Chocolate Is Healthy

The Alternative Health Journal discusses how alcohol, coffee and chocolate benefit our health.  For example, alcohol consumed in moderation has been known to increase the amount of HDL, or, “good” cholesterol in the body.  It also may help to protect the body from the risk of stroke.  For coffee-lovers, new studies are showing that people who consume one cup of coffee per day have a lower risk of heart disease.  Chocolate’s health benefits are also discussed:

“Harvard Researchers found that chocolate increases blood flow through the cerebral arteries and there have been countless studies that indicate that dark chocolate is good for relaxing blood vessels and is also helpful for the heart. Chocolate is high in calories, so again, just as is the case with alcohol, moderation is the key. And remember, for the most health benefits choose the dark variety over milk chocolate.”

Will a chocolate bar a day keep heart attacks away?

The candy industry keeps trying to convince us that chocolate is a health food by sponsoring and publicizing studies. One of the latest, in the medical journal Hypertension (July, 2005), shows that eating dark chocolate lowers high blood pressure. Jeffrey B. Blumberg, a professor of nutrition at Tufts University, gave 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate per day for 15 days to 20 people with high blood pressure. Their systolic blood pressure dropped by an average of 11mm.

Researchers at the University of California at Davis reviewed a number of recent studies on chocolate and its health benefits (The Journal of the American Dietetic Association, February 2003.) They found that flavan-3-ols, the main flavonoids found in cocoa, are associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. The article goes on to say that cocoa contains the same nutrients found in other plant foods, including minerals and specific antioxidants that help ward off diseases such as heart disease. In addition, oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat also found in olive oil, makes up one-third of the fat in chocolate and has been shown to be beneficial for heart health.

Europeans living in the 17th century also believed in chocolate’s healing powers. They said it “comforted the liver, aided in digestion and made one happy and strong.” Chocolate was used for stimulating the kidneys and treating anemia, tuberculosis, fever and gout; and was reported to strengthen the heart and relieve heart pain.

Cocoa beans are loaded with flavonoids, the antioxidants found in all fruits, vegetables whole grains, beans and other seeds, and antioxidants do lower blood pressure. However, dark chocolate by itself is bitter, so candy makers add lots of sugar and fat to make it taste good. Sugar raises blood sugar to damage cells in diabetics, and one third of Americans are or will become diabetic. Fat is a dense source of calories that makes fat people fatter. So the old adage: “If it tastes good, it must be bad.” still holds for most of us. Chocolate tastes good because of the added sugar and fat.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

Chocolate….12 billion people eat chocolate every day. It is considered a treat, a dessert, even a guilty pleasure. But is it really that bad for you? The evidence is coming in daily that disputes that thought. Many studies are finding that dark chocolate can actually be very good for you. That’s right, eating the right kind of dark chocolate can have many beneficial effects on your body. The reason for this is because dark chocolate contains a high amount of antioxidants in it. Here are just a few of the health benefits:

- Helps in lowering your blood pressure
- Protects the body from the effects of free radicals
- Contains serotonin which acts as an antidepressant
- Helps in lowering your cholesterol by reducing the amount of LDL cholesterol

There are a few things to keep in mind though when selecting a “healthy” chocolate. Chocolate that is highly processed and alkalinized may contain:

- High amounts of sugar
- High amounts of fat and fillers
- Low amounts of antioxidants

Therefore, knowing what is in the dark chocolate you are eating, and how it is processed is a must, if you want to eat it for the health benefits. It has been shown that heating the chocolate during the processing actually destroys the antioxidants. Hence, you will want to eat chocolate that is cold-pressed when processed. This type of chocolate will retain the highest amounts of antioxidants and be the most beneficial to your body. One such chocolate is Xocai, manufactured by MXI Corp. They disclose that they use a cold-pressed, non-alkalinized process in creating their chocolate. They have also stated that this chocolate is low in fat and made with a complex sugar, rather than highly processed and refined white sugar. Another important thing to consider.

All in all, it is clear that dark chocolate does have health benefits that make it a worthy dessert. Moderation is also the key. Just as in anything you eat, too much of it can outweigh the health benefits so use your best judgment.

To learn about other benefits from the New Healthy Chocolate, visit John’s Xocai website or blog.

Is dark chocolate really healthy for you? It’s been advertised as being good for us, but it can be hard to tell what’s real and what’s not. If you’re not sure whether the benefits you’ve heard about are really available from chocolate, here are some of the basics to help you decide.

Dark chocolate’s primary benefit comes from flavonoids, a type of substance that falls under the umbrella of antioxidants. Many of the diseases we suffer from can be caused or aggravated by oxidant damage to our cells. Antioxidants can help reduce these problems, including some of the effects of aging, by preventing the completion of the oxidant reaction.

