Most people associate chocolate with the blissfully sweet treat that adds as many inches to the waistline as it adds smiles to children’s faces. However, cocoa – which is actually classified as a fruit – is one of the healthiest on the planet.
Cocoa has been linked to reductions in blood clots, heart attacks, and strokes. Scientists at Cornell University found that cocoa powder is richer in antioxidants than red wine, and has as many as three times the antioxidant power of green tea. In fact, raw cocoa is probably the most antioxidant rich substance in the world.
Other health benefits of raw cocoa include its properties as an anti-inflammatory and anti-aging substance. It includes nutrients such as calcium, zinc, iron, copper, magnesium, manganese, potassium, and B vitamins.
Cocoa also has a high concentration of sulphur, a mineral needed to build strong hair and nails, maintain healthy skin, support function of the pancreas, and detox the liver.
Flavanols, powerful antioxidants that assist with improved blood flow, are found in abundance in raw cocoa. They prevent fatty substances from accumulating in the bloodstream, which reduces clogging and oxidation of the arteries. They reduce the chance of clotting by preventing platelets from sticking together, which correlates to a reduced change of suffering a stroke or heart attack.
Phenylethylamine in raw cocoa contributes to mental alertness and an improved ability to concentrate, while tryptophan prevents depression and naturally boosts mood.
These benefits were confirmed in a 2003 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which found that chocolate consumption led to healthy blood pressure levels by relaxing the blood vessels, keeping them open and pliable.
The key to experiencing all of these wonderful benefits without derailing your diet, though lies in the business of finding the right kind of chocolate.
Eat the Right Kind of Chocolate
Since many producers of commercially available chocolate add many ingredients that make the sinful treat more harmful to us than beneficial, it is important to understand what constitutes “good chocolate” in terms of experiencing its many health benefits.
Healthy chocolate is raw, unprocessed cocoa beans or powder that comes from beans not treated with alkalis. This is known as the Dutch chocolate process and ensures the consumer receives the maximum amount of flavanols, which are what provide the majority of the health benefit.
Healthy chocolate does not include any product made from cocoa beans that have been exposed to high heat through the roasting process, treated with alkalis, or have been combined with such additives as oils, animal fats, corn syrup, dairy products, or refined sugar.
The healthiest chocolate is raw, unprocessed organic cocoa. Next in line would be organic dark chocolate, particularly if it is unsweetened or bittersweet because it contains less sugar and cocoa butter. Of the sweetened dark chocolates, the best ones are those sweetened with raw cane sugar or cane juice rather than refined sugar.
Keep these factors in mind as you go about your personal business of finding a healthy, organic raw chocolate that you can indulge in while promoting better health. Who would have ever believed that staying healthy could ever taste so good?
