.: Healthy Chocolate?
By:Gerald Meyer
Category:Home / Food and Drink / Gourmet
It's great news that research found a food that lowers blood pressure and is healthy for the heart and maybe more. The problem is that the chocolate most Americans consume is not the same kind. The more popular kinds of chocolate have little or no positive effect on your health. Only certain chocolate may be healthy.
Dark chocolate is the chocolate that was found to have positive effects on blood pressure. Participants given dark, milk, or white chocolate every day were evaluated in different studies. It turns out that dark chocolate contains important antioxidants called phenols. These natural compounds from the cocoa bean are known to increase nitric oxide, reduce platelet aggregation, and inhibit oxidation of LDL cholesterol. Cocoa can decrease blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, and increase your insulin sensitivity. Milk and white chocolate are low in these antioxidants and do not have the same effect.
The problem is how chocolate is processed in this country. White chocolate, regardless of where you get it, actually contains no cocoa at all and is made only from cocoa butter; just the fat from the cocoa beans. It also contains no phenols. Most of the other chocolate we eat is made with "dutched" cocoa. The cocoa beans are treated with an alkaline solution to make them dark in color and to reduce the natural bitterness from the plant. But, it also reduces almost 90% of the phenols and most of its healthy benefits. The other problem is that when made into milk chocolate, the milk seems to prevent the phenols from being absorbed and, thus, negating any possible benefit from the chocolate.
The best chocolate for your health appears to be dark chocolate. In the European studies done, they ate 100gm of chocolate a day (100 grams equals approx. 3.5 ounces). That's the equivalent to 2 1/2 regular size Hershey's bars. It also adds about 550 calories to the diet. They were instructed to substitute this amount of calories from other foods they normally ate each day. You would have to do the same or forego its healthy benefits by increasing your waistline. European chocolate in general is healthier than that found in America due to the fact that it is less processed than ours and contains more of the heart healthy antioxidants. Dark chocolate is an acquired taste for most Americans since it is much more bitter than its milky counterpart.
So why is this research being touted as the 'best medical news in ages'? It appears to be one more way we look to justify the unhealthy diets we follow. When people hear that chocolate is now healthy, they don't hear any of the other restrictions involved, and don't want to. In fact, most people wouldn't want to change to a more bitter tasting chocolate and also cut out over 500 calories from their diets. Our diets already have enough sweets and this type of news only fuels the diabetic and obesity epidemics. This kind of medical news will only make most people add extra calories to their diets and increase their health problems.
Article keywords: chocolate, chocolate health, dark, cocoa, phenols, green tea, antioxidants, healthy, blood pressure
Article Source: http://www.articles32.com
Gerald Meyer,RPh provides advice on weight loss. Information on benefits of green tea can be found at http://www.natural-weight-loss-programs.com. Free trials of green tea patches available. Learn the benefits of green tea. Acai may be the most nutritious food in the world.
.: New Gourmet Articles
1). Gluten Free Foods, Yummy Tasting Friendly Food
Gluten free foods enjoyed a successful 2006 and are expected to come on even stronger in 2007. Companies have nearly doubled sales of its gluten free brands in 2006. There has also been expanded distribution in the U.S. and throughout Canada.
2). Delightful Caribbean Dishes That You Must Try!
Caribbean islands were first of all inhabited by The Arawak, Carib, and the Taino Indians. These inhabited the present day British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Trinidad, and Jamaica. And what they ate at that time? They ate mainly vegetables and fruits like yams, guavas, papaw, and cassava.
3). Belgian Chocolate Bars: Great Tasting Chocolates
Chocolate lovers know the power of chocolate and the search for the perfect chocolate bar. Belgian chocolate bars are some of the best tasting in the world. They make great gifts for any true chocolate lover you know.
4). Some Tips On Looking For The Best Culinary School Chicago-Kent Offer
It has been said by many pet food becomes tastier under cold weather conditions. If this is true, then the most delicious bit dishes can surely be found in Chicago, dubbed as the Windy City.
5). The Experts Speak Out On The Importance Of Enrolling In Culinary Institutes
There are a lot of people who know how to cook. And a lot of people prepare great meals. But it is only through a formal education in the culinary arts that people can arm themselves with the knowledge there were a love-hate their craft to the next level.
6). Have a Very Chocolatey Christmas
The holiday season is a fun time to indulge in chocolate.
7). A Muffin Is Not, Nor Will Ever Be A Cupcake
A muffin is not a cupcake, but how does one ultimately distinguish between the two delectable treats? They are both after all approximately the same size and shape and come in a variety of flavors. This article will illuminate some of the distinguishing factors.
.: Top Gourmet Articles
1). Culinary Traditions Of France
French cuisine is the amazingly high standard to which all other native cuisines must live up to. The country of France is home of some of the finest cuisine in the world, and it is created by some of the finest master chefs in the world. The French people take excessive pride in cooking and knowing how to prepare a good meal. Cooking is an essential part of their culture, and it adds to one's usefulness if they are capable of preparing a good meal.
2). The Incredible Edible Olive
Olives have been eaten and the oil used since biblical times but it wasn’t until recently that they have enjoyed so much press due to their cardioprotective properties. Find out more about this amazing food including the many varieties of olives available.
3). The Amazing Acai Fruit
Do you know about the Acai Berry Fruit? It is a blueberry like fruit from the Amazon area that exhibits excellent health benefits.
4). Is Chocolate That Healthy?
It is great news that research has found a food that lowers blood pressure and is healthy for the heart and maybe more. The problem is that the chocolate people consume most is not the kind that was studied. The more popular kinds of chocolate have little or no positive effect on your health. Only certain chocolate may be healthy.
5). Hooray for Chocolate!
There is great news for chocolate lovers...Chocolate is good for your health! Now, we are not talking here about a candy bar but about real chocolate, the kind that contains at least 71% of real cocoa. Something to remember when selecting chocolate is that the darker it is, the less sugar it contains and the better it is for you.
6). The Game of Catering
When you first meet a customer for a catering job, you must make the right impression...
7). Discover How To Turn Any Meal Into A Gourmet Treat
Are you looking for an easy way to turn your old favorites into something special? Lucky for you there is one secret and easy to use ingredient that can help give some class to almost anything you serve.