For the Love of Chocolate

The feeling of euphoria we may feel after consuming dark chocolate may actually be real.  We hear it in the news, in commercials, and on your morning news shows: researchers are finding that cacao (pronounced “cuh-COW”) raises levels of serotonin in the brain and stimulates the release of endorphins, creating a feeling of well being.  Sure enough, there are dozens of studies looking at that exact claim.  (We listed a few below.)

Lucky for us, the benefits of dark chocolate don’t end there, so it seems.  Dark chocolate is now being looked at as one of the best sources of antioxidants on the planet.  ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) measures the antioxidant activity of foods. It seems as though, raw cacao was among the highest scoring of foods tested.  We are not talking about the chocolate you buy at the checkout counter of grocery store, which is loaded with sugars, milk fats, hydrogenated oils, and artificial ingredients. We are talking about high-quality, organic dark chocolate with 70% or higher cacao content.  Some scientists are finding that this type of quality dark chocolate can lower LDL (bad cholesterol) and blood pressure while increasing HDL (good cholesterol) and improve insulin sensitivity, lowering the risk of heart disease overall. 

To get the health benefits, you have to eat the right kind of dark chocolate with the ingredient “cocoa solids” listed first on the ingredient list. So go ahead and indulge...in moderation. Dark chocolate, even the quality kind, is still high in calories and sugar, so eating just a couple of squares per week is sufficient to reap the benefits.  You can also reap the benefits from adding raw unsweetened cocoa powder to your smoothie or oats.   

Enjoy and be well!
BHW

Cacao Smoothies
2 unpeeled frozen bananas
2 Tbsp organic cacao powder
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond or coconut milk
1 tbsp of raw honey or maple syrup (optional)
blend until creamy

Some Studies:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3859901/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2908021/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10610080

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11790962

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14640573

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21470061

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3575938/