Wednesday, February 2, 2011

For the Love of Chocolate

"I have a guest writer this time around.  Her name is Krista Peterson.  

Reading Krista's article makes me wish I liked chocolate.  I really don’t. To me it tastes like warm sweet mud. 

According to many experts (Kat, Lynn and Cory), I am really missing something!



For those of you who love chocolate, Krista provides some food for thought.  It’s great to know that chocolate does have many health virtues."

 Surprise! Food is good. And it should be good for you. Many of us spend our whole lives convinced that healthy and tasty foods are incompatible, opposites, two ends of a long, long spectrum.  But there is one tasty treat that can boost your energy, prevent or reduce cancer, and keep you looking young. Chocolate!

Fellow chocolate lovers, the good news is here. A little bit of chocolate goes a long way.  Dark chocolate, as rich, creamy, and mouth-watering as it is, is actually good for you in moderation. It boosts energy and can induce positive mood shifts.  It contains a bit of caffeine and theobromine, another stimulant, which both promote alertness. Dark chocolate also contains tryptophan, an amino acid that decreases anxiety by producing serotonin. Also, chocolate produces endorphins, natural hormones that can reduce your sensitivity to pain and lighten your mood.

Besides giving you a good dose of energy, dark chocolate can help you to prevent cancer. If you already have cancer, especially if it is aggressive like colon cancer or mesothelioma, chocolate may help. Consider mesothelioma treatment, a harsh process often including chemotherapy and tumour removal surgery.  Consuming dark chocolate, rich in flavanoids (a type of antioxidant) can lessen the negative side effects of brutal treatment by neutralizing free radicals, or oxidants, on a cellular level.  With other alternative treatment options, a moderate dose of dark chocolate, the darker the better, can balance potentially harmful oxidation in cells, preventing cancer or improving the quality of life for cancer patients.

In addition to being delicious and good for your insides, dark chocolate can work wonders for your skin. Along with helping you to maintain a healthy blood pressure, the antioxidants in dark chocolate increase blood flow to the skin, leaving it looking younger and feeling smoother. Studies now show that sugar, not cocoa, is the cause for skin blemishes that were thought to have been products of too much chocolaty goodness.  The antioxidants in dark chocolate even protect your skin from sun damage, though additional protection is always advised.

In all, dark chocolate, the tasty temptation, isn’t really all that bad. Despite an increase in calories, dark chocolate boosts energy and uplifts moods, prevents and reduces cancer, and keeps your skin healthy and young.  Of course, this doesn’t mean we can drown ourselves in sweetness. But it does mean that dark chocolate makes a healthy and delicious once-in-a-while snack.
Krista

Ok chocolate lovers, here are some chocolate-loving links to two of my favourite foodies. 

Miss Phoo-d is a food-visionary.

I have been the recipient of many wonderful things that were created in Amy’s kitchen.

Many thanks to Krista
Keep well_
Nelda