Sunday, April 20, 2008

Dark Chocolate and Açaí: Wonder Drugs Or Too Good To Be True?

Dark Chocolate and Açaí: Wonder Drugs Or Too Good To Be True?
If you happen to be a "chocoholic," there is some good news
for you: some chocolate is not only not as unhealthy as
previously thought, but many doctors now actually encourage
the public to consume it. One particular type of chocolate
can be beneficial to your gums, eyes, heart, arteries and
even your entire immune system. It can also help lower
cholesterol levels and balance both blood pressure and
blood sugar. However, before you run out to buy candy bars
in bulk, know that not just any kind of chocolate will
provide such benefits.

Dark chocolate, created from natural cocoa beans, has been
recommended for consumption even up to three times a day.
This is because the cocoa bean is the food with the highest
levels of antioxidants ever, which protect the body from
oxidative stress involved with aging. Other foods, such as
red wine, tea, and select few fruits and vegetables also
offer similar health benefits, but cocoa still tops them
all when it comes to the sheer number of antioxidants.
These antioxidant compounds are called flavanols, which
presumably give dark chocolate its health benefits.

Ironically, flavanols actually taste very bitter, so many
companies that make candy bars take out most of the
flavanols to make the chocolate taste better. This
obviously strips the chocolate of most of its health
benefits. Furthermore, there is no way of knowing which
candy bar is healthiest, as companies do not indicate how
many flavanols are left in the final product. This is why
buying dark chocolate candy bars simply to get the health
effects may not work.

Also note that milk chocolate does not offer the same
health perks. The darker the chocolate, the more flavonoids
containing flavanols there are, meaning that milk chocolate
offers fewer health benefits than dark chocolate. Clearly
this indicates that white chocolate offers even fewer; in
fact, it contains no flavonoids.

The best way to take advantage of the health benefits
offered in dark chocolate is to buy the darkest chocolate
available with the least amount of added ingredients,
perhaps from a health food store. Another option is to buy
one of the recent products in which dark chocolate is
infused with the açaí berry, an antioxidant that
helps reduce heart and vascular disease. Dark chocolate and
açaí go together well because both have tons of
antioxidants, and açaí helps flavanol-filled dark
chocolate taste good.

But even if you find such a product, realize that it is not
a wonder drug. Despite its health benefits, dark chocolate
still contains calories and fat, and too much of either is
unhealthy. Even too many dark chocolate and açaí
products can be harmful. This is why doctors recommend some
dark chocolate, red wine, or other treats that have some
health benefits daily, but do advise patients to limit
their intake, as too much of anything can be detrimental.


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Don Downes is a successful 6 figure earner and one of the
top income earners in the home based business arena. Don's
mission is about spreading health and wellness with others.
He is also focused to committing the time, energy, and
effort into his team and works with them to ensure their
success. To learn more about Dark Chocolate and
Açaí , visit Don's Xocai website =>
http://www.Xocai7FigureTeam.com

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