Heal 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 our cares and lightens our hearts 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. Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened 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.

Flavonoids reduce the stickiness of blood platelets and chocolate does contain flavonoids. When blood platelets are less sticky, the chance of a blood clot are reduced.

Several of the components of chocolate have also been linked to mood enhancement like phenylethylamine, anandamide, MAO inhibitors; however, research has not yet been able to confirm this effect.

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, opt for chocolate that contains only natural ingredients. Experiment with the less processed raw cocoa or cacao nibs because they will contain more antioxidants.

Although chocolate has many health benefits, it is still important to eat it in moderation. Chocolate contains sugar and calories. Too much sugar in the diet can raise triglycerides. In addition, the calories in chocolate can lead to weight gain and may even prevent you from eating other healthy, low calorie foods because you have filled up on chocolate.

In small quantities a few times a week, however, chocolate can be a healthy way to satisfy a sweet craving.