They capture damaging free radicals, and can be very beneficial to us. Some foods have more antioxidants than others. For instance, while they’re present in strawberries, you’ll find almost eight times as much of these chemicals in dark chocolate. Chocolate also has the ability to reduce blood pressure, since it contains nitric oxide, and may help with internal hormonal balances.

It’s also been said that a small bar of chocolate daily can be good for your heart. That’s because of the aforementioned blood pressure benefits, and also the fact that it can help reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol as much as ten percent. Chocolate also stimulates the production of endorphins and serotonin, contains caffeine, theobromine and other stimulants, and tastes good. That means it has a lot of appeal.

The downsides are that it takes a lot of chocolate to have a big effect, and chocolate is a fairly fatty food. A third of the fats in chocolate are monounsaturated, and two thirds are saturated and able to affect your cholesterol. Another problem is that this high fat content, combined with the sugar in chocolate, means weight gain is a possibility if you eat too much.

Studies have used about three and a half ounces of dark chocolate each day to determine its benefits. That translates into about four hundred calories. While that might not sound like much, consider that it’s the same as eating two small doughnuts, and that an extra four hundred calories per day could result in a gain of almost a pound a week.

That means that if you’re eating a lot of chocolate to get its benefits, you’ll need to increase your activity level and adjust your diet accordingly to avoid weight gain. To keep from eating too much, take the time to taste and appreciate chocolate every time your consume it. These health benefits are also available only from dark chocolate with sixty-five percent or higher levels of cocoa.

Milk chocolate has much lower cocoa content and can’t offer those health benefits, and white chocolate contains no cocoa at all. Chocolate bars made of pure chocolate or chocolate with minimal flavorings are the best choice. Avoid nougat, caramel, and similar fillings, which can reduce the benefits chocolate is offering.

Chris loves to write about all kinds of food particularly chocolates. Find out more about Dark Chocolates by visiting http://www.ultimatechocolateshoppe.com

Among the Kuna people of Panama, who can drink up to 40 cups of cocoa per week, rates of the “big killer” diseases are less than 10%. Cocoa is the richest source of flavonoids when cold processed, and since cocoa is the main beverage of the Kuna, they probably have the most flavonoid-rich diet of any population.

For both women’s health and men’s health, dark, unprocessed chocolate, eaten or taken in a drink up to three times a day is showing numerous health benefits for the cardiovascular system, brain function, energy and stamina, and insulin sensitivity.

Cocoa in its unprocessed form has the highest anti-oxidant rating of any food in the world. Anti oxidants are critical in combating free radicals – one of the leading causes of disease and death.

What is a Free Radical?

A free radical is an atom with an unpaired electron in the outermost shell. Say you have a bare piece of steel and you leave it outside for a while. What’s going to happen to the piece of steel? It’s going to rust. This is called oxidation.

Our bodies go through the same process every day. As we breathe, eat, sleep and exercise, our body experiences oxidation. This is the cause of aging and more than 200 degenerative diseases. With the help of antioxidants, you can greatly reduce the number of free radicals in your body.

What are Antioxidants?

Antioxidants are molecules that can prevent the damaging effects of excessive amounts of free radicals in the body by neutralizing and destroying them.

Antioxidants are measured by an ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scale, per 100 grams of weight. Using this scale, the antioxidant capacities of different foods can be measured. The USDA recommends an intake of 3,000 to 5,000 ORAC daily. If we compare the ORAC score of unprocessed cocoa to other foods, it’s immediately apparent how valuable this is for daily health.

ORAC Scores for Common Foods

Unprocessed Cocoa Powder: 26,000 ORAC

Acai Berry: 18,500 ORAC

Prunes: 5,770 ORAC

Raisins: 2,830 ORAC

Blueberries: 2,400 ORAC

Spinach: 1,260 ORAC

Red Grapes: 739 ORAC

All Chocolate Is Not Created Equal

The health benefits ascribed to chocolate relate nearly exclusively to dark, bittersweet-tasting chocolate and to products with a cocoa content of 60% or more. As a general rule, the darker the chocolate, the more likely it is to offer health benefits. Because polyphenols are found in the cocoa bean but not in the milk, cream, sugar, waxes, fillers, fats and preservatives, the darker the chocolate the better. Also, look for chocolate products that are processed without “dutching” or alkalinization. These processes remove a significant portion of the antioxidant compounds in natural cocoa. The cocoa beans should also have been cold-pressed without heating; the heat also destroys cocoa’s polyphenols and flavonoids.

We no longer need to feel guilty for eating what we all love, chocolate. Take a bite of that dark healthy chocolate three or more times a day – it will contribute to ongoing health!

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Learn more about Chocolate: A New Choice for Health or Majon’s Health and Beauty directory