From My Southwest Kitchen: Glorious, Heathly Chocolate

Monday, October 3, 2011

Glorious, Heathly Chocolate

Cacao Plant

I am a chocolate lover. Imagine my pleasure lately as I have been reading about the benefits of eating chocolate. Dark chocolate that is at least 60% cacao. The cacao bean where cocoa and chocolate are derived from is rich in antioxidants and other nutrients. Did you know dark chocolate has more flavonoids than berries or tea?

Health Benefits of Eating Chocolate:

1. Flavonoids aid the blood flow to your brain and heart.
2. Cocoa powder has been found to lower your blood pressure and decrease the risk of a heart attack and stroke.
3. Chocolate has been found to improve the circulation to your brain which helps memory and learning.
4. Chocolate can help your muscles recover after a tough work out.

5. Blood platelets clump together more slowly in chocolate eaters. Clumping platelets can lead to blood clots which can cause a heart attack.

6.Chocolate also lowers your bad cholesterol.
7. Dark Chocolate contains "Theobromine." Theobromine has been shown to harden tooth enamel.

8. Chocolate is high in vitamins and minerals. It has high concentrations of potassium, copper, magnesium, and iron.

9. Chocolate improves your mood.

To get the health benefits listed you don't need to eat alot of chocolate. You just need to eat one ounce a day. Like I said earlier, it needs to be at least 60 percent cacao. If you see the words "processed with alkali or Dutch processed" then most of the antioxidants have been destroyed during processing.

Throughout this blog, I have talked only about Dark chocolate. This is the healthy chocolate. It is not as sweet as other chocolates but work your way up to the recommended cacao content. Also, while you are enjoying your one ounce of dark chocolate, do not drink milk. Milk can prevent the antioxidants to be absorbed in your body.