chocolate

 

The Good News!

Flavonoids Chocolate is made from a plant (so it contains the health benefits dark vegetables do), which means it contains flavonoids, that act as antioxidants. Dark chocolate contains a large number of flavonoids - or antioxidants -(nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries). Antioxidants protect the body from free radicals, which can cause damage that leads to heart disease (and maybe cancer). Flavonoids also help relax blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide, and balance certain hormones in the body.Heart HealthyDark chocolate is good for your heart. A small bar of it (dark chocolate- not a Hersey bar!) everyday can help keep your heart and cardiovascular system running well. Two heart health benefits of dark chocolate are: - Lower Blood Pressure: Studies have shown that consuming a small bar of dark chocolate everyday can reduce blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure. - Lower Cholesterol: Dark chocolate has also been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) by up to 10 percent.Other Benefits Chocolate also holds benefits apart from protecting your heart: - it tastes good (which is a pretty HUGE benefit)- it stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure - it contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant - it contains theobromine, caffeine and other substances which are stimulants (have you ever looked at the active ingredients in Midol? caffeine? yes.)Let's Not Forget Though (fat is in that dark chocolate)But here is some more good news -- some of the fats in chocolate do not impact your cholesterol. The fats in chocolate are 1/3 oleic acid, 1/3 stearic acid and 1/3 palmitic acid: - Oleic Acid is a healthy monounsaturated fat that is also found in olive oil. - Stearic Acid is a saturated fat but one which research is shows has a neutral effect on cholesterol. - Palmitic Acid is also a saturated fat, one which raises cholesterol and heart disease risk. That means only 1/3 of the fat in dark chocolate is bad for you.

But Keep a Few Things in Mind:

Balance the Calories! All this does notmean that you should eat a pound of chocolate a day. Chocolate is still a high-calorie, high-fat food. Most of the studies done used no more than 100 grams, or about 3.5 ounces, of dark chocolate a day to get the benefits.One bar of dark chocolate has around 400 calories. If you eat half a bar of chocolate a day, you must balance those 200 calories by eating less of something else. Cut out other sweets or snacks and replace them with chocolate to keep your total calories the same.Really TASTE the Chocolate:Chocolate is a complex food with over 300 compounds and chemicals in each bite. To really enjoy and appreciate chocolate, take the time to taste it. Professional chocolate tasters have developed a system for tasting chocolate that include assessing the appearance, smell, feel and taste of each piece.Go for DARK Chocolate (yes- I said it again):Dark chocolate has far more antioxidants than milk or white chocolate. These other two chocolates cannot make any health claims. Dark chocolate has 65 percent or higher cocoa content.Skip the Nougat (and all that other sugary delicious stuff sorry):You should look for pure dark chocolate or dark chocolate with nuts, orange peel or other flavorings. Avoid anything with caramel, nougat or other fillings. These fillings are just adding sugar and fat which erase many of the benefits you get from eating the chocolate.Avoid Milk (I personally struggle with this the most):It may taste good but some research shows that washing your chocolate down with a glass of milk could prevent the antioxidants being absorbed or used by your body.Hope some of this helps! :D