People automatically associate chocolate with junk food. Most likely because
in many circumstances, it really is something you want to avoid. Feeding
children chocolate bars for breakfast does not exactly count for a nutritious
and well-balanced meal. Nevertheless, there is increasing evidence that
chocolate can help humans, and is healthy under specific conditions.
For women who continually search for that perfect skin glow, cocoa (cacao) seed
extract has been found to maintain natural elasticity and increase blood flow,
both of which keep the skin attractive and supple. In fact, for years,
advertisements for skin creams and moisturizers have touted the benefits of
cocoa seeds. Cocoa butter is the ingredient that protects the skin and keeps it
nice looking.
Further, cacao is extremely high in a compound referred to as “theobromine”.
It is known to energize much like caffeine, but does not have the same adverse
effects. Be warned, though, that despite the fact that it may help humans, the
compound is definitely toxic to cats and dogs, thus, the reason to avoid
feeding chocolate to your pets. Additionally, cacao contains “amino acid
tryptophan” which encourages relaxation. It also promotes the release of
endorphins, the reason some women crave chocolate when they have a migraine or
menstrual pains. Of course, chocolate appears to cause migraines in other
people, but, the truth is, the varying ingredients in a chocolate bar or piece
of chocolate are really the cause.
Another compound in cocoa is “flavonoids”. These are the same substances
found in green tea, red wine, and berries, which all are recognized to have
medicinal properties. There have been numerous studies to prove the beneficial
effects on the heart by ingesting “flavanol antioxidants”. Also, research and
chemical analysis demonstrate that natural cocoa has important minerals and
dietary fiber, which help with lowering cholesterol levels. Flavonoids are
important to humans, as they are natural cleaners. When consumed in the right
doses, they affect the system with their anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and
anti-allergic properties. Dark chocolate has much more antioxidants than milk
chocolate with some sources saying as much as four times the amount. Plus, it
is recommended that if you want to experience the full effects of flavonoids,
that you should choose chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa.
Finally, a word of caution when buying chocolate with the express purpose of
benefiting from healthy eating. The truth is that many of these “chocolate
cures”, weight loss gimmicks, and other snake oil type products are just
preying on your need to be healthy while eating something supposedly forbidden.
They extol the virtues of chocolate as the next dietary miracle, but the truth
is they do not disclose the real contents of their ingredients. For the most
part, you are not receiving any of the benefits of the real cocoa. In fact,
these companies are not even required to disclose the amount of alkalization of
the cocoa powder. This means that there is probably no benefit derived from
their ingredients. One thing that you can do when choosing products is, look
for ingredients that include “natural cocoa” and not those “processed with
alkali”.
