Chocolate: A healthy super food.

Chocolate has been said to cause acne and tooth decay, and has a reputation for being a fattening, nutritionless food. On the other hand, chocolate is also known for being everything from an anti-depressant to an aphrodisiac. While there's still much we don't know about chocolate, recent research is helping us better understand how chocolate consumption affects our health. The good news is that most of the bad effects of eating chocolate are either overstated or entirely false.

Chocolate has not been proven to cause cavities or tooth decay. In fact, there are indications that the cocoa butter in the chocolate coats the teeth and may help protect them by preventing plaque from forming. The sugar in chocolate does contribute to cavities, but no more than the sugar in any other food.

There is also no evidence that chocolate causes or exacerbates acne. It is the sugar and other ingredients added to chocolate bars exacerbate acne.

Obviously, eating too much of any food may cause health problems. The cocoa butter in chocolate does contain saturated fat, which can increase blood cholesterol levels, and high cholesterol can contribute to heart disease.

Chocolate needs to be consumed in moderation and in low-fat and low-sugar forms because of the potential of high-calorie content to increase weight. For the best health results, choose dark chocolate with at least 75% cacao solids are a reduced amount of sugar.

The Cacao Bean: Raw Cacao beans are a gift from God

Almost all chocolate nowadays is cooked out to high temperatures and loaded with added white sugar, milk, saturated fat, hydrogenated oils. Your favorite chocolate bar also goes through terrible chemical processes in manufacturing.

The problem is not chocolate but what the food industry does to the original food. Chocolate itself actually comes from the beautiful bean of the Theobroma Cacao Tree whose name literally translates into ‘Food of the Gods’. In its pure and raw form, this bean is loaded with active antioxidants, live enzymes, and a plethora of phyto-nutrients – all easily digested by humans.

The raw cacao beans contain over 300 natural phyto-nutrient compounds, including: magnesium, arginine, serotonin, iron, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and the vitamins A, B, C, D, and E.

Regular chocolate bars will do you no good. But the original raw cacao beans, right off the tree, are a gift from God.

Chocolate contains 4 essential ingredients that make it one of the best foods for health:

1. Magnesium:

For the heart to be at it’s peak performance, it requires two minerals more than any other, magnesium and potassium. Magnesium’s concentration in the heart muscle is eighteen times greater than in the bloodstream. Magnesium is the primarily mineral missing when heart problems occur. It increases the overall vigor of the heart muscle. This mineral also decreases blood coagulation thus lowering blood pressure and helping the heart pump more effectively.

Cacao, of course, is a fantastic food source of heart-supporting magnesium.

2. Antioxidants:

According to research, cacao beans are super-rich in antioxidant flavonols. Cacao beans contain 10,000 milligrams (10 grams) per 100 grams of flavonol antioxidants. This makes cacao one of the richest sources of antioxidants of any food. But when the cacao bean is processed into cacao powder or chocolate bars, the flavonol level decrease dramatically.

3. Phenylethylamine (PEA):

PEA is a chemical in cacao that increases the activity of neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) in parts of the brain that control our ability to pay attention and stay alert. Elevated PEA levels occur when we are captivated by a good book, movie, or project; this happens specifically during those moments when we are so focused that we lose all track of time, food, and the outside world.

PEA is noticeably abundant in the brains of happy people.

Chocolate has been found to contain up to 2.2% phenylethylamine (PEA).

4. Anti-Depressant Properties of Cacao:

As we have noted, cacao is one of Sunfood Nutrition's richest sources of magnesium, which is a heart as well as brain mineral. Cacao is also a great source of serotonin, dopamine, and phenylethylamine, three well-studied neurotransmitters, which help alleviate depression and are associated with feelings of well being. Cacao contains monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAO Inhibitors) that improve our mood because they allow serotonin and dopamine to remain in the bloodstream longer without being broken down.

Cacao contains anandamide which delivers blissful feelings.

Cacao also contains B vitamins, which are associated with brain health. All this makes cacao a natural prozac!

Good for the memory

Everybody knows chocolate can be good for your over-all mood, even if it's not so good for the teeth and waistline. But now there's another excuse to indulge because it may also be good for your brain.

Flavanoids, that are found in raw cacao beans, can help boost brain power and memory. Flavanoid nutrients can also be found in many fruits and vegetables, such as blueberries and pomegranates.

The beneficial brain effects appear to stem from flavanoids' impact on the blood system. In essence, the chemicals stimulate an increase of blood flow to the brain.

But experts caution that chocolate usually loses its flavanoids during processing. So if you want to increase your alertness and concentration, try swapping your regular caffeine drink in the morning for a nice cup of hot chocolate – made with unprocessed and unsweetened cacao powder.

Beneficial to the heart

Many studies support the idea that consuming green tea or chocolate, in moderation, can be associated with reduced risk for cardiovascular disease.

Since green tea, without milk or sugar, contains no calories, it's an ideal way to add antioxidant flavonoids to your diet without increasing your weight. Having a chocolate cookie that also contains fruit and nuts along with the tea, if consumed in moderation, can be a heart healthy snack."

No single food will confer immunity from illness, but both tea and chocolate, which are plant foods, can be components of a healthy diet if eaten in moderation. It's important to include a wide variety of plant foods in your diet every day.

Currently, there is not enough information on which to base specific recommendations on the amount of flavanoids to eat on a daily basis to trigger positive effects. And commercially available chocolate varies widely in flavanoid content. Some products contain essentially no flavanoids and others contain relatively high amounts compared to other plant foods.

However, recent research at the University of California, has found that chocolate carries high levels of chemicals known as phenolics, some of which may help lower the risk of heart disease. Plants such as chocolate, coffee, tea, and others contain high levels of phenolics.

So how might phenolics prevent heart disease?

Apparently, phenolics prevent fat-like substances in the bloodstream from oxidizing and clogging the arteries. It's now believed that atherosclerosis, or the formation of plaque in the arteries, is caused by oxidation of LDL (low-density lipoproteins). At first, this leads to subtle damage, and then eventually to the formation of advanced plaque.The buildup of plaque can lead to clogging of the arteries, a major cause of heart attacks.

Chocolate can be addictive

Although addictive behavior is generally associated with drug abuse, chocolate may evoke similar behavioral reactions in susceptible persons.

Numerous studies show that the ingredients found in a typical chocolate bar (fat, sugar, texture, and aroma) are likely to be a predominant factors in chocolate cravings.

Chocolate may be used by some as a form of self-medication for dietary deficiencies (eg, magnesium) or to balance low levels of neurotransmitters involved in the regulation of mood and food intake(eg, serotonin and dopamine).

Chocolate cravings are often episodic and fluctuate with hormonal, which confirms the gender-specific nature of chocolate cravings.

Chocolate contains several biologically active constituents all of which potentially cause abnormal behaviors and psychological sensations that parallel those of other addictive substances.

You must be aware that chocolate cravings are real. The effects from lack of chocolate consumption must be considered when formulating recommendations for overall healthful eating and for treatment of nutritionally related health issues.

The truth about the health-benefits of chocolate is finally reaching our ears. However, the whole truth should be told. Chocolate is healthy if it is dark with no added dairy products/milk or refined sugar. Even better are raw cacao beans, the "food of the gods" which possess all the magical properties of chocolate without any adulteration or processing.

So the next time you’re having a bad day and feel like you need something to make you smile, just have a piece of good quality dark chocolate without feeling guilty!