F.I.S.T.
MuscleHead
- Sep 24, 2011
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Dark Chocolate Benefits!
Chocolate as health food? Not exactly, but according to the Mayo Clinic, eating a small amount of dark chocolate every day offers some health benefits. The benefits are thought to come from flavonoids in dark chocolate. Flavonoids are a naturally occurring antioxidant that also are found in teas, red wine and some fruits and vegetables. Buoyed by strong evidence of cocoa’s cardiovascular health benefits, researchers now are examining its effect on a wide range of ailments in the hopes of confirming what the Mayans knew long ago: cocoa has medicinal value.
The Aztecs thought it gave their warriors strength. Early doctors used to prescribe it to cure ailments. Throughout history, chocolate has been revered more for its medicinal qualities than its delicious taste.
“Chocolate nourishes and preserves health entire, yet causes a pleasant and natural sleep and rest,” wrote Dr. William Hughes, an English physician in 1672. “Drunk twice a day, a man may very well subsist therewith, not taking anything else at all.”
Aztec Elixir. For centuries, chocolate was not eaten in the bar form we know, but consumed as a drink. To the Mayans, Aztecs and Early-Europeans, this frothy brew made from the cacao bean was a phenomenon of nature. These early chocolate-lovers were likely impressed by chocolate because of its mild stimulant value — it made them feel awake, alert, strong. Chocolate quickly gained a reputation as food vital for health.
Documents detailing Aztec life showed that chocolate was viewed as a medicinal marvel. The documents, known as the Badianus and the Florentine Codices, were written in the Aztec’s native language and were found after the Spanish conquest.
“Cacao flowers were ingredients in perfumed baths, and thought to cure fatigue in government officials and others who held public office,” says the Badianus Codex, published in 1552. The Florentine Codex, published in 1590, called for a mixture of cacao beans, maize and herbs to ease fever and panting, and to treat the faint of heart.
In Aztec society, chocolate was reserved mainly for priests and the very wealthy. But it also was given to soldiers because of the strength it was believed to impart. In 1529, when the Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes arrived in the court of Aztec ruler Montezuma, he and his crew were impressed by this magical drink chocolate, which the Aztecs called “xocoatl” for bitter water. Cortes wrote to King Carlos I of Spain that he had found a “drink that builds up resistance and fights fatigue.”
Ah Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate…How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee for what you may do for my blood pressure and how you lower the risk of my developing diabetes. ( A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating dark chocolate reduced insulin resistance and significantly lowered blood pressure.)
I love thee for possibly being an anti-inflammatory. ( A study in the Journal of Nutrition found that dark chocolate improves health, including heart health. It significantly reduced levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a substance that is an indicator of inflammation in the body, which helps determine the risk for developing coronary disease. Thus, dark chocolate may have “anti-inflammatory” properties. Flavonoids have a beneficial effect on how the lining of the blood vessels function. “We think a lot of bad things that happen to the cardiovascular system are because the lining of the vessels cracks and becomes inflamed, setting the stage for plaques to form and rupture,” says Robert Sheeler, M.D., a family physician at Mayo Clinic.)
I love thee for keeping mefeeling fuller, more satisfied longer. ( A University of Copenhagen study found that dark chocolate gives people more of a feeling of satiety than milk chocolate. Two and a half hours after eating either the dark or milk chocolate in two separate sessions, the participants were instructed to eat as much pizza as they liked until they felt comfortably full. As it turned out, the calorie intake from the pizza was 15 percent lower on the day they ate the dark chocolate. And it gets better! The participants also stated their cravings for sweet, salty, or fatty foods had lessened as well.)
I love thee for your ability to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels by about 5 points. While not a huge affect, it’s sending that “bad” cholesterol in the right direction.
I love thee because like any plant-based food, chocolate naturally contains an array of minerals.
Like Copper; One average dark chocolate bar has 14 percent of the daily requirement for copper, a critical mineral that aids in the absorption of iron and is a key component of enzymes that form skin-strengthening collagen.
And Magnesium. One average dark chocolate bar can deliver nearly 12 percent of your daily magnesium requirement. Studies show magnesium may help reduce the risk of several chronic illnesses.
And Iron. Cocoa and chocolate naturally contain iron, a key component of overall good health and the most common nutritional deficiency in the U.S. On average, a dark chocolate bar has nearly 7 percent of the required daily allowance.
And most of all, I love thee for how you also may elevate level of dopamine in my brain. Dopamine stimulates the production of oxytocin, sometimes known as “the cuddle chemical.”
