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Chocolate also contains flavonoids, which are the same compounds that give red wine and tea their disease-preventing benefits.
The darker the chocolate, the more antioxidants and flavonoids it contains.
Another interesting fact from the ADA’s website: cocoa beans aren’t actually beans!
They are seeds from the fruit of the Theobroma cacao tree.
The seeds (cocoa beans) are used to make cocoa and chocolate.
Natural cocoa powder is made by pressing most of the cocoa butter out of the cocoa beans.
Chocolate is made from the whole cocoa bean with additional cocoa butter.
Natural cocoa powder and most chocolates retain flavanols at different levels.
Emerging research indicates that the flavanols in cocoa and chocolate may have protective health benefits.
Dark chocolate is still high in fat and calories and should be consumed in moderation.
As far as theacai berrygoes, it might help to clarify what it is first.
The dark purple grape-sized fruit grows on the acai palm.
The pulp is very delicate and the benefits could be destroyed in processing it into a powder.
Eating more “healthy chocolate” isn’t going to make up for this.
Even the best chocolate doesn’t have fiber or all the other nutrients that fruits and vegetables provide.
And orange sweet potatoes provide different nutrients and phytochemicals than green spinach or dark chocolate.
Even more reason to have a variety of all these foods in a healthy diet.
So can eating dark chocolate in moderation be beneficial to your health?
I think it certainly can if it is a part of anoverall healthy lifestyle and balanced diet.
My recommendation: Don’t spend $150 on a box of “healthy chocolate”.
Related Links:
Superfoods for Flat Abs
What the Heck is Acai, Anyways?
The Healthiest Way to Lose 8 Pounds
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