Chocolate is one of the most consumed products on the planet. In fact, every day over one billion people consume the stuff... and the average American eats over 12 pounds of chocolate per year. Which begs the question: Can this stuff possibly be good for you?
What are the nutritional facts when it comes to the benefits of chocolate and why is dark chocolate good for you?
The truth is that chocolate is believed to have a host of health properties. It is a complex food that -- depending on how it is manufactured -- can be extremely high in antioxidants.
Antioxidants are considered important because the aging process and the development of many chronic and degenerative diseases, including cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's are believed to be caused at least in part by something called "oxidative stress".
Oxidative stress is brought on by the onset of free radicals in the body, which damages your cells over time. It is a natural process there's no escape from. Your body has a number of systems that help eliminate free radicals, but it is not 100% efficient and ultimately fights a losing battle over time.
And many of our eating and nutritional habits simply serve to speed up the onslaught of free radicals in our bodies.
That's where chocolate -- especially dark chocolate -- comes in.
Dark chocolate is generally high in antioxidants
It has been known for a long time that diets rich in fruits, nuts, and vegetables are excellent sources of dietary antioxidants. Essential minerals and vitamins contained in those foods... such as vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, flavonoids, and selenium... play a key antioxidant role in the body.
Well now we know that chocolate contains very high antioxidant properties too.
One of the most reliable measures of the antioxidant value of a particular food is something called the ORAC score. ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity.
Not surprisingly, fruits, nuts, vegetables and certain spices tend to score high on the ORAC scale. Generally, a food scores highest in its raw or natural state and less well once it is cooked. The cooking process destroys much of the nutritional and antioxidant value of the food.
What may surprise you is that unprocessed cacao is the highest source of antioxidant value. Of course, cocoa powder comes from the cacao and is the principal ingredient of chocolate. Unprocessed cocoa powder has a higher ORAC value per 100 grams than the Acai berry, which is on of the so-called "super fruits".
Dark chocolate also scores highly on the list ahead of such super foods as prunes, raisins, blueberries, blackberries and raw spinach.
Not all chocolate carries the same nutritional value
However, not all chocolate holds the same potential health value. The more processed and cooked the product, the less of its health properties is retained. And be mindful that the chocolate candy you find on grocery store shelves has typically undergone significant over processing... such as dutching and roasting... and has added unhealthy processed sugar, milk, fats, fillers, waxes and preservatives.
In other words, while certain types of chocolate can and does carry nutritional value, know your chocolate nutrition facts. And don't go rushing out to the store and start a chocolate binge.
Generally, the darker the chocolate with the higher cocoa concentration will be healthier... although even then that isn't always going to be true. So read the label and in particular beware of any chocolate bar where the number one ingredient is sugar.
For more chocolate nutrition facts and to learn about the healthiest dark chocolate products available today, click this link now: Dark Healthy Chocolate
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Warren_Wojnowski
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