Chocolate as health food? Not exactly, but according to the Mayo Clinic, eating a small amount of dark chocolate every day offers some health benefits. The benefits are thought to come from flavonoids in dark chocolate. Flavonoids are a naturally occurring antioxidant that also are found in teas, red wine and some fruits and vegetables. Buoyed by strong evidence of cocoa’s cardiovascular health benefits, researchers now are examining its effect on a wide range of ailments in the hopes of confirming what the Mayans knew long ago: cocoa has medicinal value.
The Aztecs thought it gave their warriors strength. Early doctors used to prescribe it to cure ailments. Throughout history, chocolate has been revered more for its medicinal qualities than its delicious taste.
“Chocolate nourishes and preserves health entire, yet causes a pleasant and natural sleep and rest,” wrote Dr. William Hughes, an English physician in 1672. “Drunk twice a day, a man may very well subsist therewith, not taking anything else at all.”
Aztec Elixir. For centuries, chocolate was not eaten in the bar form we know, but consumed as a drink. To the Mayans, Aztecs and Early-Europeans, this frothy brew made from the cacao bean was a phenomenon of nature. These early chocolate-lovers were likely impressed by chocolate because of its mild stimulant value — it made them feel awake, alert, strong. Chocolate quickly gained a reputation as food vital for health.
Documents detailing Aztec life showed that chocolate was viewed as a medicinal marvel. The documents, known as the Badianus and the Florentine Codices, were written in the Aztec’s native language and were found after the Spanish conquest.
“Cacao flowers were ingredients in perfumed baths, and thought to cure fatigue in government officials and others who held public office,” says the Badianus Codex, published in 1552. The Florentine Codex, published in 1590, called for a mixture of cacao beans, maize and herbs to ease fever and panting, and to treat the faint of heart.
In Aztec society, chocolate was reserved mainly for priests and the very wealthy. But it also was given to soldiers because of the strength it was believed to impart. In 1529, when the Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes arrived in the court of Aztec ruler Montezuma, he and his crew were impressed by this magical drink chocolate, which the Aztecs called “xocoatl” for bitter water. Cortes wrote to King Carlos I of Spain that he had found a “drink that builds up resistance and fights fatigue.”
Ah Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate…How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee for what you may do for my blood pressure and how you lower the risk of my developing diabetes. ( A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating dark chocolate reduced insulin resistance and significantly lowered blood pressure.)
I love thee for possibly being an anti-inflammatory. ( A study in the Journal of Nutrition found that dark chocolate improves health, including heart health. It significantly reduced levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a substance that is an indicator of inflammation in the body, which helps determine the risk for developing coronary disease. Thus, dark chocolate may have “anti-inflammatory” properties. Flavonoids have a beneficial effect on how the lining of the blood vessels function. “We think a lot of bad things that happen to the cardiovascular system are because the lining of the vessels cracks and becomes inflamed, setting the stage for plaques to form and rupture,” says Robert Sheeler, M.D., a family physician at Mayo Clinic.)
I love thee for keeping mefeeling fuller, more satisfied longer. ( A University of Copenhagen study found that dark chocolate gives people more of a feeling of satiety than milk chocolate. Two and a half hours after eating either the dark or milk chocolate in two separate sessions, the participants were instructed to eat as much pizza as they liked until they felt comfortably full. As it turned out, the calorie intake from the pizza was 15 percent lower on the day they ate the dark chocolate. And it gets better! The participants also stated their cravings for sweet, salty, or fatty foods had lessened as well.)
I love thee for your ability to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels by about 5 points. While not a huge affect, it’s sending that “bad” cholesterol in the right direction.
I love thee because like any plant-based food, chocolate naturally contains an array of minerals.
Like Copper; One average dark chocolate bar has 14 percent of the daily requirement for copper, a critical mineral that aids in the absorption of iron and is a key component of enzymes that form skin-strengthening collagen.
And Magnesium. One average dark chocolate bar can deliver nearly 12 percent of your daily magnesium requirement. Studies show magnesium may help reduce the risk of several chronic illnesses.
And Iron. Cocoa and chocolate naturally contain iron, a key component of overall good health and the most common nutritional deficiency in the U.S. On average, a dark chocolate bar has nearly 7 percent of the required daily allowance.
And most of all, I love thee for how you also may elevate level of dopamine in my brain. Dopamine stimulates the production of oxytocin, sometimes known as “the cuddle chemical.”
