So, you've given up on red meat, locked up your liquor cabinet and sworn off potato chips. Sometimes pursuing a healthy lifestyle feels like an exercise in self deprivation. Here's some news that might cheer you up. Dark chocolate, consumed in moderation, is good for you. Though kids typically recoil from foods that are labeled healthy, it's hard to imagine that happening with chocolate. When consumed in moderation this sweet, allegedly decadent treat actually confers a number of surprising health benefits.
Heart Health
Dark chocolate decreases LDL cholesterol oxidation, reduces the risk of blood clots, increases coronary and arterial blood flow and may lower hypertension, according to the University of Michigan Health System. These benefits are believed to be due to the fact that cocoa contains stearic acid, one of the only saturated fats that don't elevate serum cholesterol levels. It also contains oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fats found in olive and canola oil have been attributed with lower levels of serum LDL, the harmful type of cholesterol, and increasing levels of healthy cholesterol, or HDL.
Sports Recovery
Forget high-tech sports drinks. When you've just emerged from a strenuous workout try a glass of low-fat chocolate milk to help your muscles recover. According to a study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine's annual meeting, in 2009, researchers at James Madison University found that soccer players who were given low fat chocolate milk or a high carbohydrate recovery beverage. Those who drank chocolate milk were found to have significantly lower levels of creatine kinase, a sign of muscle damage, in their blood. Some of this benefit may be due to the milk itself, but the study notes that chocolate milk has additional nutrients not available in most sports beverages.
Dark Chocolate Vs. Milk Chocolate
To take advantage of some of the health boosting effects of chocolate, you will have to choose the dark variety. It's milder sister, milk chocolate, may be suitable as an after work out beverage, but it does not deliver the same beneficial effects as dark chocolate, according to "Nature, The International Weekly Journal of Science." It is thought that milk prevents your body from absorbing the antioxidants that give chocolate its cardiovascular benefits. Even drinking milk while eating dark chocolate negates its cardiovascular health effects.
MayoClinic. suggests no more than 3 oz. of dark chocolate per day, but notes that this may provide up to 450 calories, so be aware of your total daily caloric intake if you're supplementing your diet with dark chocolate.
References
- University of Michigan Health System: Dark Chocolate
- Nature International Weekly Journal of Science: Plasma Antioxidants from Chocolate
- MedlinePlus: Chocolate Eaters May Have Healthier Hearts
- Physorg.com: New Study Finds Lowfat Chocolate Milk is Effective Post-Exercise Recovery Aid for Soccer Players
- MayoClinic.com: Can Chocolate Be Good for My Health?
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