Chocolate to improve health
THURSDAY: Health Issues and Ideas
I’ve always been a skeptic to research suggesting chocolate will improve your health. I don’t care much for it, and have assumed most people will use the information as an excuse to cut back on veggies and add more chocolate! HOWEVER…. I may be changing my tune:
My father-in-law has Macular Degeneration. He is about 99.5% blind, and has been for more than 30 years. Recently during a doctor’s visit he asked for advice for keeping his memory. His doctor suggested some patients were trying dark chocolate. So for two weeks he ate dark chocolate every day. At this point he told us for the first time in over 30 years the spot in front of his eyes preventing him from seeing anything was starting to shrink! I will definitely keep you updated if anything comes from this, but it was enough to make me look into it a lit further.
According to David Grotto’s new book 101 Foods that Can Save Your Life, Chocolate can:
- Give you healthier skin (increased hydration and decreased roughness and scaling)..this dispels a common myth.
- Flavonoids in cocoa beans can combat diarrhea (who wants kids with diarrhea?)
- Improves heart health by reducing LDL and lowering blood pressure.
- Improved insulun sensitivity (vital for diabetics)
- Theobromine (found in chocolate) was nearly a third more effective in stopping coughs compared to codeine!!!
- One antioxidant found in cocoa may be effective in supressing genes that trigger colon cancer cell growth.
- Verbal and visual memory were significantly higher in subjects who consumed milk chocolate!
Are you as surprised as I am? Clearly the antioxidants in cocoa are responsible for the benefits. With most of the chocolate we eat, there is a small amount of cocoa, and a large amount of milk, sugars, and fats. The so-called dark choclate bars that claim 70% cocoa are expensive too.
Solution: How many of you have a tub of baking cocoa in your cupboards? Mine is 100% cocoa! Use that in your next recipe or smoothie.
For Recipe ideas using 100% baking cocoa, go here.
Last day to enter to win some free Peanut Butter Coupons.
Posted: March 19th, 2009 under Dessert, Ideas and Issues.
Tags: 100% cocoa, 101 foods that could save your life, antioxidants, benefits of chocolate, children, cocoa, dave grotto, flavonoids, healthy, heart health, ideas, lower cholesterol, macular degeneration, recipes
Comments
Comment from Amy
Time March 19, 2009 at 7:02 am
I totally agree Cathy. Plus I read one thing that suggested when combining dairy (milk) with cocoa, the interaction suppresses the benefits of the antioxidants. I’m sure the people in the studies to find the benefits must have eaten pure, 100% cocoa beans or powder. The amount of antioxidants in prepared chocolate bars are just too minimal.
Comment from kathy moskal
Time March 19, 2009 at 8:18 am
To get the health benefits from chocolate, you need chocolate with 70% cacao or higher. So many companies, who 2 years ago were touting their “guilty pleasures” “decadent sweets” are now claiming the “Healthy Bandwagon” even though most of what they make is truly unhealthful. Having founded my company VERE in 2004 on the premise of Healthful, premium chocolate, gluten-free, mostly vegan ALL 70% & 75% Cacao content, I find it very disturbing that consumers unfortunately get so much misinformation. Cacao is truly a “veritable pharmacy” but not when its loaded with sugar, artificial flavorings, colorings and all the other things that many companies put into their chocolates to cover up inferior chocolate. “Eat chocolate / Not candy”
Comment from Susan
Time March 19, 2009 at 9:12 am
Now you’re playing my tune! How I love chocolate, any kind of chocolate, but have become really fond of dark chocolate. I’m glad to have an excuse to eat more of it! Thanks.
Comment from interactive health
Time March 19, 2009 at 9:20 am
Now this sounds good!! I know that my family and I love chocolate. Of course, in moderation. I am the only one that truly likes dark chocolate.
But you can find so many good receipes with chocolate. I am looking forward to trying the 100% baking coca. Will see how one turns out
Thanks
Comment from Tia
Time March 19, 2009 at 9:33 am
Holy Cow! I guess I need to visit my parents more often. This is HUGE, an answer to prayers! Hopefully it will continue to help him!!!
Comment from Alex
Time March 19, 2009 at 11:12 am
I love chocolate, especially dark chocolate.
Got my granola today. Can’t wait to try it!!
Thanks.
Comment from Debbie Davis
Time March 19, 2009 at 11:24 am
Wow, this is a very interesting post. I cannot live without chocolate, so this makes me feel better!
Comment from Mary Kathryn
Time March 19, 2009 at 8:57 pm
From what I know the darker the better- and my husband just read something recently that you should only eat 1 oz. every three days or something like that. I may exceed that limit but I try to get the darkest and purest stuff and TRY my hardest to resist. But three days? When you are pregnant and in love with dark chocolate? Yea right! I will have to make up the three days at some time when I get sick of chocolate. 
Comment from angee
Time March 19, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Wow!! So cool! Thanx for the info. I will definitely be eating more chocolate!!
Pingback from Whole Grain Dessert | Healthy Food Ideas for Super Healthy Kids
Time May 5, 2009 at 6:04 am
[...] added extra oats and some heart healthy nuts (almonds, peanuts, and walnuts), and some cocoa! (my father-in-law’s eyes are still improving!!) We need to be intentional about adding [...]
Comment from cathy
Time March 19, 2009 at 6:59 am
Ok, so lots that I’ve read indicates that the benefits of dark chocolate disappear once you start eating a lot – that it’s beneficial only in small quantities (like make a couple of ounces a day or every other day). So, the American way of shoving dark chocolate into everything and calling it healthy just doesn’t hold with reality. (Kind of like drinking an occasional glass of red wine might be good for you but drinking 3 glasses at a time negates the benefit.)
I’m curious as to how much dark chocolate your father-in-law is eating now – and think that he needs to keep on doing whatever it is he’s doing!!! That really is remarkable news!