Chocolate health benefits

Hi folks,

Yep, the stuff we all love can be healthy – well the dark variety anyway. More research this week says that dark chocolate can lower our blood pressure. High blood pressure (hypertension) is one of the most common health conditions in the UK & can lead to many other serious illnesses.

The main ingredients of chocolate are sugar, cocoa butter (fat) & cocoa mass. White chocolate is the most unhealthy as it has a higher ratio of sugar & fat whilst the dark chocolate is healthier with a higher ratio of cocoa mass (with milk chocolate being somewhere in the middle). High levels of cocoa give you more flavanols producing nitric oxide in the body which then causes blood vessel walls to ‘relax’, allowing your blood to pass through at lower pressure.

The problem is that some manufactures remove the flavanols as they have a bitter taste. So now this ‘dark chocolate’ is just dark in colour & doesn’t carry the health benefits. My advice is to always buy good quality dark chocolate with a cocoa content of 80% or higher, also check out the ingredients & any labels saying ‘high in flavanols or antioxidants’.

Employers: As stress is a key factor raising blood pressure, how about giving out a few healthy dark chocolate bars in the canteen one day or at their desks to raise moral to a valued workforce?

If you want to further boost your levels of flavanols then try mixed beans, apricots, blackberries & good old apples!

James.