Nutritionists often warn us to steer clear of sweet, sugary snacks, including chocolate, if we want to maintain optimum health. So how can it be that during a recent routine visit to the doc, I was commended on my current excellent state of health, even though, as all my friends know, I have a very close relationship with chocolate? Yes I admit, I eat chocolate every day – sometimes in the afternoon and always in the evening, often as dessert.
It seems that the secret to my success lies in my choice of confection. I have a passion for all things dark – and if it has that strange, velvety, bittersweet taste, then even better! Apparently this is the best chocolate you can eat – because it is actually good for you. Imagine, the perfect scientific discovery! When dark chocolate has a cocoa mass of over 70 per cent, it has powerful antioxidant benefits that help protect the heart and arteries. Pass me another chocie!
However, the addition of milk to chocolate actually cancels out these positive attributes. So if milk chocolate is your vice that’s not so good. Having said that, if you can’t bear the richness of dark chocolate, there are still other positive benefits to eating small quantities of all types of chocolate. Chocolate stimulates the secretion of endorphins, producing a pleasurable sensation or ‘high’ and it also contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant. Although not the most ideal source of trace elements and vitamins, chocolate is also high in potassium and magnesium and provides us with several vitamins – including B1, B2, D, and E.
So who’s ready to start a new Chocolate Diet fad?
