Yes
you can have the romantic pleasure of chocolate with less guilt
Healthy
Chocolate for Your Valentine
by Debra Lynn
Dadd
Let's face it.
We're all going to eat chocolate for Valentine's Day. But there's no
need to feel guilty! Chocolate is actually good for you…it's all the
things added to it that are the problem. Here's how you can choose
delicious healthy chocolates for your Valentine.
HEALTH
BENEFITS
The gift of
chocolate to a beloved as a token of love is more than just
tradition. Naturally-occurring compounds in chocolate produce that
mild euphoria of being in love and contribute to enjoyable
interpersonal relations by elevating mood and enhancing sensory
perception.
Beyond good
feelings, chocolate benefits the body in many ways. In moderation,
chocolate can contribute to heart health, help you live longer,
suppress a chronic cough, and add needed magnesium to your diet.
Chocolate even contains a high level of chromium, which can help
control blood sugar.
Chocolate does
NOT cause acne, most headaches, or hyperactivity, and does not raise
cholesterol.
HEALTH
PROBLEMS
While
chocolate itself is fine to eat, there are some substances present
in chocolate products that you should watch out for.
Most chocolate
products contain tremendous amounts of refined white sugar, which is
harmful to health in many ways.
Chocolate may
also contain pesticides. The EPA allows various levels of pesticide
residue to be present in cocoa powder, and the FDA Total Diet Study
found them in many chocolate products.
Many
chocolates also contain the toxic metals cadmium and lead.
"Significant levels" of these metals were found in 68% of the common
chocolate products tested. There is no safe level for lead, and it
is particularly harmful to children.
HEALTHY
CHOCOLATE CHOICES
Here are some
guidelines for choosing the healthiest chocolates.
1. Choose
chocolates with the least amount of refined white sugar or other
sweetener. Dark "bittersweet" chocolates with a high percentage of
cocoa solids (usually the label will state the exact percentage)
have less sugar than semisweet or milk chocolate and also have the
greatest health benefits. Keep in mind that flavor additions, such
as dried fruits and candied ginger may also add sugar to the
chocolate.
2. Choose
chocolates sweetened with evaporated cane juice or barley malt. If
the evaporated cane juice used is the unprocessed whole juice of the
cane, it acts in the body like a whole food and doesn't give a sugar
rush. Barley malt is also a slow-release sweetener, noted on the
label as "grain-sweetened."
3. Choose
organic chocolates. Certified organic chocolate ensures there are no
harmful pesticide residues.
4. Make your
own chocolates. It's easy to make many chocolate delights yourself,
with the exact ingredients you want. Start with unsweetened cocoa
powder or baking chocolate and be creative!
SAVOR YOUR
CHOCOLATE
Fine chocolate
is one of those earthly pleasures to be savored. When eaten as a
special treat, with full appreciation, a little chocolate can go a
long way.
Choose quality
over quantity. If you are going to eat chocolate, eat really good
chocolate. Then, for maximum enjoyment, give the taste of the
chocolate your full attention, eat it at a time when you are not
famished or overly full, and allow the chocolate to melt in your
mouth to make the experience last.
Read more
about healthy chocolate at
http://www.debraslist.com.
About the
author: Hailed as "The Queen of Green" by the New York Times, Debra
Lynn Dadd has been a consumer advocate for products and lifestyle
choices that are better for health and the environment since 1982.
Visit her website for 100s of links to 1000s of nontoxic, natural
and earthwise products, and to sign up for her free email
newsletters.
http://www.dld123.com
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