health by chocolate - shf #13
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2005-10-21: health by chocolate - shf #13

Everyone I know enjoys enlightening me on the subject of chocolate being detrimental to my health. Some declare it’s the caffeine, others are adamant it’s the sugar; and many simply think that chocolate is eminently evil and must be avoided except under extreme duress. My mother used to go so far as to say she might as well just tape the chocolate brownie she was about to indulge in to her thighs, because that was where it was going to end up anyway…she never did of course. Needless to say, my mom probably eats more chocolate than I do and she is much healthier than I am, as does my husband, who is also in better health than I am. I understand that the calories are bad and the sugar is bad and the caffeine is bad, but chocolate as a whole…and as a treat is really not bad at all.

A girlfriend of mine used to always eat chocolate when she was depressed (no surprise) because it made her feel better. A little cocoa indulgence goes a long way; especially if said depression was related to boy troubles. Chocolate has the ability to stimulate the hormones cannabinoid and serotonin to be released from your brain; which mimic the feelings of being in love, and those of being contented.

Good-for-you compounds like flavonoids, theobromine, tannins, and nutrients like copper, calcium and magnesium are all also found in chocolate. Actually, chocolate containing high amounts of theobromine was recently studied in the UK as a cough suppressant (imagine a chocolate-based cough medicine--yay!). The amount used in the study was equivalent to what you would get from two cups of cocoa…or an ounce or two of high quality (70% cocoa) chocolate. One benefit was that it doesn’t have the same unwanted side-effects as codeine such as drowsiness and constipation. The antioxidants in chocolate are the same as those found in red wine, tea and grape juice that are proven to be good for your heart. And the flavonoids found in chocolate are proven to reduce the stickiness of platelets and the tendency of blood to clot as well as possibly improve the elasticity of blood vessels – lowering the risk of heart attack and stroke. Ah...the benefits of being a nurse AND a cook!

The next time you reach for that last dark chocolate truffle or sliver of decadent chocolate torte tell anyone who looks at you and “tisk-tisks” you as though you shouldn’t that you’re doing as the doctor ordered and staying healthy, happy and cough suppressed. I think I feel a cough coming on actually – time for some chocolate!

Remember to check out Kelli’s round-up of all things chocolate this weekend and be sure to get your chocolate fix this flu season.