• You can bounce and dribble a fully ripe cranberry.
• New England sailors ate cranberries to fend off scurvy, thanks to their rich store of vitamin C.
• Nutmeg contains potassium, calcium, iron and manganese.
• Ground nutmeg and honey creates a paste that can reduce scars, clear acne and make skin appear brighter.
• Ground clove can ease dental pain and promote healing.
• Clove tea can ease nausea.
• Chinese medicine uses cinnamon to treat colds, nausea, diarrhea and menstrual cramps.
• Two teaspoons of cinnamon contains 12 calories.
• 100 grams of peppermint contains 569 mg of potassium.
• Peppermint contains beta-carotene, B-complex vitamins and vitamins A, C, E and K.
• The Romans believed that consuming mint could boost intelligence.
• Allspice has been found to be anti-inflammatory, anti-flatulent and reduces bloating.
• The Ancient Mayans believed that vanilla could boost libido.
• Speaking of Mayans, along with the Aztecs, these ancient cultures believed that cocoa could improve muscle strength, heart health and fertility.
• Cocoa was originally consumed cold and unsweetened, frequently mixed with chili peppers.
• Studies show that ginger reduces inflammation in a manner similar to NSAIDs such as aspirin.
• Ginger can lower cholesterol and work as a blood thinner.
• While mistletoe is considered toxic, the leaves and berries are actually a high-protein food for many animals.
• The scientific name for American mistletoe—Phoradendron—is translated as “thief of the tree,” due to the parasitic nature of the plant.
• Pine needle tea has been found to ease varicose veins, kidney ailments, sclerosis and fatigue, as well as improve eyesight, mental clarity and vitality.

“Calories are only half of the equation; sweet taste perception is the other half.”

The findings may explain the association between artificial sweeteners and diabetes.

In nature, sweetness signals the presence of energy and its intensity reflects the amount of energy present. When a beverage is either too sweet or not sweet enough for the amount of calories it contains, the metabolic response and the signal that communicates nutritional value to the brain are disrupted, according to the study published in the journal Current Biology.

“A calorie is not a calorie,” says senior author Dana Small, professor of psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine.

The new study shows that sweetness helps to determine how calories are metabolized and signaled to the brain. When sweetness and calories are matched, the calories are metabolized, and this is registered by brain reward circuits.

When a “mismatch” occurs, however, the calories fail to trigger the body’s metabolism and the reward circuits in the brain fail to register that calories have been consumed.

“In other words, the assumption that more calories trigger greater metabolic and brain response is wrong,” Small says. “Calories are only half of the equation; sweet taste perception is the other half.”

Small noted that many processed foods contain such mismatches—such as a yogurt with low calorie sweeteners.

“Our bodies evolved to efficiently use the energy sources available in nature,” Small says. “Our modern food environment is characterized by energy sources our bodies have never seen before.”

• While germophobe is the common expression, the actual phobia of dirt and germs is known as mysophobia.
• If you concentrate on a smell, you cannot taste at the same time. Similarly, focusing on a taste blocks your ability to smell.
• The oldest, most primitive part of your brain is called the hindbrain. It is nearly identical to the brain of reptiles, hence its more common name “the reptilian brain.”
• Snake venom is being studied as a treatment for many diseases, including cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
• Want quick weight loss? Weigh yourself when the moon is overhead. Due to gravity shifts, you will weigh slightly less during this time.
• There are seven types of white blood cells, two of which are primarily involved in the inflammation process. Eosinophils control allergic responses, while basophils release histamine during an inflammatory response.
• Be careful in the tropics! Falling coconuts kill more people than sharks.
• In an average lifetime, a person sheds and grows new skin about 1,000 times.
• Bone marrow is the fastest growing tissue in the body.
• Ketchup was originally created as a drug, not a hamburger topping.