Chocolate - Friend or Foe?

Is chocolate good for us? That is the million dollar question. Of course we want to believe that it is because it tastes so darn good. I wanted to get to the "BITTER" truth so I did a little research on the subject and this is what I found out.

"First off if the chocolate has been heated, dutched and cooked that offsets any of the superfood qualities".

Friend?

Raw chocolate possesses one of the highest antioxident ratings and high flavonoid content (flavonoids help heart health). It also interacts with vitamin C & E to make them stronger and more efficient, and some say it's one of the greatest anti-aging foods and it can deactivate free radicals.

The secret to keeping the chocolate potent is not cooking it over 140 degrees fahrenheit. The more natural and under processed the chocolate the healthier it is.

There are very few healthy chocolates to chose from because most manufacturers cook the phytonutriants right out of them.

* Chocolates suppress cough, adds magnesium to the diet and makes milk easier to digest.

Foe?

Chocolate is known to cause heartburn. One of the major drawbacks is the refined white sugar which is harmful to health in many ways. Try to check the Nutrition Facts on the label for how many grams of sugar is in it. If the grams are high you may want to chose a different chocolate.

Chocolate originates from the cacao tree and may also contain pesticides. The EPA allows various levels of pesticide residue to be present in cocoa powder, and the FDA Total Diet Study found them in many chocolate products.

"Choose chocolates with the least amount of refined white sugar or other sweetener. Cacao nibs, cocoa powder, and unsweetened baking chocolate have no sugar at all and can be sweetened with whatever sweetener you choose. Dark "bittersweet" chocolates with a high percentage of cocoa solids have less sugar than semisweet or milk chocolate and also have the greatest health benefits."

My final conclusion is chocolate has both good and bad points and like anything else if you consume a large amount of calories you will gain weight. If you eat it in moderation it has many healthy benefits.

image found-winngarden.org, references dld123.com