Posts tagged "health benefits"

Flavonoids In Chocolate Are Good For The Health

Cacao is known to contain a certain substance called Flavonoids, specifically Flavanols. These are chemicals usually see in plant-based foods and they are famous for their nutritional value. There are over 4,000 flavonoids and they are typically found in fruits, vegetables and beverages such as rea, coffee, beer, wine and fruit drinks. Why certainly, it is found in chocolates as well!

When we consume flavonoid-containing foods, it follows that we get the benefits of antioxidants in it which can combat body cell damage.  Moreover, research suggests that flavonoids have benefits to the vascular health like lowering blood pressure and improving blood flow to the brain and heart so the blood platelets become less viscous. Therefore, it keeps cholesterol from gathering in and blocking blood vessels. It also retards the immune responses that may cause arteries to clog.

Eating a tiny piece of dark chocolate per day can give you health benefits over time. Why dark chocolates, you may ask. We know that there are different types of chocolate. Dark chocolates contain the highest amount of cocoa compared to other variants such as milk and white chocolates which pretty much means dark chocolate holds more flavonoids than the other two. Since processing chocolate oftentimes wipes out the flavonoids in chocolates, chocolate companies have been learning techniques to make dark chocolate keep its flavonoids up to 95%.

Health experts suggest that flavonoid-rich foods are better than dietary supplements that contain high amounts of flavonoids. So, go ahead and get your piece of chocolate! Yes, besides being mouthwatering and luscious, chocolates are in fact healthy!

However, just because it’s healthy and can give you health benefits doesn’t mean you have to devour 5 bars in one sitting. Remember, too much of something is bad. Moderation is always key. Eat a little at a time and wait for the nutritional payback over time.

More Chocolate Information Articles

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Posted by Nikita Gould - April 6, 2014 at 9:00 am

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Truth About Chocolate – Health Food, Junk or Drug?

Chocolate always stirred up controversy. It used to be taken for something health-damaging. It’s said to cause acne. It’s said to cause diabetes. You name it. Chocolate, despite the intense love of people for it, has always had a bad reputation. Nowadays, more and more evidence regarding chocolate’s health benefits are surfacing. Which is which?! What’s the real deal? Watch this video.

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Posted by Nikita Gould - February 24, 2014 at 12:13 pm

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Chocolate is Healthy!

Chocolate is Healthy!

Chocolate is Healthy!

Chocolate is Healthy is a non-fiction book encompassing both the health and food genres teaching the audience about debunking myths and fallacies regarding chocolate and introducing them to the wonders of what chocolate can do for them. Each of the myths, fallacies and health benefits will be discussed in detail and each of these facts will be backed with up information from major studies. There will also be a final chapter on what chocolate is doing to the health of the environment and what some of the world’s finest chocolatiers are doing to help. Also incorporated in Chocolate is Healthy! is a compilation of approximately thirty dark chocolate recipes and photos to salivate over and to work into their lifestyle.Chocolate is Healthy is a non-fiction book encompassing both the health and food genres teaching the audience about debunking myths and fallacies regarding chocolate and introducing them to the wonders of what chocolate can do for them. Each of the myths, fallacies and health benefits will be discussed in detail and each of these facts will be backed with up information from major studies. There will also be a final chapter on what chocolate is doing to the health of the environment and what some of the world’s finest chocolatiers are doing to help. Also incorporated in Chocolate is Healthy! is a compilation of approximately thirty dark chocolate recipes and photos to salivate over and to work into their lifestyle.

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Posted by Chocoholic - February 7, 2014 at 8:43 am

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Bittersweet And Semisweet Chocolate

Bittersweet chocolates are usually a sweetened form of dark chocolate that doesn’t have any type of milk whether in its liquid or powdered form.  It is fundamentally a combination of chocolate liquor, sugar, butter that is made out of cocoa and for the most part – vanilla. Typically, a substance known as lecithin is added which acts as an emulsifier. Cocoa produced through grinding its beans into a liquid form is usually called chocolate liquor, which ironically has no alcohol and what not. Unsweetened baking chocolate is the outcome of cocoa liquor that has been solidified.

In the North America, a standard is being set by the FDA or Food and Drug Administration that such bittersweet chocolates must be required to contain at least 35% of chocolate liquor. Whereas in the United Kingdom, the figure can be as high as 43%. It is readily understandable that the more chocolate liquor the chocolate has, the more intense the flavor can be. Even some high quality chocolates have chocolate liquor as high as 65 to 70%.

Terms like bittersweet and semisweet are oftentimes mistaken for each other in conversations and printed materials, but there are specific traits that separate and define the two. Bittersweet chocolate consists of more chocolate liquor and less amount of sugar as compared to the semisweet one. On the other hand, semisweet chocolates only have 35% of liquor, making the two types of chocolates pretty similar to each other. This is the main reason why the terms semisweet and bittersweet are always used interchangeably in cooking and baking processes which typically produce good results.

Recent studies in the previous years have shown that the regular consumption and intake of minor quantities of bittersweet chocolates have specific health benefits. These health benefits lessen heart diseases caused by the high flavonoid contents of this dark chocolates. Flavonoids such as epicathecin and gallic acid are actually abundant in these types of dark chocolates. Blood pressure lowering is also an attribute which are linked to these bittersweet chocolates. These chocolates are available in different forms like chips and bars that definitely cater to a vast market.

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Posted by Nikita Gould - May 4, 2013 at 12:10 pm

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How Chocolate Can Prevent Stroke In Men

A lot of people have been living and leading healthy lives in these past years. It’s a common choice to eat responsibly, and a lot has stopped smoking and drinking. People opt to sleep for plenty of time, and regular exercises are observed in many. This is really good news for those who have been plagued by health-related diseases that restrict them to be the best they can be.

Just recently, research claims that eating a healthy dose of chocolates every week can lead to a reduced rate of stroke incidents particularly in the male-side of the populace. If you happen to be a woman who loves the men in your life, then it’s a good call to give them chocolate.

It was just recently published that it was confirmed that the consumption chocolate every week was directly linked with a reduction of the rate of stroke incidents among men. Yep. You read right.

According to the journal, Neurology, the study followed roughly  37,000 men for 10 years. The ones who ate more than 2 ounces of chocolate per week had a staggering 17% lower risk of stroke compared to those that had very little or no chocolate.

The study’s author claims that “the beneficial effect of chocolate consumption on stroke is related to the flavonoids that are mainly found in the chocolates”.

Flavonoids, as you may have seen many times, are naturally occurring agents that tend to have a protective trait against cardio-vascular (CV) diseases through the process of anti-oxidation, anti-clotting, and anti-inflammation. You may also have known that flavonoids can help in decreasing of blood concentrations of bad cholesterol and lowering blood pressure.

Albeit it has been said that this study zero in on men, it’s also expressed that men might not be the only part of the population that benefits from regular eating of chocolate. A study made last year from the same group of researchers indicated that women who had a moderate amount of chocolate also had a lower risk of strike, according to USA Today.

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Posted by Nikita Gould - November 16, 2012 at 2:27 pm

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