It is 2pm and you are jonesing for a mid-afternoon treat. Cookies from the vending machine?
They are bitesize, right? A fancy $3 cupcake from your favorite cupcake shop?
Who are we kidding? Aren't they ALL our favorite? Some candy from your office neighbor's desk?
Damn, cute M&M figurine that spits out delightful treats!
How about just straight up Chocolate?
What? Did she say we could have chocolate?!!
Emerging research shows that chocolate (in small amounts, 1-2 oz daily) may offer some health benefits:
Blood pressure, cardiovascular health and insulin sensitivity
A boost to the "good" HDL cholesterol.
Reduce stress, booting mood and lowering anxiety
However, not all chocolate is created equal. The higher the cacao content, the greater the health benefits from flavonoids, which help protect against aging and some chronic disease conditions. Topping the list is unsweetened cocoa powder, followed by unsweetened baking chocolate and dark chocolate. Studies suggest that eating dark chocolate with 70 percent cacao (in moderate amounts) improves cardiovascular health (check Trader Joe's checkout for lots of dark chocolate choices).
The less cacao there is, the more sugar and cocoa butter there is. Hence, the benefits of cacao itself decrease and you just get a higher-fat, higher calorie food.
Additional ways to magnify the benefits of chocolate's flavonoids:
• Combine dark chocolate with fruit and nuts.
• Stir together melted dark chocolate with dried blueberries, cherries and nuts, and drop spoonfuls onto waxed paper until they solidify into a berry-cluster treat.
• Prepare a dessert platter of red and green grapes, assorted fresh berries and squares of dark chocolate.
• Bake brownies with unsweetened cocoa powder or unsweetened baking chocolate. Minimize added sugar by adding naturally sweet fruit.
Weigh the extra calories in chocolate before you consume them . . . and then enjoy every morsel!
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