(updated February, 2021)
Table of Contents
The sweet gift of chocolate, for health and love
Is chocolate good for you?
It has been a long time since I was able to walk into Manuel’s grocery story and buy six chocolate bars for a quarter. That is right. 25 cents for 6 Snickers. They were cheap, yet from that time until just recently, I felt that I was compromising my health by devouring the chocolate.
There were protests, yes candy protests. The protests were not over “is chocolate good for you?” It was a much more important question. When the price of a candy bar increased by 5 cents to 8 cents protesters hit the streets with placards.
Is Chocolate Good for You?
I had come to some misunderstanding that I would get fat and be hyper active. Well, both of those are true, if I over indulge.
I am very happy to have discovered many stories over the past year that, get this, tout the dark sweetness as good for my health. However, there are different types of this treat, each with their own benefits and liabilities if I eat too much of it.
You can no longer get a fits full for a quarter, but chocolate has so many forms that you can always find something that fits in your budge for your own satisfaction or as a gift to that special person in you life. For we boomers, we must be careful about letting the our children know how much chocolate we have given out grandchildren.
The following articles share some new insights into the health benefits of the dark sweet form. So, give those dark treats to your lover and believe that you are giving health for her heart, as well as yours. Buy some for yourself, no need to feel guilty.
Read our summary, then if you want to become even more informed, read all the articles in their entirety.
Is Chocolate the Next Super Food
(WebMD, Feb. 7, 2011)
Its all about chocolate’s high antioxidant content. The antioxidant in chocolate is higher than acai berries, blueberries and cranberries. In fact the antioxidant activity in chocolate is higher than all other super fruit powders combined.
These antioxidants keep the arteries healthy and are protective against cardiovascular disease.
Do not be fooled into thinking that your evening hot cocoa is giving you all of those benefits found in chocolate. Most hot cocoa mixes contain alkalized cocoa and thus contain few or no antioxidants.
So, is chocolate good for you? The WebMD concludes that it is.
Health Benefits for Seniors: Dark Chocolate and the Brain
(Retire at Home Services)
Eating dark chocolate can boost brain power and counter the effects of sleep deprivation in seniors. Those are two of the main health issues which consistently concern baby boomers. We can get help from a piece of that delicious dark chocolate bar.
A recent study showed that seniors who snacked on dark chocolate over an extended period of time saw improvements to attention, brain processing speed, working memory, and fluency of speech – all functions that become less efficient with age.
Is chocolate good for you? If it helps with memory and attention, the absolutely it does.
5 Reasons Eating Dark Chocolate Is Healthy for the Elderly
(Home Care Assistance)
- Enhances Brain Function
- Lowers Heart Risk
- Raises LDL Levels
- Protects Skin
- Boosts Mood
Could Hot Cocoa Improve Brainpower in Seniors?
(WebMD)
A new study with seniors is again showing the benefits of two cups of hot cocoa a day can bring similar benefits to seniors as dark chocolate. But that great tasting cup of cocoa is sweetened thus if indulged in daily it can cause obesity. Obesity is linked to declines in brain function.
Dr. Farzaneh Sorond, an assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School. “I’d prefer people wait until we figure out how to get the benefit without the calories, sugar and fat that comes in cocoa.”
Conclusion
So, is chocolate good for your health? We that depends. Dark chocolate is good for seniors. But do not over indulge.
Hot chocolate is not so good for seniors, despite it deliciousness.
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