Pick-me-ups like coffee and energy drinks are good for a quick kick, but then comes the crash. Caffeine and sugars are great if you need to get over that final hump in your workday, but for almost all other situations they are bad news.
If you're looking for sustained energy that also helps with focus, exercise performance, and even weight management, then you want to start using MCT oil.
What Is MCT Oil?
MCT (medium chain triglycerides) are a type of fatty acid that combines complex molecules to form complete various biological functions in the body.
MCT is also a type of saturated fat, but other things that contribute to a range of long-term health problems, MCT oils are not processed in the body. Rather, MCT oils are more to digest through the digestive system where it becomes a source of sustained energy for the body.
MCT oils may also provide other potential health benefits, including support for:
Exercise performance
Energy production in cells during muscle contractions
MCT oil is most often derived from the oils or coconut or palm fruit. The source of MCT oil does not matter from a nutritional standpoint as manufacturers can standardize the dosage and filter out any unwanted compounds.
But if you’re environmentally conscious, you may have already seen the impact of deforestation linked to palm tree farming. On the other hand, coconut farming is not immune to the same criticism. Like with most things, you’ll need to do your research into the source of a company’s MCT oil, then decide who should get your money.
MCT Oil Supplements
MCT oil supplements are the best way to get more MCT in your daily diet. Many brands specialize in MCT products, but Jarrow Formulas is noteworthy for providing MCT oils from coconut oil as caprylic acid and capric acid. These two forms of MCT are thought to provide an ideal balance between digestion time and energy production.
Jarrow Formulas makes this exact combination of MCT oil available as a softgel and in a 20 ounce bottle . If you buy the oil, you can add it to your cooking, use it as a dressing, or mix it with your coffee, or shakes and smoothies.
Adding MCT oil to your diet is one of several changes that can help you bolster your energy levels. Make sure that you have a mix of fruits and vegetables, complex carbohydrates, and lean protein, which will provide a source of sustained energy and essential nutrients.
There is no holiday quite as polarizing as Valentine’s Day. If you are lucky enough to have that loving person in your life, then February the 14th is the time to take your partner on a date and rekindle the romance. On the other hand, the day also carries the negative moniker of Singles Awareness Day. Heck, some of us just look forward to consuming gobs of discount candy after the fact. To each their own.
So, the holiday is supposed to be about love and gooey feelings, but there is a bit of irony to that. Not only because the loneliness referred to above, but because there is a fair amount of bloodshed connected Valentine’s Day.
Roman Roots of Valentine’s Day
All good legends are shrouded in a degree of mystery, and the original story of St. Valentine is no different. For starters, The Catholic Church recognizes three different Saint Valentines, each who lived and died during the third century A.D., and are thought to be the inspiration for the holiday. The first, One Valentinus died in the company of 24 soldiers in Africa. The other two were a priest and a bishop; both performed miraculous feats and died tragically.
Later in the 5th century A.D., Pope Gelasius declared February 14 to be a holiday, likely a connection to the pagan holiday Lupercalia, a celebration that occurred on the ides of February, or February 15th. Some sources are certain that Gelasius was intent on Christianizing the pagan holiday, while others consider this circumstantial. Another historical anecdote reveals February 14 was considered the beginning of mating season for birds.
The horrors of Valentine’s Day even carries into modern American history with the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre. In Prohibition Chicago 1929, Al Capone-led gang members dressed as police officers, armed themselves with sub machine guns, shotguns, and revolvers, and cornered and executed seven of George “Bugs” Moran’s men in an apparent conflict over control of the lucrative bootlegging trade. Yikes!
Literary Roots of Valentine’s Day
Things get better, however, thanks to two of English literature’s greatest writers. Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare did what great writers do and found beauty in complex histories and dark tragedies. Both men lived and wrote in different eras, but each had an important role in influencing Valentine’s Day as we know it today.
Chaucer’s poem, “A Parliament of Fowls,” is most associated with changing the perceptions of Valentine’s Day. In the poem, birds are discussing the nature and purpose of love. Of course, William Shakespeare may be the literary figure most connected to the art of writing about true love. Shakespeare references the holiday of love in both A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hamlet. In the latter play, Shakespeare perpetuates a myth that couples who meet on Valentine's Day are destined to get married.
Did Chaucer and Shakespeare light the spark that finally made Valentine’s Day about flowers, chocolate, and romcoms? We only need to look back to the mid-18th century in England, when on the day friends and lovers of all social classes first exchanged small tokens of affection. In 1840 in America, a lady named Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines. In 1913, Hallmark began selling Valentine’s Day cards, and as they say, the rest is history!
If you are not looking forward to February 14th, you are not the only one. Even the men for whom the holiday was named had a rough go of it! If you can’t nail down that date, go out with friends. Or stay in and enjoy one glass (or two) of wine. Treat yourself. Love is around the corner, my child.
The Best Household Chocolate Milk Brands and Methods
It’s hard not to love chocolate milk. Even for those of us who have never understood the appeal of a tall glass of plain white milk, there’s something about the creamy, rich sweetness of chocolate milk that scratches a deep-seated itch. To many, it tastes like childhood.
Now that you’re an adult, you can have as much chocolate milk as you want. And even if your waistline doesn’t agree, you may want to find the best brand out there for your kids. Whatever the reason, there are plenty of chocolate milk brands and methods to choose from. We’ll try to give you some of the best in the business here today.
