sediment on the bottom behind).

Kombucha Banana Strawberry Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 10 ounces orange juice
• 4 ounces Kombucha tea.
• One piece of fresh Kombucha colony (sized to palate)
• 5-6 large fresh strawberries
• 1-2 large banana

Blend all ingredients at high speed in your blender until smooth.