Dark Chocolate: The Yummiest Superfood
Yes, you can jump for joy that dark chocolate is something you actually should be eating. Don’t you wish the research on dark chocolate had been available when you were a kid? Imagine hearing your parents say, “Honey, you have to finish your chocolate before you can leave the dinner table”. That would have been something!

But seriously, dark chocolate really is beneficial to your health. Chocolate is made from coco beans and it takes about 400 coco beans to make one pound of chocolate. Coco beans contain flavonols, which contain potent antioxidant properties. Other healthy foods containing flavonols are apples, cherries, red wine, and black tea. In “Super Foods Health Style: Proven Strategies for Lifelong Health” , Steven G. Pratt, M.D. gives a chart of the flavonol content of 100 grams of various foods, and dark chocolate is the surprising winner.

Dark Chocolate 510 mg.

Apple 111 mg.

Cherry 96 mg.

Black Tea, brewed 65 mg.

Red Wine 63 mg.

The flavonols in dark chocolate help in the prevention of heart attacks and strokes. Heart attacks and strokes result from years of damage to the lining of blood vessels. Plaque builds up inside the vessels and impede blood flow. But research suggests that the polyphenols in chocolate relax the smooth muscle of our blood vessels. Polyphenols also inhibit the clotting of blood. Polyphenols act as antioxidants and occur in all plant foods. Flavonols, a category of Flavonoids are a subclass of polyphenols.

Steven Pratt, M.D. refers to a 2001 study in his book, “Super Foods Health Style: Proven Strategies for Lifelong Health”. Volunteer subjects were given a chocolate bar (Dove Dark) which contained 148 mg. of flavonols. The volunteers showed reduced levels of inflammation and beneficial delays of blood clotting at two and six hours after eating the chocolate. Dr. Pratt also highlights a study done by researchers at Cornell University which found that a mug of hot cocoa has almost twice the antioxidants of a glass of red wine and up to three times the antioxidants found in a cup of green tea. That’s pretty impressive! He is also very clear that processed hot cocoa with artificial sweeteners and trans fats are not beneficial to your health, so stick with natural cocoa. Dark chocolate is also beneficial to cholesterol by decreasing LDL (bad cholesterol) and increasing HDL (good cholesterol).

Dark Chocolate: The Feel Good Drug

Eating dark chocolate increases the levels of endorphins released into the brain. Endorphins decrease pain and stress. Dark chocolate also contains tryptophan, a chemical that causes the release of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates mood. Dark chocolate has a compound called lipid anandamide similar to THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) a chemical found in marijuana. Both activate the same receptor which cause the production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that leads to feelings of well being that is associated with a high. Now you understand all of those chocoholics. Chocolate can be addictive. But don’t worry, to get a high similar to marijuana you would have to eat 25 pounds of chocolate!

To get the most health benefit, buy dark chocolate that has 70% or more cocoa solids. The higher the amount of cocoa solids, the more polyphenols the chocolate will contain. I enjoy buying 100 calorie dark chocolate bars, that are available at Trader Joe’s.

yummy dark chocolate

The best way to eat dark chocolate is to:

• melt and drizzle it on fruit
• Eat it with peanut butter
• Use as a dipping sauce
• Eat it right out of the wrapper

Any other ideas?