Now You Can Enjoy Your Chocolate Fix Even More…
As you know, dark chocolate is high in antioxidants. Its health benefits include helping to lower blood pressure, prevent cancer, lower the risk of heart disease, and improve brain function. And that’s not all…
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD tested the effect of dark chocolate on platelet activity, C-reactive protein (CRP – an indicator of heart disease and stroke risk), and lipid profile in 28 healthy volunteers. For one week, the volunteers ate dark chocolate (providing 700 mg of flavonoids per day). At the end of that time, the researchers found that, on average, their LDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol) had fallen by 6 percent and their HDL cholesterol (“good” cholesterol) had increased by 9 percent. Their CRP levels, too, were reduced.
So don’t feel guilty about reaching for another dark chocolate truffle. Keep in mind, though, that, eating too much dark chocolate can lead to weight gain and excessive exposure to sugars and fats. To get the benefits without the sugar and fat, consider taking a capsule of a cacao supplement in the morning with breakfast.
[Ed. Note: Ray Sahelian, MD – an internationally recognized expert in the evaluation of natural supplements – has agreed to offer a free bottle of his cacao supplement to ETR readers. Click here to learn more.]Kelley Herring
Kelley Herring is the Founder & CEO of Healing Gourmet – a multimedia company that educates on how foods promote health and protect against disease. As a young adult, Kelley battled a debilitating health condition that went misdiagnosed by multiple doctors for more than a year. Finding no help from “modern medicine”, she turned to her own knowledge of biochemistry and her passion for health research. She soon learned that her symptoms were related to nutrition and within weeks, she charted a course back to health with nothing more than simple lifestyle changes and the power of the plate. The lessons she learned spawned the creation of Healing Gourmet. Kelley is a firm believer in vigorous exercise, moderate sun exposure and delicious, healthy, home-cooked meals. She is also the creator of Healing Gourmet’s Personalized Nutrition Software and Editor-in-Chief of the Healing Gourmet book series published by McGraw-Hill including Eat to Fight Cancer, Eat to Beat Diabetes, Eat to Lower Cholesterol and Eat to Boost Fertility.