Well, hardly. But chocolate is far from being totally unhealthy, in fact the
consumption of chocolate brings well documented physical and emotional benefits.
The British Medical Journal reports
that eating 100 grams of dark chocolate reduces blood pressure and cardiovascular
incidents
by as much as 21 percent. This is because dark chocolate contains phenols
which promote cardiovascular health, and phenols are
loaded with antioxidants which help to battle free radicals that can
cause disease. Chocolate is also a good source of magnesium and there
is ongoing research concerning the use of chocolate in the development of medicines
to fight diseases like cancer and osteoporosis.
There have
been studies which shown that by liberating endorphins, chocolate can provide
us with a sense of well being as well as energy and pleasure. But in order
to get the benefits of chocolate you need to eat the kind that has at least
65 or preferably 70
percent
or more real cocoa. This used to be considered on the gourmet
end things, but you can now buy it in most supermarkets in the UK. The
rich texture and taste of this high quality chocolate acts as a pleasure for
the
senses.
It can be an aphrodisiac and also can help energize you as
it contains caffeine as well as serotonin which can lift your mood.
But as well all know, chocolate is fattening. It's best to eat the
dark chocolate as it has less sugar and more phenols. You should
eat in moderation, twice as many bars in one sitting won't have twice the
health benefits and the extra sugar and fat will have a detrimental effect
on your health, to say nothing of your waistline!
One point worth noting is that iIf you
choose organic chocolate, you can be certain that it doesn't contain organochlorine
pesticides which are typically used in treating cocoa crops and are harmful
to your health. So choose organic if you can and but choose dark chocolate
anyway - it will always be better for you.
