Friends and Clients,

Healthy Wealthy Wise provides applicable and to-the-point info to expand your knowledge on health and finances and inspire your heart and mind. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for following along!

Jon

Healthy

**The Power of Polyphenols (Understanding the health benefits in some of your favorite foods)**
Everyone knows that things like Berries, Olive Oil, and Dark Chocolate can be good for you, but do you really understand why? And are you aware of how easy it is to add IN, or add MORE to your diet to harness some really awesome health benefits? - Here's a quick overview on how and why the foods work to impact your health.

Polyphenols are natural compounds found in foods like berries, tea, and yes—chocolate—are packed with surprising benefits for your brain, heart, gut, and even your mood.

Polyphenols are categorized into four main types:

Flavonoids: Present in fruits, vegetables, tea, and dark chocolate.

Phenolic acids: Found in coffee and whole grains.

Polyphenolic amides: Located in chili peppers and oats.

Other polyphenols: Such as resveratrol in red wine and curcumin in turmeric. - But it's important to note that levels of Resveratrol in wine are so low that it would be offset by the considerable amount of alcohol you'd have to consume to make it achieve the levels needed for benefit.

Let’s break it down by benefit (and how much you actually need to get results).

Chocolate as Emotional Support?

Turns out, your craving for chocolate when you feel bad might be legit. In a clinical study, adults who ate 30g per day of 85% DARK chocolate for 3 weeks felt significantly better emotionally. Why? The cocoa polyphenols seem to interact with gut bacteria that influence your brain via the gut-brain axis.

Try this: One square after lunch—just make sure it’s at least 70% cacao or higher. RCT: J Nutr Biochem. 2022 - 85% Dark Chocolate and Mood

Protect Your Heart

Olive oil isn’t just tasty—it’s powerful. In one trial, men who added 25 mL/day of high-polyphenol olive oil (just under 2 tablespoons) saw significant drops in LDL cholesterol and inflammation.

Also effective: Green tea and grape seed extract supplements, typically around 400–800 mg/day of polyphenols, have shown similar cardiovascular benefits.

RCT: Antioxidants. 2021 - Olive Oil Polyphenols and Lipid Profile

Reduce Chronic Inflammation Naturally

Inflammation is at the root of many chronic diseases, and polyphenols help cool things down. A double-blind RCT found that 500 mg/day of pomegranate peel extract over 8 weeks significantly reduced inflammation markers in people with type 2 diabetes.

Try this: A daily supplement or adding fresh pomegranate, berries, and green tea to your routine.

RCT: J Funct Foods. 2022 - Pomegranate Extract and Inflammation

Feed Your Gut, Fuel Your Health

Your gut bacteria love polyphenols, especially those from berries and cocoa. One RCT showed that 600 mg/day of berry polyphenols altered gut microbiota in just 8 weeks—increasing beneficial bacteria linked to better digestion and mood.

Try this: A mix of blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries in your yogurt - my favorite night time snack with a mix of pre and probiotics together in one meal. Frozen Blueberries make it extra cold and yummy!

RCT: J Nutr Biochem. 2021 - Berry Polyphenols and Gut Microbiota

Sharpen Your Thinking Naturally

Older adults taking 500 mg/day of cocoa flavanols for 12 weeks saw improvements in memory and executive function—plus better blood flow to the brain. It’s one of the most well-documented cognitive benefits of polyphenols.

Try this: Look for flavanol-rich cocoa powder or dark chocolate labeled with high flavanol content.

RCT: Am J Clin Nutr. 2020 - Cocoa Flavanols and Cognition

Sources

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34530112/

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10073448/

3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35229548/

4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34029831/

5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32766740/

*As always, these are not fixes for any one issue, and they best paired with a healthy diet, lifestyle and exercise. I am not a doctor and this is not specific medical advice. Please consult your physician for any medical conditions.

Wealthy

**Did you know you can earn TAX FREE INTEREST on an often overlooked investment option?**
When evaluating fixed income options, interest rates aren't the whole story—**tax treatment** matters just as much, especially for high earners. It's not always "how much you make, it's how much you keep," right?
Municipal bonds offer federally tax-free interest (and often state tax-free too if you own a bond in the state in which you live.) This can make their real return more attractive than what appears on paper.
For investors comparing options like CDs or money markets, which are taxable, munis may provide a better **after-tax yield**, depending on your tax bracket.

To understand this, consider the example:

(100 - your tax rate) → (100 - 35 = 65%) = 0.65

Then Muni Bond Yield 4.5% ÷ 0.65 = 6.92% Tax-Equivalent Yield

This means you'd have to find a taxable investment that would generate more than almost 6.9% in interest to match your after tax interest on the municipal bond.

That can be hard to find.

Municipal bonds do carry some level of credit and market risk and are generally less liquid than CDs or money market funds. But for long-term investors in higher brackets, they can be a smart, tax-efficient piece of a conservative income strategy.

Book a time here to find out more.

Municipal bonds are subject to availability and price fluctuations. They are subject to market and interest rate risk if sold prior to maturity. Bond values will decline as interest rates rise. Interest income may be subject to the alternative minimum tax. Municipal bonds are federally tax-free but other state and local taxes may apply. If sold prior to maturity, capital gains tax could apply.

Wise

**Free Soloing Mountaineer says he doesn't need a guardian Angel for climbs but Stocks are "Too Risky"**

What makes risk dangerous is not the task at hand, it's the absence of knowledge or skills to take on the task.
I recently watched a documentary on alpinist Dani Arnold, who holds records for the fastest solo climbs of the three great north faces of the Swiss Alps. And there’s a line from Dan in that film that really hit me.

Before his ascent of the Grandes Jorasses, his wife prayed to give him a guardian angel. He laughed and asked, “Is it as fast as me?”

I don’t share the same sentiment that many people do about mountain climbers like him. Most think they are crazy and huge risk takers but what I see is a craftsman who is attaining ultimate mastery and becoming so refined they are reducing the risk through their practice.

To most of us, the idea of free soloing sheer rock faces seems reckless, but to him, he feels in ultimate control. Maybe he would be more likely to accept a guardian angel in a place where he doesn't have exceptional knowledge control -like being a passenger on a plane.

What fascinates me is that people like Arnold have mastered a domain so completely that they don't see the same risk we do in his work. He doesn't need an angel to protect him because his preparedness, knowledge of himself and his craft are far more reliable.

And ultimately he has accepted with full understanding the potential for death if he makes a mistake within his endeavors. Yet he chooses to press on knowing he's done everything in his

power to minimize that possibility.

What can seem like a leap of faith for others, is just another measured step for him.

He once said when asked about his investments that the stock market felt “too risky,” which made me laugh. It's clear that he sees risk. however it's really the lack of knowledge or skill that makes one perceive the risk as "dangerous."

May 2025