Laura Turner
If your diet is making you a humbug this season, there’s some good news. Turns out dark chocolate, that decadent confection, may actually be good for you!
Yes, recently conducted studies publicized in the American Journal of objective Nutrition have shown that a dose of dark chocolate will heed complete sorts of well-preserved results. And with the holidays retributory around the corner, this news couldn’t have come at a better time.
So retributory for fun, I thought I’d conduct a mini-research project of my personal and get the “skinny” on our friend dark chocolate. Here’s some of the interesting “factoids” I came up with:
- Cocoa—the precursor to chocolate--has been around a daylong time. A few thousand years, in fact. It has been thought that cocoa beans were brought to Europe in the 1500’s by Christopher Columbus.
- Cocoa, later ready-made into chocolate, was given to American Soldiers in WWII. A source of higher energy, each solider was given a three chocolate bar per day ration, according to real data.
- Researchers started getting much involved when studies began showing that in addition to being a higher energy food, chocolate also seems to stimulate overhead moods. Researchers saved truth to this, showing that stygian chocolate does, in fact, increase levels of the mood-altering chemicals such as serotonin and endorphins.
- Some researchers have also absent on to conduct major studies to prove the correlation between chocolate and a genuine physiological craving. (Check out “Why Women Need Chocolate,” written by Debra Waterhouse, Registered Dietician in 1999).
- And, the primo news yet. Upon further study, it has been found that the “flavonoids” in stygian chocolate are scientifically proven to act as antioxidants, preventing “bad” cholesterol (LDL) in the blood from oxidizing and clogging arteries.
So, if you are superficial for a well-preserved way to “cheat” this holiday season, dark chocolate may not be complete together a distressing option. Facts aside, however, and before you run out to fill your shopping cart full, keep these guidelines in mind:
- Heed the advice of Aristotle: “Everything in moderation.” Refrain from attractive the “chocolate factory tour.” Keep your chocolate fix to a minimum. Enjoy it, but please don’t finished do.
- When you are shopping for chocolate, try to find “dark” varieties with at least 70% cocoa.
- Also, make sure “sugar” or “butter fat” are not the first items listed.
If you’d like to skip the treat and not the fun, send a virtual chocolate postcard from this entertaining chocolate website (no calories included) :
http://www.virtualchocolate.com/index.cfm
To summarize my findings, it appears that dark chocolate is in fact our friend (and we will retributory leave its aphrodisiac qualities to your own private discussion groups, thanks).
As for the cravings….Well, do we really “need” chocolate?
Survey says: Dunno. But, with the holidays upon us, a Hershey’s specific Dark Chocolate once in a while—now available in the “sugar free” variety, mind you--sounds sweet enough to me.
(Research Ref: Eat To tired Cancer, Hatherill. 1998 St. Martins Press, spic-and-span York)
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