It can heal your heart and mind—but you have to eat the right kind.
Here's what to avoid, what to indulge in.
If it hasn't occurred to you to toss chocolate shavings into a salad, shake cocoa powder over a bowl of popcorn, or serve chicken with a savory chocolate mole sauce, now might be a good time to ask yourself why. Scientists are finding that chocolate—or, more specifically, cocoa powder made from ground, defatted cocoa beans—contains compounds that have the potential to protect against heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes.
Cocoa beans contain substantial amounts of antioxidants, dietary substances that mop up free radicals. (The cell damage they cause can lead to cancer-triggering mutations or blood-vessel scarring that accelerates heart problems.) Disease-fighting antioxidants are also present in blueberries, kale, spinach, tea, red wine and grape juice. But chocolate is a particularly potent source; ounce for ounce, dark chocolate has five times as many antioxidants as blueberries.
Food scientists are no longer shy about praising chocolate, and not just as a dip for strawberries. Several studies have demonstrated that antioxidants in chocolate—known as flavonols—help lower levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol while boosting "good" HDL cholesterol. Flavonols seem to ease inflammation, opening blood vessels and improving blood flow. These antioxidants can prevent platelets from adhering to the lining of blood vessels, inhibit blood clotting and help prevent plaque formation in the arteries.
And like a quality bar of Valrhona, the research keeps getting better. A recent Italian study confirmed that dark chocolate can decrease blood pressure; it also revealed that the dark stuff may help prevent type 2 diabetes by encouraging hormones to transport sugar from the blood into cells for fuel. In another study, soccer players who ate 3.7 ounces of milk chocolate every day for 2 weeks had improved markers of cardiovascular health, including lower blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol than soccer players who ate white chocolate (which contains few flavonols).
WOW, we should eat more chocolate now. YAY!!!
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