What Chocolate Can do for You?

That wonderful cocoa bean...it makes rich, dreamy treats that make our mouths water. All hail Montezuma II! He was the emperor of the Aztecs in Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. When he dined he drank no other beverage than chocolate served in a golden goblet and eaten with a golden spoon. He flavored it with vanilla and spices. His decadent drink was whipped into a froth that dissolved quickly in the mouth. Each day he went through at least 50 pitchers of this wonderful chocolate concoction. 2,000 more pitchers were prepared for the nobles of his court. Now this is a man who knew how to live! Ahh...good times.

Well, we have good times with chocolate too. Whether you enjoy hot cocoa, candy bars, or melting chocolate to dip your fruit into, chocolate gets enjoyed every day by many of us. Besides being delicious, it turns out that chocolate may have health benefits too. Since chocolate and cocoa contain high levels of flavonoids, it may have beneficial effects on our cardiovascular health. The flavonoids in chocolate are called flavonols. Short term benefits in LDL cholesterol levels can be gotten from consuming dark chocolate. Foods rich in cocoa appear to reduce blood pressure.

Not all chocolate is created equal. Dark chocolate has the highest level of flavonoids. So choose it over milk chocolate. The more processed your chocolate, the less flavonoids remain. Eat your chocolate in moderation. Too much of anything is no good for you. Common sense should tell you that eating 100 pounds of chocolate in a week will not stave off heart failure! Flavonoids help relax our blood vessels. Maybe this is why when we indulge in our favorite chocolate snack we sit back, take a deep breath, and relax.

A true chocolate lover will testify that chocolate promotes their overall well-being. Anandamide, found in chocolate, can bind to receptors in our brain and produce that feel-good feeling. Experts say that we have to eat 25 pounds of chocolate all at once to feel good from this anandamide. I don't know about you, but I only need one or two pieces to feel content. It doesn't matter what the experts say! If we think it makes us feel good, that's good enough.

When we eat this plant-based treat, we also benefit from the power of its antioxidants. These are believed to help our cells resist damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals creep into our systems via stinky and polluted environment air that we breathe. When we do not have adequate levels of antioxidants, these free radicals hurt us. As a result, we get high cholesterol and plaque forms on our arterial walls. This can lead to heart attack.

Go ahead! Indulge in a little chocolate. Marketing chocolate as a "health" food may be going a bit far, but all in all, the studies that have been done do conclude that there are small benefits to be had from your chocolate-loving habits.