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5 WAYS TO FEEL SUPER-OPTIMISTIC: Tips for Your Health, Wealth, & Career Success
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Health and Medical Advice on the Internet: Use It Wisely
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Once again the “wisdom” of the FDA and the supplement hating Academia and the out of control trial lawyers - have gotten it wrong. And are doing everything they can to take away your right to take control of your own health.
Here’s the...
Medical Testing: Health By The Numbers Doesn't Work
Perhaps one of the most insidious dangers in modern technology is medical testing. Although it would be nice to be able to visit our doctor and get all hooked up with electrodes, inflatable cuffs, probes, needles and catheters and have a read-out...
Natural Skin Care - Healthy Ways to Pamper Your Complexion
Our skin is the largest organ of our body. It endures constant exposure to toxins, free radicals and oxidation. Since skin secretes oils and toxins during the night, cleansing in the morning is necessary to prepare skin for moisturizer and makeup....
Petroleum and Cosmetics: What are the potential health risks?
What is petroleum? Crude oil, sometimes called petroleum, is a fossil fuel that was produced deep in the earth through a process that took millions of years to complete. Millions of years later, almost all of us come into contact with a...
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Is Chocolate A New Health Food?
Could it be possible that our beloved chocolate may actually be good for us? This is the nutrition news we have all been waiting for. So here is the scoop on chocolate and its health benefits. Yes, you read right, health benefits!
Recent studies show that cocoa and dark chocolate with a high cocoa content contain many heart-healthy antioxidants. They contain a compound called flavonoids which may help prevent the oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels in the blood. There is also some evidence that these flavonoids may prevent certain cancers.
It is important that we are all on the same page here, not all chocolate have these health benefits. The healthy flavonoids found in chocolate are found in the cocoa butter and cocoa solids. Milk chocolate is diluted with milk and sugar and contains little amounts of these substances, therefore providing fewer health benefits. So, for those of you who love dark chocolate this is your lucky day! The darker the chocolate, the higher the cocoa content and the more antioxidants it contains. The quality of the chocolate you consume is also important.
The cocoa butter is quite pricey so less expensive brands will replace the cocoa butter with milk fats and hydrogenated oils which are bad for our health. Look for high quality chocolates with their main ingredients being cocoa butter and cocoa solids. Unsweetened cocoa powder is one of the purest forms of chocolate you can eat and is lower in fat and calories than other chocolates.
Although this is great news for all chocolate lovers, don’t forget that most chocolate (unless you use unsweetened cocoa powder) does still contain sugar and saturated fat.
And please remember calories. An ounce of chocolate contains around 135 calories. So enjoy a cup of hot cocoa or an ounce of chocolate once in awhile to contribute to your health and not to your waistline!
© Meri Raffetto, 2004
About the Author
Meri Raffetto is a Registered Dietitian and a recognized professional in the area of nutrition and wellness. She has developed online weight management programs to help people get off of diets and get into way of life. For more information or to sign up for our free newsletter, visit www.reallivingnutrition.com.
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