Chocolate & Health
Chocolate has a place in a healthy diet when eaten in moderation. Higher quality chocolates are not just more delicious, but have more healthful benefits. Many chocolates are high in sugar content and other kinds of fats that are ruinous for your health. The fondants you find in most dipped (chocolate coated) truffles are virtually all sugar. The most satisfying chocolates are made of high quality ingredients. When you indulge in chocolate then eat the best chocolate from LaFontain Confections.
The Good News About Chocolate.
The results from a two-year review of hundreds of research studies conducted worldwide have been published as a reference book titled Chocolate & Cocoa, Health and Nutrition, is aimed at scientists, nutritionists, and the medical community. "The best and most knowledgeable worldwide scientific experts in their respective fields participated in this review, "explains Larry Graham, president of the American Cocoa Research Institute (ACRI).
Among the book's findings:
 |
Chocolate lovers can take heart in new research showing that this favorite food is packed with high-quality polyphenol Antioxidants that may reduce the risk of developing cancer and heart disease. |
|
| |
Steric acid, the main saturated fatty acid in chocolate, does NOT raise blood cholesterol levels. |
|
| |
It is chocolate's unique taste and sensory properties that make chocolate the single most craved food in the United States |
|
| |
· Cocoa and chocolate are rich in minerals the body needs, including magnesium and iron. |
|
| |
The vast majority of evidence suggests we dismiss the hypothesis that chocolate is a significant migraine trigger. |
|
| |
· Chocolate has relatively little impact when it comes to causing dental caries. Chocolate tends to clear the mouth quickly, limiting the time it is in contact with the teeth.
|
|
| |
Allergies to chocolate are extremely rare with the more likely allergens being milk, egg, peanut, or tree nut components of chocolate products - not the chocolate itself. |
|
| |
· Chocolate and cocoa do not cause obesity. It is the quantity of foods eaten, combined with the level of physical activity and underlying genetics, which determine whether a person will gain weight.
|
Chocolate & Antioxidants
Antioxidants fight cancer, heart disease & aging
| Food/Beverage |
Flavanoid Content |
| Dark chocolate |
510mg/100g |
| Apple |
111mg/100g |
| Cherry |
96mg/100g |
| Black tea (prepared) |
65mg/100g |
| Red Wine |
63mg/100g |
|
Source of Chart: Nutrition Today/vol.37
There's another benefit to eating chocolate for pregnant women. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Helsinki School of Medicine published in the Journal of Human Development, found that eating chocolate during pregnancy could result in happier, livelier babies. Researchers linked the amount of chocolate their mothers had eaten and the babies' behavior. Babies born to women who ate chocolate daily during their pregnancy were more likely to smile and laugh than the babies of women who said no to chocolate. Researchers believe that the chocolate behavior effect may be caused by mood-altering chemicals in the chocolate passed to the baby in the womb.
