What Kind and How Much Chocolate Should You Eat?
2011-11-08 16:48:13
The answer is dark chocolate, and the amount can be about 7 grams, or up to 45 grams daily. Chocolates have become delectable everyday treats that we may be over indulging in them, particularly in the wrong type.
Dark is Best
Dark chocolate with high cocoa content is the one that delivers the nutritional value and not the majority of chocolates that are low in cocoa, heavily sweetened and embedded with hydrogenated oils, milk solids and/or fancy fillings. The darker the chocolate, the higher the cocoa content, the more bitter the taste.
The benefit of the dark lies in the rich flavonoid content in the cocoa beans. Flavonoids are antioxidant powerhouses and biochemicals known to protect our health against heart diseases, diabetes, as well as cancers.
Flavanol is one of the main types of flavonoids which is widely distributed in colour-rich fruits and vegetables. One reason why dark chocolate is more superior than milk chocolate is because the milk interferes with the absorption of flavonoids.
Flavonols in Cocoa
A chronic inflammatory state represents a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease and in 2008, Italian researchers found that people who took moderate amounts of dark chocolate regularly have significantly lower levels of C-reactive protein in their blood. This means their inflammatory state is considerably reduced. 6.7 grams was the amount consumed regularly during the study.
Fast forward to 2010, a study by German Institute of Human Nutrition found that people who took an average of 6 grams of chocolate daily, or one square of a chocolate bar had a 39 percent lower risk of either a heart attack or stroke. Similarly after analysing the results of 15 studies, Australian researchers disclosed in the journal BMC Medicine that people with high blood pressure, or hypertension, who ate dark chocolate can significantly reduce their blood pressure.
Flavanols in dark chocolate increase the formation of nitric oxide in the cells, which promotes dilation, and consequently lower blood pressure. In yet another chocolatey observation made known in the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, in animal models, the substance epicatechin, a flavanol present in dark chocolate protected against brain damage (due to a lack of blood flow) caused by a stroke.
Interestingly, UK researchers tested 45 grams of chocolate (containing polyphenol-rich, 85 percent cocoa solids) daily on a group of diabetics for eight weeks. The results was an increased in HDL cholesterol (the good guys) and improving the cholesterol:HDL ratio without affecting their weight, inflammatory markers or insulin resistance. Their findings appeared on the Diabetic Medicine journal in November 2010.
Choose Very Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate should contain at least 70 percent cocoa solids. It should preferably be organic (free from toxic chemicals) and fair trade. The best effect is obtained by consuming a about 6-6.7 grams of chocolate per day, corresponding to a small square of chocolate, eaten twice or three times a week. Beyond these amounts the beneficial effect tends to disappear unless you are eating very dark chocolates with as high as 85 percent of cocoa solids.
To learn more about preventive strategies, head over to the health journal Tips Of All Sorts. To jumpstart on a full dietary and lifestyle plan, check out the Total Health Program today.
Dark is Best
Dark chocolate with high cocoa content is the one that delivers the nutritional value and not the majority of chocolates that are low in cocoa, heavily sweetened and embedded with hydrogenated oils, milk solids and/or fancy fillings. The darker the chocolate, the higher the cocoa content, the more bitter the taste.
The benefit of the dark lies in the rich flavonoid content in the cocoa beans. Flavonoids are antioxidant powerhouses and biochemicals known to protect our health against heart diseases, diabetes, as well as cancers.
Flavanol is one of the main types of flavonoids which is widely distributed in colour-rich fruits and vegetables. One reason why dark chocolate is more superior than milk chocolate is because the milk interferes with the absorption of flavonoids.
Flavonols in Cocoa
A chronic inflammatory state represents a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease and in 2008, Italian researchers found that people who took moderate amounts of dark chocolate regularly have significantly lower levels of C-reactive protein in their blood. This means their inflammatory state is considerably reduced. 6.7 grams was the amount consumed regularly during the study.
Fast forward to 2010, a study by German Institute of Human Nutrition found that people who took an average of 6 grams of chocolate daily, or one square of a chocolate bar had a 39 percent lower risk of either a heart attack or stroke. Similarly after analysing the results of 15 studies, Australian researchers disclosed in the journal BMC Medicine that people with high blood pressure, or hypertension, who ate dark chocolate can significantly reduce their blood pressure.
Flavanols in dark chocolate increase the formation of nitric oxide in the cells, which promotes dilation, and consequently lower blood pressure. In yet another chocolatey observation made known in the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, in animal models, the substance epicatechin, a flavanol present in dark chocolate protected against brain damage (due to a lack of blood flow) caused by a stroke.
Interestingly, UK researchers tested 45 grams of chocolate (containing polyphenol-rich, 85 percent cocoa solids) daily on a group of diabetics for eight weeks. The results was an increased in HDL cholesterol (the good guys) and improving the cholesterol:HDL ratio without affecting their weight, inflammatory markers or insulin resistance. Their findings appeared on the Diabetic Medicine journal in November 2010.
Choose Very Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate should contain at least 70 percent cocoa solids. It should preferably be organic (free from toxic chemicals) and fair trade. The best effect is obtained by consuming a about 6-6.7 grams of chocolate per day, corresponding to a small square of chocolate, eaten twice or three times a week. Beyond these amounts the beneficial effect tends to disappear unless you are eating very dark chocolates with as high as 85 percent of cocoa solids.
To learn more about preventive strategies, head over to the health journal Tips Of All Sorts. To jumpstart on a full dietary and lifestyle plan, check out the Total Health Program today.
