Welcome to Fair Trade
Fair Trade Merchandise Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
Hooray for Chocolate!
from: Nettie MaeThere is great news for chocolate lovers...Chocolate is good for your health! Now, we are not talking here about a candy bar but about real chocolate, the kind that contains at least 71% of real cocoa. Something to remember when selecting chocolate is that the darker it is, the less sugar it contains and the better it is for you.
We are all aware of the emotional benefits of chocolate. By liberating endorphins in the body, chocolate provides us with feelings of comfort and wellbeing, energy and pleasure. Some surveyed women go as far a saying that they would prefer chocolate to sex! No wonder with such a texture, rich color and taste, chocolate is not only an aphrodisiac but also a pleasure for the senses. In addition, chocolate also contains serotonin and caffeine which both provide energy and promote good humor.
Pleasure aside, chocolate also holds beneficial health properties. Chocolate's complex chemical composition offers a variety of substances that the body needs to function properly and to prevent disease.
Chocolate enhances cardiovascular health. Like red wine, the phenols contained in dark chocolate help prevent coronary diseases. The British Medical Journal reports that a daily portion of 100 grams of dark chocolate reduces blood pressure and the occurrence of cardiovascular incidents by 21%. These phenols are also rich in antioxidants and they help neutralize free radicals produced by the body or absorbed thought cigarette smoke and other sources of pollution. Cocoa butter is already used in creams to heal scars and burns. No wonder pharmaceutical companies are now exploring the possibility of researching with chocolate to develop new medication to counter cancers and osteoporosis.
Chocolate does contain fats but these are unsaturated and contribute to reducing bad cholesterol and to increasing good cholesterol. Chocolate is also an excellent source of magnesium. Should it contain nuts, chocolate can become a great source phosphor and vegetable iron.
One of the many benefits of living in our time is that there is a plethora of organic and fair trade chocolates that are readily available to us in natural health food and grocery stores. The benefits of purchasing these types of chocolates abound but the most obvious are that they do not contain organochlorine pesticides that are usually used to treat traditional cocoa crops and that are harmful not only to the consumer but also to the field worker. Furthermore, purchasing fair trade chocolate ensures that the (healthier) worker can benefit from improved working and living conditions by receiving a fair salary for their work.
Like with everything however, chocolate must be consumed in good measure. Chocolate increases caloric intake and energy level. This can be good, provided these calories are burned. We might even change the saying to "Some chocolate everyday keeps the doctor away!"
About the Author
Sick and tired of being Sick and Tired, Nettie Mae dumped her 3rd shift factory job. To see what keeps her going visit http://www.frutavida4u.com/nettiemae/ or email her at nettiemae@nettibooks.com
Fair Trade Merchandise News
New fair trade shop opens in Newport this weekend - Cincinnati.com (blog)
New fair trade shop opens in Newport this weekend Cincinnati.com (blog) This Saturday, Reegan Hill is holding the grand opening of her new fair trade store, It's Only Fair, at 123 East Ninth Street in Newport. Reegan Hill, owner of the new It's Only Fair store in Newport, arranges some of her fair trade merchandise on a ... |
Fair trade, environment and Earth celebrated on campus - Scranton Times-Tribune
 Scranton Times-Tribune | Fair trade, environment and Earth celebrated on campus Scranton Times-Tribune The University's United Students for Fair Trade organization offered shoppers free fair trade coffee. Vendors also offered merchandise made from repurposed products, like candy wrappers and vintage fabrics. Students and representatives of area ... |
HumanKind Store Celebrates World Fair Trade Day, May 12 - San Francisco Chronicle (press release)
HumanKind Store Celebrates World Fair Trade Day, May 12 San Francisco Chronicle (press release) HumanKind is a non-profit store specializing in fair trade certified merchandise, including jewelry, home décor, bath and body products, clothes, toys, instruments, accessories and food products. Fair trade is an internationally accepted label that ... |
Services exports growth at 4% as global uncertainties take toll - Livemint
Services exports growth at 4% as global uncertainties take toll Livemint The single-digit growth pace was surprising as merchandise exports expanded at nearly 20% in the same year. According to provisional Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, services exports grew 4% to $137 billion (around Rs 7.5 trillion today) in the last ... |
Lowe's Reports First Quarter Sales and Earnings Results - MarketWatch (press release)
Lowe's Reports First Quarter Sales and Earnings Results MarketWatch (press release) In addition, we could experience additional impairment losses if the actual results of our operating stores are not consistent with the assumptions and judgments we have made in estimating future cash flows and determining asset fair values. |
May 12th is World Fair Trade Day - Canada.com
May 12th is World Fair Trade Day Canada.com Look, too, for other ethically produced merchandise in your favourite shops. While Fair Trade products often cost a little more, you can be assured you are making a tangible contribution to the fight against poverty, climate change and the economic ... |
Cathleen McCarthy: Is trading credit card reward points for product a good deal? - CreditCards.com
 CreditCards.com | Cathleen McCarthy: Is trading credit card reward points for product a good deal? CreditCards.com By Cathleen McCarthy I am looking for a rewards card, and see that many offer special rotating discounts for certain classes of merchandise. I'm sorry, but I'm a busy man, and don't think I want to spend the time tracking what's on discount every ... |