ChocolateHeal Your Heart With Chocolate
There is a reason why chocolate is often associated with matters of the heart. Gifts of chocolate are a very common way to express love. In addition, we often eat chocolate to pamper ourselves when we feel sad, lonely, or need extra care and attention. For many of us, chocolate is like a beloved friend who has a special place in our hearts. Finally, chocolate is something that takes away your cares and lightens your heart at least for a little while because of its intoxicating and luscious taste.
On a purely physical level, chocolate is packed full of nutrition that is good for the heart. Take a look below at some of the amazing heart-healthy benefits of chocolate:
Antioxidants minimize the damaging effects of free radicals in the body. Free radicals are the natural byproducts of cell metabolism and cause oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is believed to be a main contributor to the aging process and the onset of many diseases including heart disease. There is a scale that measures the antioxidant value in food called the ORAC scale. ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. ð€ÇCocoa, dry powder, unsweetenedð€Ý is very near the top of the scale which means that it has a very high ORAC rating.
Magnesium is essential to maintain normal heart rhythms and chocolate is a useful source of magnesium. Most Americans do not get enough in their diets. Some studies suggest that low levels of magnesium may be linked to heart disease and high blood pressure.
Cocoa butter is the fat in chocolate that makes it melt in your mouth and taste so good, but it is not a kind of fat that is harmful to your heart. The majority of fat in chocolate is stearic acid which has a neutral effect on cholesterol.
Theobromine is a stimulant similar to caffeine and it is found in chocolate. It has the effect of dilating the blood vessels and lowering blood pressure in humans but don"t feed it to your dog. Dogs lack the enzymes necessary to metabolize the high quantity of theobromine in chocolate.
The quality of chocolate does matter if you want to eat chocolate that is good for your heart. Look for chocolate that lists cocoa as the first ingredient on the ingredient label. Your best bet is to purchase chocolate with a cocoa content of 70% or greater. Make sure there is no added milk due to its saturated fat content. In addition, you should avoid chocolate with artificial ingredients.