Strawberries are a delicious way to add more antioxidants and fiber to your diet.  According to the California Strawberry Commission, a serving of strawberries, just 8 berries, contains more vitamin C than an orange, and 2 grams of fiber!  What’s even better, is that a cup of strawberries contains just 50 calories.

I’ve found that the best and fastest way to get my daily intake of fruits and veggies is to make a power-packed morning smoothie. Here’s a strawberry smoothie recipe to get you started.  It also contains blueberries–another superfood!

Strawberry & Blueberry Smoothie

• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 banana, peeled
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 1 individual size container of yogurt

Combine all ingredients in a blender, or smoothie maker, and blend until mixture reaches desired consistency.  To add a little zip, replace some of the milk with orange juice.  Yogurt can be any flavor, depending on what you like.  I’ve also added a handful of uncooked quick oats to this recipe for increasing my whole grain intake.

Want a beauty tip straight from Capitol Hill?  Nancy Pelosi, the democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives credits dark chocolate in this month’s Harper’s Bazaar magazine.  “I’ve never been one to have an exercise regimen,” states Pelosi. “All day, I know that by night I’m going to be doing my crossword puzzles or reading a book, soaking in the tub, eating my chocolate.”  And when it comes to shades of chocolate “the darker the better,” is her preference.

That’s awesome to hear because I love dark chocolate too.  Just this summer my niece asked me if there are any health benefits to eating dark chocolate.  Let’s find out!

According to Dirk Taubert, MD, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Cologne, Germany, dark chocolate – not white chocolate – lowers high blood pressure. Mauro Serafini, PhD, of Italy’s National Institute for Food and Nutrition Research in Rome, and colleagues agree reporting that, “Dark chocolate – but not milk chocolate or dark chocolate eaten with milk – is a potent antioxidant.”  What’s dark chocolate got that other chocolates don’t?  Plant phenols, specifically cocoa phenols. These compounds are known to lower blood pressure.

And that’s not the extent of the benifits.  A small bar of dark chocolate is recommended by the Foods Standard Agency in the U.K. as a healthy way to fight iron deficiency.

If you want to try Mrs. Pelosi’s health and beauty routine, take this tip from Web MD when choosing your darks.  “Chocolates made in Europe are generally richer in cocoa phenols than those made in the U.S. So if you’re going to try this at home, remember: Darker is better.”  Looks like Doc and Nanc are on the same page!