I'm Only Eating This Chocolate for Medicinal Purposes

Who says food that is good for you has to taste bad? Chocolate, or rather cocoa has been found to contain antioxidants and flavonols, compounds that help the body stay healthy. Unfortunately the more pure form of cocoa the better, so milk chocolate is only marginally good for you.

Men who consumed the most cocoa had a 50 percent lower risk of dying from disease compared with those who did not eat cocoa, researchers in the Netherlands said yesterday.

The new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine concluded that it was not lower blood pressure that corresponded to the lower overall risk of death -- although the biggest cocoa consumers did have lower blood pressure and fewer cases of fatal heart disease than non-cocoa eaters.

Instead, the report credited antioxidants and flavonols found in cocoa with boosting the functioning of cells that line blood vessels and for reducing the risks from cholesterol and other chemicals that can cause heart attacks, cancer and lung diseases.

The 15-year study of 470 men aged 65 to 84 in Zutphen, the Netherlands, found one-third did not eat any cocoa, while the median intake was 4.2 grams per day among the third who consumed the most cocoa -- including cocoa drinks, chocolate bars and chocolate pudding.

From 1985 to 2000, 314 of the men died, and the biggest cocoa eaters were at half the risk of dying compared with men who did not eat it.

Let's get out the recipe books and put together a menu of all the good tasting good for you foods.
They have cinnamon for lowering blood sugar, almonds and red wine for lowered bad cholesterol levels and now cocoa. Now all they need to do is find the health benefits of eating bacon cheese dogs.

Wine Lover's Chocolate Collection


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