chocolate: the health food
Here's some good news for chocoholics! Chocolate is high in flavonoids, which are a category of antioxidants. Antioxidants help protect the body's cells from damage by free radicals and environmental contaminants. Chocolate's heart-healthy flavonoids help the blood vessels relax, reduce platelet activation (clotting), and positively affect the balance of eicosanoids, which play a role in cardiovascular health. The more the chocolate is processed or diluted, the lower amounts of antioxidants. Therefore, dark chocolate is the best choice; the darker the better.Interestingly, a new study shows that older men who ate or drank the most cocoa (4.2g/day) halved their risk of dying. Drinking cocoa appears to reduce the risk of hypertension, hypertension mortality, and death from all causes. Archives of Internal Medicine, Feb 2006; 166: 411-417. This does not mean that we should all go on a chocolate binge. Instead, go out and enjoy a few pieces of organic dark chocolate per day, guilt-free!
3 Comments:
dr. f...
i LOVE dark chocolate, as lot of us do. but i am allergic and feel the effects, especially when i eat too much. i am assuming it's the tannins? i noticed that when i eat trader joe's, i feel less allergic. dagoba 89% gives me a 4-day headache even though it's organic. do you have any suggestions? should i?, could i?, eat very small portions even though my body clearly doesn't like it?
jeremy
20/7/06 9:25 AM
Oh Good! Thanks for justifying my addiction. I feel so much better about myself. Its only 60+% cacao for me.
20/7/06 9:53 AM
Hi Jeremy,
You may be allergic to the tannins, especially if red wine gives you the same effects. I am sorry to say that if I were you I'd skip the chocolate. On the positive side, there are many other delicious foods out there that are also healthy. You'll be seeing reports about them in the upcoming weeks.
20/7/06 10:20 AM
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