Chocolate Is Healthy

Not that you don’t know this already, but it’s always good to hear.  We’ve discussed the benefits of dark chocolate for heart health, mood and more.  Nutritionist and best selling diet book author Zoe Harcombe lays out some practical instruction for how to consume healthy chocolate.

She said: “Stick to dark chocolate, with at least 70 per cent cocoa and ideally, 85 per cent.

“The problem with milk chocolate is that it uses artificial sweeteners and it’s a lot more calorific.

“Have a couple of squares of dark chocolate after dinner and you’ll feel like you’ve had dessert, yet you won’t be piling on the pounds.”

Interestingly, Harcombe also says that your day’s dark chocolate treat should be enjoyed at one time, and not spread throughout the day.  Spreading out your chocolate intake causes insulin to be released repeatedly, contributing to weight gain.

Expert confirms dark chocolate is good for your health – The Daily Record.

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.”

Julie Pech ate chocolate every day for 18 months, all in the name of health research. She compared brands, one after another, as many varieties and brands from around the world as possible. She stocked her Littleton home with high-octane chocolate, up to 50 pounds stashed in cupboards: cacao beans and cocoa nibs–raw-chocolate chips–Ghirardelli and Dagoba and Valor, always testing and tasting. Now she’s a self-described chocolate therapist, dispensing recommendations on how chocolate can help a variety of ills through her book, The Chocolate Therapist: A User’s Guide to the Extraordinary Health Benefits of Chocolate (Trafford Publishing)

… Trend-watchers are focused on the healing powers of chocolate, according to a market research report on the premium chocolate industry released in March … These experts predict the next big growth area will be cocoa and drinking chocolate. And why not? A mug of natural cocoa has nearly twice the antioxidants of a glass of red wine, two to three times more than green tea, and up to five times that of black tea … but, like good and bad cholesterol, there’s good and bad chocolate. The nutritional value is in the cocoa, so the healthy stuff is dark chocolate with a minimum of 50 percent cocoa solids …

Her [Pech] mission, she says, is education. “I’m not saying eat chocolate cake, candy bars and cookies, pigging out on chocolate all day long,” she says. “You have to control it. One good thing about eating quality chocolate, when you eat the good stuff you don’t need a lot of it to satisfy your craving.”

–Colleen O’Connor, Denver Post 05/26/2007

Attention all chocolate lovers! Did you ever feel bad about sneaking in your favorite chocolate into your daily diet? Or how about going a little bit overboard with the chocolate dessert? Well there’s no need for you to worry. Believe it or not, chocolate is very good for your overall heath! After years of being put down, science has finally come around to give chocolate the respect it deserves.

Chocolate has been known to contain over 300 chemicals, and has been the subject of a number of studies by universities and other scientific organizations. The following are a few of the findings in the scientific community to back up the positive health benefits of chocolate:

1. Cacao, the source of chocolate, contains antibacterial agents that fight tooth decay. Of course, this is counteracted by the high sugar content of milk chocolate.

2. The smell of chocolate may increase theta brain waves, resulting in relaxation.

3. Chocolate contains phenyl ethylamine, a mild mood elevator.

4. The cocoa butter in chocolate contains oleic acid, a mono-unsaturated fat which may raise good cholesterol.

5. Drinking a cup of hot chocolate before meals may actually diminish appetite.

6. Men who eat chocolate live a year longer than those who don’t.

7. The flavanoids in chocolate may help keep blood vessels elastic.

8. Chocolate increases antioxidant levels in the blood.

9. Mexican healers use chocolate to treat bronchitis and insect bites.

10. The carbohydrates in chocolate raise serotonin levels in the brain, resulting in a sense of well-being.

Another strong suit for chocolate is the amount of antioxidants that it has naturally. Most of us have heard that antioxidants are good for you, but what do antioxidants do? Basically, antioxidants get rid of the things in our bodies that attack DNA, which will in turn damage the cell membranes and our hearts making cancer and heart attacks far more likely. These attackers often called free radicals, attack our cell structure and are the cause of aging, so there really is no way of stopping them from attacking us. So in theory, the more antioxidants you eat the longer you are likely to live because they help defend your body against the attackers. Antioxidants are found in many natural plants. You can tell how rich they are in antioxidants by the color of the plant’s bearings or the plant itself. The deeper the color, the more antioxidants the food contains. For example, blackberries, blueberries and red grapes all dark in color, all rich in intense antioxidants. Now look at the color of natural chocolate, it is so dark it is almost black, making it one of the healthiest foods you can put in your mouth. Keep in mind this is natural chocolate that has not been overly processed. Researchers have found that raw and / or minimally processed cocoa contains flavonoids similar to those found in green tea. According to preliminary studies, these antioxidants have been linked to help accomplish the following in the body:

• Decrease blood pressure

• Improve circulation throughout the body

• Lower death rate from heart disease

• Improve function of endothelial cells that line the blood vessels

• Defend against destructive molecules called free radicals, which trigger cancer, heart disease and stroke

• Improve Digestion and stimulate kidneys

• Has been used to help treat patients with anemia, kidney stones and poor appetite

There are two different kinds of flavonoids called catechin and epicatechins. Catechins, which have recently been found to be abundant in cocoa and minimally processed chocolates, could also help prevent heart disease and possibly cancer, as well as boosting the immune system, according to recent studies. Dark chocolate has also recently been found to contain more than 3 times the amount of catechins as that found in tea. Chocolate is also a good source of copper and magnesium, which helps to regulate heartbeat and blood pressure.
So there it is, chocolate worth eating, but as in any food, a mass quantity can be destructive. By giving someone a basket of chocolate goodies or having some yourself, you can effectively causing an uplifting emotional but also healthy outcome. Have you had your chocolate today?

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