Lauren RabainoValentine’s Day tends to bring out the chocolate lover in all of us. With cupid’s holiday just around the corner, I thought I would give you a few more reasons to fall in love with this surprisingly healthy indulgence.
Every Valentine’s Day, people spend more than $1 billion on chocolate. Having trouble picking which kind to buy for your special someone? Go for the dark chocolate if you want to reap all the health benefits. You might have noticed many chocolate products advertised as a good source of antioxidants. These antioxidants are from a compound called flavonoids, which are found in cocoa. They help gobble up the free radicals that can cause heart disease and other ailments. Many people don’t realize that chocolate is plant-derived, just like fruits and vegetables; therefore, it has some similar health benefits. Unfortunately, this does not mean you get to substitute your five servings of fruits and veggies for chocolate.
Not all chocolate is created equal. Dark chocolate contains the most amount of cocoa and the highest concentration of these disease-fighting antioxidants. Milk chocolate and white chocolate substitute the antioxidant-containing cocoa for excessive sugar and saturated fat. So dig into a little dark chocolate.
Here are a few healthy reasons to give in to this decadent desire:
Heart Health Benefits
Consuming a small amount of dark chocolate every day can help reduce blood pressure. It has also been shown to lower LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) by up to 10 percent. Flavonoids keep cholesterol from blocking blood vessels and increase blood flow in the artery.
Chocolate as Sunscreen
The flavonoids found in chocolate have been proven to keep your skin healthier by decreasing damage from UV rays and preventing skin cancer. Most flavonoids absorb UV light, which helps prevent the redness caused by sun exposure. Getting the abundant flavonoids found in cocoa could also give your skin a smoother, healthier glow by increasing blood circulation just under the tissue.
Diabetes
Some studies suggest that dark chocolate helps increase the body’s metabolism of sugar, which could decrease the chance of diabetes. Watch the amount of added sugar, though; try to buy chocolate that has less than 7 grams of sugar per serving.
Other fun facts about chocolate:
It stimulates endorphin production, which gives an increased feeling of pleasure
It contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant
It contains a little caffeine and other substances that can help perk you up
That said, I prefer to get my protection from eating dark chocolate. Indeed, I look for any excuse to label my bittersweet indulgence as therapeutic. Looking for that perfect Valentine’s Day gift? Even if you think chocolate might be a little cliché, it could help prevent heart disease, cancer, diabetes and even depression. So go out there and have a lovely, healthy and delicious Valentine’s Day.
To get the most out of your chocolatey
experience, follow these helpful tips.
Chocolate Tip No. 1 – Balance the Calories:
This information doesn’t mean that you should eat a pound of chocolate a day. Chocolate is still a high-calorie, high-fat food. If you eat a bar every day, that means you must balance those calories by eating less of something else. I wouldn’t eat more than 200 calories per day. Cut out other sweets or snacks and replace them with chocolate to keep your total calories the same.
Chocolate Tip No. 2 – Taste the Chocolate:
Chocolate is a complex food with more than 300 compounds and chemicals in each bite. To really enjoy and appreciate chocolate, take the time to savor and really enjoy it. Little bites can be surprisingly effective.
Chocolate Tip No. 3 – Go Natural:
Pick dark chocolate with a 65 percent or higher cocoa content to ensure you are getting all the health benefits. Also try to scan the ingredient list, and stay away from chocolate that contains partially hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup. These additives are bad news bears.
Chocolate Tip No. 4 – Skip the Nougat:
You should look for either pure dark chocolate or dark chocolate with nuts or other natural flavorings. Avoid anything with caramel, nougat, or other unhealthy fillings. These additives are just adding sugar and fat which erase many of the benefits you get from eating the chocolate.
Chocolate Tip No. 5 – Avoid Milk:
It may quench your thirst, but some research shows that washing your chocolate down with a glass of milk could prevent the antioxidants from being absorbed by your body. Milk may interfere with the absorption of antioxidants from chocolate … and may therefore negate the potential health benefits that can be derived from eating moderate amounts of dark chocolate.
Sarah Bailey is a nutrition senior, a Mustang Daily nutrition columnist and a member of PULSE. E-mail her your questions at slbailey@calpoly.edu.