Chocolate - a healthy food? BELIEVE IT! Chocolate comes from the fruit of the cacao tree, so eat up. This fruit is loaded with heart-saving nutrients. Given its irresistible taste and heavenly aroma, it's hardly surprising that cacao means "food of the gods."

 

In addition to tasting divine, chocolate contains flavanols, substances that appear to improve blood flow. Flavanols are more abundant in dark chocolate than in any other food.

 

Darker is better - Recently, researchers at Pennsylvania State University set out to find just how important cacao is when it comes to heart health. One group of people ate 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate a day for two weeks; another group ate the same amount of milk chocolate. Researchers found that flavanol levels in the blood of the dark-chocolate eaters shot up 20%, but didn't rise at all in those who ate milk chocolate.

 

Similar research in Italy and Scotland found that it takes about twice as much milk chocolate to get the same healthful kick you get from eating dark chocolate. That, they say, is because the added milk binds with the flavanols, preventing them from being absorbed in the bloodstream.

 

And here's what's really sweet: To get the benefits, you should eat some dark chocolate every day. Since dark chocolate packs about 140 calories per ounce, it is best enjoyed in moderation. Unless your doctor says otherwise, feel free to indulge in about an ounce of dark chocolate every day, or two ounces a few times a week.

 

Naturally, it's important to eat chocolate as part of an overall healthy diet that's low in saturated fat and high in vegetables and whole grains. To that end, balance whatever you're consuming in fat and calories from chocolate by cutting back on the fat and calories you would get from eating other foods. For example, substitute a small piece of chocolate for a tablespoon of sugar in your coffee, a tablespoon of cream cheese or one-quarter cup of ice cream.

 

Heart Care Fall 2010 - Diet & Nutrition by Debra Yost

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