Anti-Oxidant Archives - Sensory Nutrition

Monk Fruit Sweetener Blend Advertising Increases in 2013

Monk fruit extract blend sweeteners have hit the marketplace with a bang! You’ve probably seen a major increase in advertising for monk fruit awareness since anything possibly having to do with weight control is always at a fever pitch in the January of any new year. “No-cal” and “Low-Cal” sweetener blend products of all types continue to sell well across the globe, but companies are always looking for something “newer” to the marketplace to promote. (Luo han guo image property of and used courtesy of the Fruit Species fruit blog). A monkfruit.org website is launched, and television, print, as well as online advertising, etc.

Blue Zones, Habits, Longevity Part 2

In the first blog post in this two-part series, we mentioned that Dr. Michel Poulain, a Belgian demographer researching longevity, along with Dr. Gianni Pes, a medical statistician tied to the University of Sassari, Italy, coined the name Blue Zone. Why choose the name Blue Zone you ask?

Blue Zones, Habits, Longevity (Part 1)

Can each of us find ways in our own lives to embrace similar positive habits to those of higher longevity elders living in “Blue Zones” around the world?

Demystifying Chocolate and Cacao Part 3 of 3

In Part 1 of this blog series we provided some background on chocolate and cacao including some cultural information surrounding the growing of theobroma cacao trees around the world and processing cacao beans from grower through manufacturer. In our Part 2 of 3 blog post we discussed some of the best known varieties of cacao trees, as well as some of the flavor notes associated with beans grown in different places in the world. Choco pieces courtesy of lusi via rgbstock.com. In this blog post, we’ll provide some infotainment regarding perceptions of “chocolate cravings” and a bit about flavor sprays,

Tips To Honor 40th National Nutrition Month

It’s March once again and National Nutrition Month (NNM) is here! National Nutrition Month helps remind us of the unmistakable link between food, nutrition and health. You can find out more by visiting this year’s NNM site. In honor of the 40th anniversary of National Nutrition Month, we’d like to share 10 categories of tips with you. Won’t you join us in making this the best celebration ever of NNM?!

Demystifying Chocolate and Cacao Part 2 of 3

In Part 1 of this blog series we provided some background on the highly successful, inextricable link between chocolate and Valentine’s Day. We also mentioned some cultural information surrounding the growing of theobroma cacao trees around the world. Finally we included some steps involved in processing cacao beans from grower through manufacturer. Image courtesy of albion80 at rgbstock.com Three of the best known categories of cacao beans that may make their way into chocolate worldwide include: Criollo which means “native” and this type of cacao bean may be found in Central America, and then in Venezuela in South America and some

Demystifying Chocolate and Cacao Part 1 of 3

Chocolate, pink or red hearts, pink or red roses, and angels or cupids–what do they all have in common? Their association with none other than Valentine’s Day! Once again, Valentine’s Day is upon us and we thought it might be an appropriate time to talk a little bit about chocolate. US marketers are delighted that chocolate and Valentine’s Day have been successfully and inextricably linked for so many decades now. In 2012, the National Confectioners Association reported that ~70+ percent of candy sales associated with Valentine’s Day were specifically just for chocolate. It is a retail category where last minute

Healthful Holidays–Christmas Tea Anyone? Part 3 of 3

Why not grab a cup of fragrant not-too-hot tea and we’ll wrap up this blog series on Christmas tea and how it can contribute to helping you and yours to stay healthier during the holidays. We’ve already mentioned in Part 1 of this series how tea can contribute valuable flavonoids to your diet, and then in Part 2 of this series shared some thoughts concerning brewing tea and its caffeine content as well. Now we’d like to share some other potential health benefits of drinking a not-too-hot cup of freshly steeped tea and mention just some of the supermarket accessible brands of

Healthful Holidays–Christmas Tea Anyone? Part 2 of 3

It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and inadvertently forget about setting aside time to help keep yourself healthier during the holidays. Sometimes you need to just stop, catch your breath, and maybe even sit down and treat yourself to a wonderfully aromatic warm cup of tea! It’s important to keep up your antioxidant intake during the winter months and as we noted in Part 1 of 3 of this blog series, especially green and/or black tea made from the tea leaves of the Camellia senesis plant can be an excellent source of important

Healthful Holidays–Christmas Tea Anyone? Part 1 of 3

Are you a tea drinker? As of the year 2010, the Tea Association of the USA estimated that there are at least 154 million people in the US who drink some form of tea. If their 2010 Tea Fact Sheet still holds true, then in effect before the year ends approximately 1 out of every 2 persons in the US will have consumed some form of tea this year. (Image of Christmas Tree + ornaments courtesy of dyet at rgbstock.com) In Part 1 of this 3 part series we’ll review a little background on tea and tea events, and mention