Why Dark Chocolate Is Good for You

By Freeha Irfan Ahmed

Description: Dark chocolate contains several health advantages. These advantages are from flavonoids, which work as antioxidants.

In recent years, food materials that contain flavonoids and antioxidants have been connected with the prevention of heart disease. Flavonoids are poly-phenolic combinations found plentifully in cocoa and, to a slightly lesser extent, in apples, red wine and green tea. More particularly, the flavonoid found in dark or black chocolate has been linked to decreases in blood pressure, improvements in antioxidant properties, improvements in cognitive function, increases in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, improvements in insulin sensitivity, improvements in anti-platelet activity, and improvements in endothelial dysfunction that promote vascular homeostasis. Compared with white chocolate and milk chocolate, dark or black chocolate contains more flavonoids because it contains more cocoa.

Dark chocolate and the heart: Dark chocolate may aid in lower blood pressure in individuals with hypertension, and has been proven to lower levels of LDL, the "bad cholesterol," by ten percent. Adding dark chocolate to your diet may benefit your cardiovascular organs by helping to block arterial damage provoked by free radicals. It may also inhibit platelet aggregation, which would provoke a heart stroke or attack. There have also been researches showing that the flavonoids in cocoa relax the blood vessels, which inhibits an enzyme that causes inflammation.

Eat chocolate for your brain:In a study, a compound found in cocoa, epicatechin, when incorporated with exercise, was found to boost functional alterations in a part of the brain involved in the formation of memory and learning.

Potential anti-cancer benefits: A research study indicates that dark chocolate may be a weapon against cancer cells. Researchers at Georgetown University School of Medicine discovered that a synthetic cocoa derivative really increased the rate of destruction and decreased the rate of growth of human cancer cells. Furthermore, it accomplished this without having an influence on other cells.

Some have their doubts: Not everyone believes that dark chocolate is a healthy food. Primarily, it is vital to understand that processing changes the natural flavanol antioxidants found in cocoa. Even though some of the suggested benefits of dark chocolate consumption are linear and positive, neither is unlimited because dark chocolate is laden with a substantial calorie load, which can readily offset its antioxidant benefits.

Eat dark chocolate for pleasure: There is growing acceptance among people that occasionally eating dark or black chocolate containing a high percentage of cocoa provides polyunsaturated fats and flavonoids that may benefit cognitive abilities during aging, as well as anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting effects, among other potential health benefits still being analyzed in research. So, the combination of super fruits and chocolate may be both healthy and delicious! Eat chocolate treats in moderate amounts so you can have fun without guilt!

Starch content in dark chocolate: Of course, dark chocolate also contains starch. When melted chocolate is added to fondant, for instance, the fondant gets stiffer due to the starch content and generally requires thinning. Generally, however, the drying power of the starch is balanced by the tenderizing effect of the cocoa butter.

Other benefits of dark chocolate: Dark or black chocolate also possesses advantages apart from saving your body:

Dark chocolate may have antioxidant benefits similar to vegetables, but consider the numerous other benefits vegetables have that chocolate lacks.

Studies have yet to conclude whether chocolate's antioxidant health properties are as long lasting as that of vegetables.

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Good Food Good Health - Elderflower

By Ted Wosko  |   Co-Author: Sandra Wosko  

Hi everyone, today I have a great summer drink rich in Antioxidants which really are good for you, yes its the common elderflower. The flowers are now in season and plentiful, and it is really easy to harvest and produce yourself.

The elderflower has been well known through the centuries for its high vitamin C content, antioxidant and healing properties, and because of this is today one of the top selling natural summer cordials.

Drinking a glass of cordial daily is very refreshing and will help to improve your health, and it is not just the flowers that are good for you but also the berries when made into wine have equal beneficial properties.

We are all well aware now just how important anti oxidants and vitamin C are, and I do not mean only the ladies thinking about their skin and premature aging, but then maybe that is why through the ages women have always made and drank elderflower cordials and tea ritually, and is a staple product of the Women's Institute along with jams.

Antioxidants are needed to help reduce the production of 'free radicals' (highly re-active and unstable molecules which contain atoms with unpaired electrons) in the body, high fat diets attribute to 'free radicals', but they are also produced naturally and especially in people who exercise heavily, attacking cells leading to long term damage and a higher risk of cancer.

Studies have shown that taking antioxidants such as vitamin C before eating high fat foods, reduces the damage greatly to the arteries.

The elderflower is well in bloom now and can be found in most hedgerows and roadsides, scrubland and gardens alike, and to many gardeners is a nuisance as it grows almost anywhere in a very short time to a considerable size.

The elder has acquired the nickname of 'Nature's Medicine Chest', as its healing properties have been used for a very wide and varied range of problems from Rheumatism, hay fever, coughs and colds, asthma and influenza.

The elderflower is only in bloom for about six weeks, from the end of May to the beginning of July, but it is best picked now while the flowers are fresh and white and before they turn creamy brown.

I remember making this with my grandma every year, from collecting the flowers and berries to all the smells associated with this. I still have the hand written recipe of this and others by grandma, although I think some of these recipes are probably illegal to make at home now, like the marrow rum, I will have to check up on this at a later date. Ted is intrigued as to why you have to hang the marrow in a stocking for this recipe, men!

The recipe to make 1.5 litres of Elderflower cordial is below, which you dilute to taste, is easy and inexpensive, and is great served with fizzy water and ice. Perfect for the summer.

Ingredients you need - 20 heads of elderflower, 1.8kg granulated sugar, 1.2 litres of water, 2 lemons and 75g citric acid. Preparation time takes 20 minutes, plus overnight infusing and 5 minutes cooking. Method. Shake the flowers to expel any insects and place in large bowl.

Put sugar in pan with water and bring to boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Pare zest off lemons in wide strips and place in bowl with elderflower. Slice lemons discarding ends and add slices to bowl. Pour over boiling syrup and stir in citric acid. Cover with cloth and leave for 24 hours at room temperature. The next day strain cordial through a muslin (or a new boil washed J cloth or similar) and pour into thoroughly cleaned plastic or glass bottles with screw on lids, and that is it.

There, that is not that difficult is it, and it tastes so good served with a sprig of mint and a slice of strawberry with fizzy water and ice, friends will not believe you have made it yourself.

The elder is also used as a natural garden insecticide, by crushing up and bruising the foul smelling leaves you can leave them around young plants to deter aphids and caterpillars. Obviously as they dry out and the smell disappears they need to be replaced.

Farmers used to hang bunches of elderflower above their horses before insecticides were used to rid flies, and dairy farmers used it as they thought it had properties to stop the milk from turning sour. People used to wear a small sprig to keep midges away.

The elder has been closely entwined with pagans through the years to summon spirits, with twigs woven into head-dresses to enable the wearer to see spirits and undo evil spells! The mind boggles.

On the Isle of Man, every cottage has an elder growing outside its front door to ward off witches even to this day. In other parts of the country, people would never burn elder wood as it was said a member of the family would die. It was truly a revered plant.

The great thing about elderflower is that it tastes delicious, is highly refreshing and a good provider of vitamin C - an antioxidant, so why not try making your own or buy a good reputable manufactured cordial or juice and start getting the benefits for your good health now.

This article was composed by Sandra & Ted Wosko. We have always been interested in health issues especially having children, and as with most people, we all suffer with some type of ailment. We are always researching on more and more topics in the endless task of gaining more knowledge to increase our expertise, benefiting ourselves and other people alike. http://www.goodfoodgoodhealth.com

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Ted_Wosko/87764

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