SHANO

juliazafri · Post time 4-5-2008 02:38 PM

Health Benefits of Chocolate

Chocolate is made from plants, which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables. These benefits are from flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, which can cause damage that leads to heart disease. Dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants (nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries). Flavonoids also help relax blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide, and balance certain hormones in the body.

Heart Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate:
Dark chocolate is good for your heart. A small bar of it everyday can help keep your heart and cardiovascular system running well. Two heart health benefits of dark chocolate are:

Lower Blood Pressure: Studies have shown that consuming a small bar of dark chocolate everyday can reduce blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure.
Lower Cholesterol: Dark chocolate has also been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) by up to 10 percent.
Other Benefits of Dark Chocolate:
Chocolate also holds benefits apart from protecting your heart:

it tastes good
it stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure
it contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant
it contains theobromine, caffeine and other substances which are stimulants
Doesn't Chocolate Have a lot of Fat?:
Here is some more good news -- some of the fats in chocolate do not impact your cholesterol. The fats in chocolate are 1/3 oleic acid, 1/3 stearic acid and 1/3 palmitic acid:

Oleic Acid is a healthy monounsaturated fat that is also found in olive oil.
Stearic Acid is a saturated fat but one which research is shows has a neutral effect on cholesterol.
Palmitic Acid is also a saturated fat, one which raises cholesterol and heart disease risk.
That means only 1/3 of the fat in dark chocolate is bad for you.

Chocolate Tip 1 - Balance the Calories:
This information doesn't mean that you should eat a pound of chocolate a day. Chocolate is still a high-calorie, high-fat food. Most of the studies done used no more than 100 grams, or about 3.5 ounces, of dark chocolate a day to get the benefits.

One bar of dark chocolate has around 400 calories. If you eat half a bar of chocolate a day, you must balance those 200 calories by eating less of something else. Cut out other sweets or snacks and replace them with chocolate to keep your total calories the same.

Chocolate Tip 2 - Taste the Chocolate:
Chocolate is a complex food with over 300 compounds and chemicals in each bite. To really enjoy and appreciate chocolate, take the time to taste it. Professional chocolate tasters have developed a system for tasting chocolate that include assessing the appearance, smell, feel and taste of each piece.

Chocolate Tip 3 - Go for Dark Chocolate:
Dark chocolate has far more antioxidants than milk or white chocolate. These other two chocolates cannot make any health claims. Dark chocolate has 65 percent or higher cocoa content.

Chocolate Tip 4 - Skip the Nougat:
You should look for pure dark chocolate or dark chocolate with nuts, orange peel or other flavorings. Avoid anything with caramel, nougat or other fillings. These fillings are just adding sugar and fat which erase many of the benefits you get from eating the chocolate.

Chocolate Tip 5 - Avoid Milk:
It may taste good but some research shows that washing your chocolate down with a glass of milk could prevent the antioxidants being absorbed or used by your body.

Next Anti-Aging Food: Avocados

Sources: Chocolate Manufacturers Association; Journal of the American Medical Association

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[ Last edited by juliazafri at 4-5-2008 02:47 PM ]

eila_agogo · Post time 4-5-2008 02:38 PM

haiyoo kak julia..panjangnyer essay..kalau msuk pertandingan leh menang nie..

juliazafri · Post time 4-5-2008 02:53 PM

Originally posted by eila_agogo at 4-5-2008 02:37 PM

heheh...byk ek!!bwak la msuk forum!heheh
memborong betul..

borong byk pun tak apa....semalam ada member borong sampai beratus ringgit

beli byk tak apa..blh bg kaum kerabat..
makan satu bar cukup la sehari...

tapi dark choc paling best

[ Last edited by juliazafri at 4-5-2008 02:55 PM ]

britney_sapiah · Post time 4-5-2008 03:21 PM

nak coklaaaaaaaaatttttttttttttttttt

chikuyotei · Post time 4-5-2008 09:34 PM

Originally posted by britney_sapiah at 4-5-2008 03:21 PM
nak coklaaaaaaaaatttttttttttttttttt

Brit jgn nanis

Special utk brit

chikuyotei · Post time 4-5-2008 09:37 PM

Betul ke????

sab_nyer · Post time 5-5-2008 08:43 AM

assalamualaikum..
slamat pagi...

eyllaz · Post time 5-5-2008 09:03 AM

assalamualaikum....

shanoanss.... (^_^)V
wahh kenduri cekelat ek smlm... hehehee

atie_leo · Post time 5-5-2008 09:13 AM

salam & mornink shanoan

byknya cokelet kat sini

juanaperez · Post time 5-5-2008 09:28 AM

Salam Shanoans..

juanaperez · Post time 5-5-2008 09:29 AM

Juliaaaaaaaa..nak jugak cukelat..

juanaperez · Post time 5-5-2008 09:30 AM

Ola..Sab, Eyla, Atie..

Selamat Pagi Isnin..

britney_sapiah · Post time 5-5-2008 09:41 AM

salam & mornin....

eyllaz · Post time 5-5-2008 09:44 AM

salam kmbali kak intan... selamt pg.. ehheehee

eyllaz · Post time 5-5-2008 09:44 AM

salam.. brit....

juliazafri · Post time 5-5-2008 09:52 AM

Assalamualaikum Shanoan.....

juliazafri · Post time 5-5-2008 09:54 AM

Originally posted by chikuyotei at 4-5-2008 09:37 PM
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o112/lilhyperbabers/miscellaneous/chocolat.jpg

Betul ke????

Betul la tue

tak percaya ke..

Tanya la dgn AdeK Jepun......Contoh terbaik