Chocolate is Good for You?
Nutrition news just keeps getting better and better. Years ago, I learned that the red wine I loved to drink with dinner was good for my heart. More recently, a popular book proclaimed that blueberries and oranges are “superfoods.” I didn’t think it could get much better than that, but it did! Perusing the nutrition articles on the Internet I started to see suggestions that chocolate, the so-called food of the gods, can be a health food! Before you get too excited, it is important to keep in mind that only dark chocolate qualifies—very sweet and milky chocolates don’t.
What are Antioxidants?
Dark chocolate is chock-full of compounds called antioxidants. Antioxidants have been found to combat harmful chemicals called free radicals. Free radicals are produced as part of regular metabolic processes, but are also created in the presence of toxic environmental factors (cigarette smoke and other forms of air pollution, for example). They contribute to many deadly diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Part of the danger of free radicals is that they steal electrons from nearby molecules, which then become free radicals themselves. Antioxidants are able to neutralize free radicals by giving up electrons, yet remaining stable.
Kinds of Antioxidants
Some of the chemical compounds that we refer to as vitamins are also antioxidants—vitamins E, and C, for example, as well as beta-carotene, which is the precursor to vitamin A. Certain phytochemicals (which are the chemicals that give plants color) are also considered to be antioxidants. These include lycopene--found in tomatoes and watermelon, lutein--found in spinach and peas, and ellagic acid-found in strawberries and raspberries. The antioxidants in chocolate include catechins and procyanidins, which are both types of flavanols. These help fight against free radicals, reduce dangerous blood clotting, and relax blood vessels.
How Do I Choose Antioxidant-Rich Chocolate?
Studies show that the darker a chocolate is, the better it is for you—look for chocolate that is made up of at least 65% cocoa solids (a combination of cocoa mass and cocoa butter). On principle, choose chocolates that use natural sweeteners and real vanilla, as opposed to any artificial products. And finally, don’t forget that chocolate contains calories along with the anti-oxidants. Dark chocolate has more antioxidants than either green tea or red wine, and eating a small amount of dark chocolate every day is great for you, but if you eat too much, it can cause other long-term health problems.