Chocolate and Your Heart

 Have you ever eaten a delicious piece of chocolate and then felt guilty? You don't need to. Chocolate is actually good for you. There are a couple of qualifiers; the chocolate must be dark chocolate, and it must be eaten in small to moderate quantities to avoid weight gain.

It seems that there are antioxidants in chocolate that can protect you from free radicals, that play a role in heart disease. There are also plant constituents called flavanols that are heart healthy. Flavonoids are known to relax blood vessels and lower blood pressure. These factors can lower the risk of heart attacks, high blood pressure and atherosclerosis.

Theobromine is a substance in chocolate that some scientists think may also contribute to its heart friendly properties. It is thought to relax the blood vessels and preventing high blood pressure. Antioxidants, on the other hand, help to reduce cellular damage that is caused by free radicals. Free radicals cause oxidation of the cells, Free radicals can cause bad cholesterol to form plaque on the walls of your blood vessels.

To get these health benefits you  have to be sure to get the right kind of chocolate. The milk in milk chocolate negates the benefits of the flavonols. Heavy processing, by alkalizing, fermentation or roasting tends to destroy the health promoting flavonoids.  Most candy bars in the supermarket are loaded with sugar and many of them have milk. Be sure to look for chocolate that has at least 70% cacao. Raw organic chocolate is the best.

Research is in the works to produce a supplement that you can take that will give you the benefits of raw cacao without the added sugar or milk. It will be interesting to see the research on these supplements.

Sources:
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/heart/prevention/nutrition/food-choices/benefits-of-chocolate
http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/119/10/1433.full
http://thealternativedaily/research-gives-us-more-reasons-to-enjoy-dark-chocolate/

Check out my website at www.valerielull.com I have a new book out called Ten Spices for Health and Longevity. 

Valerie Lull
Author
Ten Spices for Health and Longevity
www.valerielull923@gmail.com

Dark Chocolate and Your Gut

Dark chocolate is one of my favorite foods. Imagine my joy when I found out it is good for you!  The main problem with chocolate is the sugar and milk that are added to take away the bitter taste. This is why the dark version is better than the milk chocolate. Dark chocolate has many health benefits, but today I am going to talk about the benefits it has for your gut. All people have bacteria in their gut. There are good bacteria and bad bacteria. Chocolate is useful for the good bacteria. It is the action of the bacteria in the gut that makes chocolate good for us and available in our bodies. The bacteria love to feast on it

.

There are lots of polyphenols and antioxidants in dark chocolate. The bacteria in your gut ferments the chocolate and makes compounds that are healthy for your body. The bacteria make them into anti-inflammatory compounds that are good for your cardiovascular system. One of the components the bacteria make is polyphenols. These work to relieve inflammation and stress.They are also thought to help blood pressure.

Prebiotics are carbohydrates that are in whole foods. Your body can't digest them. But, bacteria love these prebiotics. Prebiotics are food for your bacteria. These keeps your bacteria  happy and then they are able to break down chocolate. Researchers suggest that consuming dark chocolate along with certain fruits can boost the health potential. Some of these fruits are acai and pomegranate.

When purchasing chocolate, raw cacao is the best. Candy bars are fine if they are dark chocolate and have at least 70% cacao in them. Then there are nibs, which are raw cacao beans that have been peeled and crushed.There are scientists who are studying how to make capsules from cocoa in high concentrations to help blood pressure, cholesterol, and insulin management.

Keeping your gut bacteria happy is very important. Folks with lots of pathological bacteria in their colons have problems absorbing nutrients. Enjoy dark chocolate, but don't overdo it. 1 or 2 squares a day is all you need.  


Sources:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/12/08/gut-microbes-make-dark-chocolate-healthy.aspx
http://www.gutmicrobiotawatch.org/gut-microbes-make-dark-chocolate-healthy/
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/03/18/290922850/chocolate-turns-into-heart-helpers-by-gut-bacteria
http://articles-mercola.com/sites/articles/2014/03/31/dark-chocolate
http://thealternativedaily.co/dark-chocolate-and-your-gut-the-final-verdict

Be sure to check out my website at www.valerielull.com

Valerie Lull
Author
Ten Healthy Teas
valerielull923@gmail.com