Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Does Chocolate Have Health Benefits? GUEST BLOG


Today's blog is written by Rachel


Moderate amounts of dark chocolate may have some heart benefits, but many claims are unproven and much more research is needed before chocolate can take its place among true healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, which also contain vitamins, minerals, and fiber not found in chocolate. That said, replacing the regular sweet treat in your diet with the darkest chocolate you can find (look for a high cocoa content) won’t hurt you and may have some health benefits. Also there is anti oxidants in chocolate that can help prevent cancer, but can also be found in much lower calorie foods and drinks. The calorie count on chocolate is high and may cancel all other benefits you would gain from its consumption.

Source: http://www.health.uab.edu/17646/

3 comments:

  1. This is very interesting, because I eat a lot of chocolate. Chocolate is very scrumptious and I would certainly hop there are many health benefits.

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  2. I think that this article is very interesting and informative. I like dark chocolate the best and I am glad that it is the healthiest type of chocolate, even if it isn't better for you than many other foods. I really like dark chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds too. Lately I have been wondering about something similar to this topic. It is, "Does age have an impact on chocolate? Are their health benefits to eating older chocolate instead of newly made chocolate? Or vice versa?

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  3. http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongnutrition/p/chocolate.htm

    I think the advantages are good. Chocolate contains anti-oxidants, and is good for your heart. The anti-oxidants can also balance certain hormones in the body and relax blood presure. I think chocolate is a good thing to eat, but not ridiculous portions. I would perhaps eat chocolate maybe 2 or 3 times a week cause it isn't low in calories and sugar.

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