Sinking your teeth into chocolate, may be an out of body experience. But soon after, you think, “I blew my diet.” Did you ever think of chocolate as medicine?
Eating chocolate daily may just be the prescription you need to prevent and/or treat heart disease. Native Americans used chocolate for the treatment of hundreds of diseases, turning cocoa beans into a bitter chocolate drink. Today, scientists have found that dark chocolate can help your heart.
Benefits of Dark Chocolate:
- Lowers risk of heart attack
- Lessens systolic blood pressure
- Cuts LDL
- Acts as an anti-inflammatory
- Boosts blood flow
How Dark Chocolate works:
It is rich in naturally existing plant chemicals called Flavonoids which are antioxidants. In plain English, oxidation destroys cells, leading to diseases. So, these “anti” – oxidants protect cells.
The fat in Dark Chocolate can lower blood cholesterol. Most of the fat is saturated, which is usually thought of as a blood cholesterol nightmare. However, this saturated fat is an exception to the rule. It is Stearic Acid, which has a neutral effect. Also, about 1/3 of the fat in dark chocolate is monounsaturated; the fat that lowers blood cholesterol.
But wait! Don’t bite into that king size milk chocolate bar just yet. The blood cholesterol lowering effect is from dark chocolate with a high cocoa content, not from milk chocolate. The chocolate must be a high percentage (70% or higher). The cocoa must not be “Dutch” processed. Beware of add-ins such as sugars, extra fats, and other ingredients (e.g. marshmallow, caramel, etc.) which may cut the heart health benefit by as much as 90%. There is no government recommendation yet, but most studies suggest eating 1 ounce of dark chocolate daily.
What Else Can help?
Dark chocolate is not the only food with flavonoids; there are over 4000 known Flavonoids. The study of flavonoids is in its infancy. They are most often found in naturally deep red and green foods. Eat them raw with peels & leaves if you can. Scientists are finding that flavonoids can also help with diabetes, memory, cancer, and macular degeneration. Eating Dark Chocolate with fresh raspberries beats taking medication every time.
Jennifer Giffune, R.D.N. is a freelance author, professional speaker and nutrition counselor. Are you ready to make a change? Jennifer sees clients for nutrition counseling in Westfield. To make an appointment with Jennifer call (413) 579 – 5450 or email her at jen@jenthedietitian.com