Are You A Chocoholic?
Give Your Body What It Wants-- And Needs!
We believe chocolate has been given a bum rap! While some diets say chocolate is a no-no, studies have proven that dark chocolate is actually good for us. I started paying attention to this when I opened the newspaper one day some years ago and saw a piece they had published saying it was actually good for us, and cited a recent study on the subject.
Dark (not milk or white) chocolate is healthy because it is made from plants, which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables. These benefits are from flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. Dark chocolate is the ultimate antioxidant treat because antioxidants are intimately involved in the prevention of cellular damage-- the common pathway for cancer, early aging, and a variety of diseases. Studies have shown dark chocolate to be good for your heart and may help to avoid heart attack and stroke. A little bit eaten each day has been shown to lower both blood pressure and cholesterol. It has other benefits as well-- it tastes good and stimulates endorphin production, which gives us a feeling of pleasure and it contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant.
So why is chocolate considered bad for us and why do many who eat it get fat and even sick? It's because of what has been added to it. READ LABELS!!! If your "healthy dark chocolate" has sugar (or anything ending in ose) added, it is no longer good for you. If it is put into foods loaded with sugar and flour-- don't eat it! This fabulous healthy treat should be eaten in it's purest form and added to foods that are good for our body. A good sweetener would be honey, pure maple syrup, or stevia. We believe that natural organic cane juice is just fine as long as it hasn't been processed, which removes the nutrients the sugar cane naturally has.
So folks-- give your body what it wants-- you can be a chocoholic as long as you don't mix it with sugar, flour, or any other ingredient that is unhealthy! I am currently checking out companies who sell healthy chocolate (mmmmm- what an assignment!), and as I discover ones I can recommend (they must taste good and be well labeled), I will post them on the snack page of my health blog. To our tasty good health!
