You know the importance of eating your fruits and vegetables – those healthy foods that are produced from the earth. Because you eat these foods, and know that the foods are healthy for you, why wouldn’t you include chocolate in your list of healthy earth produced foods? Chocolate is made from cocoa, which is grown.
Chocolate Compared to Dark Vegetables
Just as dark vegetables are important because they contain flavonoids and antioxidants, chocolate also contains these things. However, it is dark chocolate that is healthy – not white chocolate, milk chocolate, or other types of chocolate. When you consume dark chocolate, you are actually consuming eight times the number of antioxidants that you would consume if you were eating strawberries.
Dark Chocolate and Your Heart
The flavonoids and antioxidants found in dark chocolate work to protect your heart because they help to lower the blood pressure and cholesterol. Many people mistakenly think that dark chocolate contains fat that isn’t good for you. This isn’t true. Dark chocolate contains oleic acid, stearic acid, and palmitic acid – all fats – and all fats that are actually good for you and your heart.
If you don’t believe this, consider the fact that olive oil contains oleic acid. Although stearic acid and palmitic acid are saturated fats, when consumed in moderation, they have a positive effect on cholesterol. Make sure that you understand that too much of these saturated fats can lead to heart disease and high cholesterol, or the opposite effect of what you are hoping to achieve when you consume chocolate.
The Other Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate causes the body and brain to produce more of certain hormones, such as endorphins and serotonin. These two hormones actually increase your sense of well being and make you happier – so they act as natural anti-depressants. It isn’t any wonder that so many people crave chocolate when they have the blues! Additionally, dark chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine, which are actually stimulates which give you more energy.
While these facts do not mean that you should indulge in chocolate to the extreme, they do mean that you do need to include a bit of dark chocolate in your diet each day. Just a bite or two of good dark chocolate each day will give you all of the health benefits that you need from the dark chocolate, without causing you to gain weight, or to develop problems associated with the consumption of unhealthy fats. The key to good health always has been – and always will be – moderation.
You know the importance of eating your fruits and vegetables – those healthy foods that are produced from the earth. Because you eat these foods, and know that the foods are healthy for you, why wouldn’t you include chocolate in your list of healthy earth produced foods? Chocolate is made from cocoa, which is grown.
Chocolate Compared to Dark Vegetables
Just as dark vegetables are important because they contain flavonoids and antioxidants, chocolate also contains these things. However, it is dark chocolate that is healthy – not white chocolate, milk chocolate, or other types of chocolate. When you consume dark chocolate, you are actually consuming eight times the number of antioxidants that you would consume if you were eating strawberries.
Dark Chocolate and Your Heart
The flavonoids and antioxidants found in dark chocolate work to protect your heart because they help to lower the blood pressure and cholesterol. Many people mistakenly think that dark chocolate contains fat that isn’t good for you. This isn’t true. Dark chocolate contains oleic acid, stearic acid, and palmitic acid – all fats – and all fats that are actually good for you and your heart.
If you don’t believe this, consider the fact that olive oil contains oleic acid. Although stearic acid and palmitic acid are saturated fats, when consumed in moderation, they have a positive effect on cholesterol. Make sure that you understand that too much of these saturated fats can lead to heart disease and high cholesterol, or the opposite effect of what you are hoping to achieve when you consume chocolate.
The Other Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate causes the body and brain to produce more of certain hormones, such as endorphins and serotonin. These two hormones actually increase your sense of well being and make you happier – so they act as natural anti-depressants. It isn’t any wonder that so many people crave chocolate when they have the blues! Additionally, dark chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine, which are actually stimulates which give you more energy.
While these facts do not mean that you should indulge in chocolate to the extreme, they do mean that you do need to include a bit of dark chocolate in your diet each day. Just a bite or two of good dark chocolate each day will give you all of the health benefits that you need from the dark chocolate, without causing you to gain weight, or to develop problems associated with the consumption of unhealthy fats. The key to good health always has been – and always will be – moderation.