News from the NY-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center reveals foods declaring that they're made sea salt may be appealing, but they're of no added value. Sea salts are coarser and grainier than table salt because the former undergo less processing than the latter. Sea salts are made from evaporated sea water. Table salt, on the other hand, usually comes from underground salt mines and is processed into finer crystals. Although less processing in whole grains versus refined grains gives added health benefits, this doesn't apply to salt. According to the experts, we all need a small amount of salt in our diet. Don't over-shake the condiment though. As applies to most of life: everything in moderation.
According to research, gut bacteria is the secret to dark chocolate's health benefits to the heart. This linked with other indigestible foods like prebiotics found in raw garlic and whole wheat flour are heavily favored by gut bacteria. They grow, outcompete any undesirable microbes in the gut, and produce compounds that are anti-inflammatory.
Apparently, good stomach bacteria break down chocolate and turn it into heart healthy anti-inflammatory compounds, which experts say could reduce your long-term risk of stroke, according to research presented at the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.
In moderation chocolate can also reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, or the thickening and hardening of the arteries.
I noted months ago the ten smells that stand out, for research on my novel writing. These are:
Fragrant
Woody/resinous
Chemical
Minty/peppermint
Fruity/non citrus
Sweet
Popcorn
Lemon
Pungent
Decayed.
New research from Rockefeller University has shown our sense of smell far outweighs human sight and hearing. Our sense of smell can detect millions more odors than previously estimated. Researchers have estimated that the human eye and its mere three receptors can distinguish several million colors and that the ear can discriminate 340,000 sounds.
Rose or lavender scent can give us pleasant dreams and a whiff of peppermint helps pupils study. Yet bad odor can lead to depression. Just think how a wisp of smoke leads to alarm about something burning or a quick sniff alerts us that food is going off. We can tell if our loved one is ill by the odor coming off their body, and we can avoid areas of contamination just by using our nose.
Smells produce physiological changes in our bodies. The scent-processing centre of the brain is linked to the limbic system, which controls the release of hormones and emotions. As a result, odors can raise our heartbeat, induce changes in blood pressure, trigger the sensation of hunger and cause the release of hormones that affect our mood.
I must have smelled something bad in the garden yesterday. I snapped at my poor husband all evening, despite him telling me how much he loved me and how he only produces wonderful meals with me in mind. I know full well he wouldn't bother with all the vegetables and accompaniments if he cooked for himself.
Perhaps I should keep a pomander handy in future. I could take a quick sniff every time I felt peeved.