© Ayala Moriel



Vanilla is originally from Mexico and was considered a delicacy among Aztec nobility.

Today we use it for everything from candles to cooking to aromatherapy. It has an aroma proven to calm anxiety and relieve stress. And as it turns out, the scent helps in weight loss.

The reasons for vanilla as a weight loss aid aren't clear yet, but it makes sense. Stress promotes weight gain, and the scent of vanilla alleviates stress.

Other interesting research looks at increased levels of DNA repair promoted by properties found in vanilla. It's being studied as a potentialcancer inhibitor.

If you're a chocolate lover (like me), you're in luck, because most chocolate already includes some vanilla in the recipe.