The Power of Chocolate
Chocolate is loved by people around the world regardless gender, age and status. I am
one of them. The chocolate’s tastes are undeniable good and tasty, right? The
cream and the cocoa taste are marvellous. Are you a chocolate lover? Many
people claim that they are chocolate expert but what do you know about
chocolate?
Do
you know that chocolate are actually good for our health. People may ask you not to eat chocolate as it fattening you. Plus, chocolate may look full of cream
and sweet but there are also advantages of taking chocolate to our body. I have read from one novel stated that eating chocolate actually can reduce
stress and restore our good feeling whenever we feel depressed. I found that the smell of chocolate itself increases theta brain waves, which trigger
relaxation. From that on my attention started to focus more on chocolate and I
found many suprising facts about chocolate. Below are some of the foundings
combined several articles.
Chocolate contains a range of
nutrients which include minerals such as potassium, calcium and iron. It also
contains the B-vitamin riboflavin. It is true that most of chocolates’ calories
do come from fat but the ingredient, known as cocoa butter, is the kind of fat
that consists mostly of monounsaturated fatty acid also found in olive oil; the
‘healthy’ fat needed in all diets. Although studies are constantly being done
with chocolate (and why not?), studies in the past (e.g. Netherlands, 2006,
Harvard, 2003) have shown two significant additional positives. In these test
studies, the people who consumed cocoa regularly had a lower blood pressure
than those that did not, were less likely to die from cardiovascular disease
and had better peripheral blood flow.
Dark chocolate has the potential to have the largest quantity of cocoa solids – at least to 70%. This means that 70% of the chocolate is from the cocoa bean and less from added sugars, oils and perhaps other fillers. Thus the antioxidants in the dark chocolate help the cardiovascular system by reducing blood pressure. Flavonoids found in cocoa products have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-clotting effects that can reduce the risk of diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity.
Dark chocolate has more cacao
(the beans that chocolate are made from) and less sugar than other chocolates,
so it is considered healthier than milk and white chocolate.
Eating dark chocolate widens
arteries and promotes healthy blood flow that can prevent the buildup of plaque
that can block arteries.
Eating dark chocolate every day
reduces the risk of heart disease by one third.
People have been using
chocolate for medicinal purposes since way back – the Mayans and Aztecs knew
that mixing cacao beans with common plant extracts could help alleviate
everything from toothaches to heartburn.
I just love chocolate the way there are..^^
References
About Chocolate. (2013). Retrieved 19 July,2013 from
http://www.wickedlygourmet.com/about-chocolate/
Chocolate Facts.(2013).
Retrieved 19 July,2013 from
http://morkeschocolates.com/chocolate-facts
Lindt.
(October 1, 2010). Chocolate.
Retrieved 19 July,2013 from
Myers
G. (February 18, 2013). Fascinating Facts About the World of
Chocolate.
Retrieved 19 July,2013 from
http://listverse.com/2013/02/18/10-fascinating-facts-
about-the-world-of-chocolate/
