subject: Why Women And Men Should Eat More Chocolate [print this page] Good news for the chocoholics out there: Your addiction could be a good thing. Multiple studies have found that eating dark chocolate daily could actually keep you healthy. Dark chocolate has been called a super-food, packing some powerful antioxidants in its key ingredient, cacao. These free-radical fighting properties have been shown to improve brain function, reduce blood pressure and even reduce the risk of heart attacks. So you can give into your temptation with less guilt by eating Healthy Chocolate.
Dark chocolate was touted as an "instant energy bullet" in a recent Men's Health Magazine article titled "What to Eat When you Work Out." According to the article, the bioactive compounds tyramine and phenylethylamine found in chocolate can provide an instant energy boost.
There could be a science behind our cravings. When women crave chocolate during hormonal changes or when they feel stressed out, your body may be trying to tell you to boost your serotonin levels. People with high anxiety participated in a study released last year. After eating just an ounce and a half of dark chocolate every day for two weeks, they experienced a reduced level of stress hormones.
When a dark chocolate has at least 75 percent cacao content, you can get the most endorphins in every delicious bite. Chocolate stimulates endorphin production and contains serotonin, so you actually do feel better after eating it. Dark chocolate contains caffeine and other stimulants, so you're alert as well. So you can eat more chocolate with less guilt!
Dark chocolate contains plant phenols with cacao, a potent antioxidant that can not only help reduce blood pressure, but can also reduce the risk of stroke. This type of chocolate is better than milk or white chocolates, because the processing involved in making those types of chocolate will strip it of some of its health benefits. The high amount antioxidants in dark chocolate, called flavonoids, are believed to improve the flexibility of blood vessels. This can make blood vessels more resistant to plaque buildup and provide other cardiovascular benefits These flavanols found in dark chocolate are similar to the antioxidants found in green teas, berries and red wine.
You should still keep yourself from going overboard, according to doctors, because of the fat and calories that come in chocolate. By keeping your chocolate intake in balance, and perhaps cutting back on other high-calorie foods, you can indulge every day and stay healthy at the same time. Not a bad compromise, if you consider the cancer and disease fighting properties in a yummy piece of chocolate, after that apple. What's more, you could actually see a change in your blood pressure, and boost the antioxidants that can help your body ward off disease in the future.
And with the sinfully decadent taste of dark chocolate, who can resist that prescription?
by: Matthew Stone.
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