Dark Chocolate Saves Lives…
Happy Monday to you! I woke this morning to a news report that a new study has found yet another benefit to eating dark chocolate on a daily basis - it helps prevent blood clots. The key substances found in dark chocolate that provide these cardiovascular benefits are flavonoids; “Flavoniods keep cholesterol from gathering in blood vessels, reduce the risk of blood clots, and slow down the immune responses that lead to clogged arteries.”
You may be thinking, “why on earth would we find this kind of a health benefit in chocolate? It’s candy! Haven’t we been told all of our lives that candy is junk food?”
Because candy gets such a bad rap we forget that chocolate is a prepared food item that is derived from plants, just like fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains. If you think about it in those terms it makes sense there would be
benefits to our health from consuming chocolate. Unlike other forms of chocolate, dark chocolate contains the highest amount of cocoa, so if you’re going to indulge go for the dark.
If you’re a lover of dark chocolate (like me) then this is more good news that’ll make you feel O.K. about indulging.
Apparently, dark chocolate is the best source of flavonoids - even better than green tea, black tea, red wine, and blueberries.
Bon appetit!
January 14th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
They claim dark chocolate is also better for you b/c it is richer and therefore you are satified quicker and eat less of it. I am sure this doesn’t go with the theme of loving chocolate, but i thought i would add it.
October 9th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
It has also been considered as an anti-depressant!