Pre-Mixed Grocery Store Brands
The easiest way to buy chocolate milk is pre-mixed, in the bottle. Any grocery store large enough to have a dairy aisle will sell at least a couple of varieties. To our taste buds, Prairie Farms and Promised Land both have the perfect amount of chocolate (though we’ve even been known to go with Nesquik or Hershey’s in a pinch). The key here seems to be fat content and chocolate quality. Any fat content lower than 2% just doesn’t have the delectable flavor and mouthfeel you’re looking for. Too many cheap sweeteners (beware corn syrup) tend to leave you feeling yucky. The perfect solution (in this writer’s opinion) is whole organic milk with real chocolate and natural sugar sweetener. It may not be the healthiest beverage you could guzzle, but we’re talking about chocolate milk here. You have to take the fat with the flavor.
Syrups
You really can’t go wrong with Hershey’s chocolate syrup mixed into a milk of your choice. Maybe it’s because the Hershey’s brand has been so closely associated with chocolate flavor since our collective infancy, but it produces a chocolate milk that “just tastes right.” Not all will agree, but there are plenty of chocolate syrup alternatives, including organics. The key here seems to be dosing your milk with enough chocolate to really pack a punch. It can be unnerving to see the sheer volume of syrup required to make the perfect blend, but go with your tongue on this one. Again, we drink chocolate milk because it’s delicious, not because it’s a health tonic.
The DIY Approach
When we get into the DIY chocolate milk options, you’ll find you’re able to craft the perfect milk for your diet and palette. Want to make your chocolate milk with oat milk? Want to melt down authentic Oaxacan chocolate until you’ve made a sweet, spicy syrup all your own? The possibilities are truly endless. Making DIY chocolate milk may take a little extra time, but this is the best option for those who want quality and nuance of flavor above all else. Start with milk you trust (local, whole, and organic if possible!). Next, select a high quality dry chocolate, in ground cocoa or bar form. Now make a syrup by mixing a natural sweetener with a little bit of water, then melting the chocolate into the mix until the resulting syrup fits your taste. Make sure it’s really chocolatey because when you blend it with dairy, that flavor has to stand up to the milk.
All of this writing has this writer in the mood for a glass of chocolate milk. Fortunately, (no foolin’) there is a bottle of syrup and a carton of almond milk in the refrigerator. Perhaps you can say the same. Even if you have to run to the market, make time for chocolate milk in your near future. Whether it’s been hours or years since your last glass, it’ll bring a deep satisfaction that only creamy cocoa can.
For many of us, the single most important car accessory is the one we jam into the old, disused CD slot. Our cell phone car mounts help our older vehicles interface with our 2019 lives. Even though these plastic contraptions cost less than the salad bar at Ruby Tuesday’s, they’re pretty much indispensable for any drive longer than 20 minutes. Whether you use yours for tunes, GPS, or making illegal texts, almost every driver needs a cell phone car mount.
The question is: Which cell phone car mount is the best? The market is flooded, and cheap knockoffs abound. We’ll do our best to separate the wheat from the chaff in the product review to come.
BE Universal Smartphone Car Mount - This high quality car mount works with vents, and vertical ones at that. Vertical vents are one of the most underserved car alignments, at least by car mount manufacturers. Those with round vents will be out of luck, but if you’re in this select demographic, you’ll enjoy the quality of this BE unit. It grips tight without requiring excessive turning of the knob, and has enough cushion to adapt to slight variation of shape. At less than $10, you really can’t go wrong.
Koomus CD-Air Car Mount - Hey, you! Yes you, over there in the 2004 Scion XB. Don’t worry, we’ve got a car mount for you and your obsolete CD player. This Koomus unit is large enough for all major models of smartphone, even those housed in those clunky protective cases. It’s so large that some users might find it impedes access to various controls, but this won’t be a problem for everybody. It holds tight with minimal fiddling, and you can even clamp your phone in its grasp with only one hand.
iOttie One Touch Mount - This vent mount features lush 360 viewing, so you can always get that perfect angle no matter where you are in the vehicle. At $20-$25, it’s on the pricier end of our consideration, but we’ve found no defects or performance issues. Of course, only time will tell when it comes to single use devices like these, but we are proud to include iOttie in this top 5.
Kenu Airframe - This larger unit is built for smartphones of all types, and tablets. If you want to mount your freakin’ iPad to your car’s air conditioner, you can do so with Kenu, and for less than $20 we might add. This unit is simply too big for smaller phones, but most current iPhone and Apple models will be just fine. What’s more, if you have a device that’s prone to overheating (particularly in you’re driving in the hot summer weather), you may find that using an air conditioning vent mount will keep its temperature in the usable range.
Square Jellyfish Jelly Grip - This is another excellent vent car mount for everyone but you unfortunates with round air vents. The Jellyfish Jelly grip will accommodate just about any other vent shape. This unit is great for larger devices; any phone up to 6 inches wide will do (and that would be quite the phone). You’ll find yourself able to “slide” your phone in and out, if you wish, but do be conscious that any buttons located on the side may be pressed when dismounting in this fashion.
Car mounts for cell phones are one of the modern essentials. For many of us, there’s no better bang for your buck than a $15 plastic contraption that turns your old Toyota into a smart car. Choose the right car mount for you, and you’ll feel like you’re driving in 2019, no matter what kind of vehicle you have.
