Isn’t it great that we can have something that is not only good for us, but fun to use? I’m talking about chocolate! Yes sir, dark gold, pure happiness! You’ve probably heard the buzz about dark chocolate, and how it’s good for your blood …
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I knew that….
What’s too much at night ? Caffein doesn’t bother me but not having enough dark chocolate does.
I bet rice milk or almond milk is ok
Uh, hmmm. I eat chocolate every day. I am still size 4, 122 lbs., no cavities, low BP. How? I eat the Mediterranean diet and swim regularly. So, not sure about you’re advice too much can pack on the weight? Where oh where is it? BTW: I’m 56. Oh, no heartburn, headaches (sinus on occasion because I live in low humidity), or digestive woes. And while I do favor 70% cocoa content chocolates, white chocolate and even milk chocolate have some perks.
P.S. I meant to say “your” advice. And you’re going to feel happy, like me, if you eat fine chocolate–it contains hundreds of feel-good compounds, not just caffeine and sugar.
Great article about chocolate. Unfortunately, I don’t think it applies to the good stuff like Oreo’s.
My favorite is the Black & Green dark chocolate. Mmm. . . that stuff is good. A great site to learn more about the resveratrol benefits is http://www.benefits-of-resveratrol.com
Although, I don’t think they give away free chocolate samples.
Thanks for the article – it’s always fun to read about chocolate. Unfortunately, you got the whole white chocolate issue wrong: while it’s true that it does not contain cocoa powder, it does indeed contain cocoa butter, which is the fat from cocoa. Anyway, this is enough for me to consider white chocolate a type of chocolate. Thanks again!
Hi Diana,
I just wanted to point out that I have my hands on a chocolate that actually has an entire WEIGHT-LOSS program revolving around it! The same company also has recently introduced a PROBIOTIC Chocolate.
I have been taking the products actively for almost a year now, and BECAUSE They are the HIGHEST Antioxidant source in the world (UNPROCESSED cocoa & Acai Berry!!) I have had great health results, from an antioxidant and weight loss standpoint!
I just wanted to let people know because It has been so GREAT!!
Amin
Hi Diana,
I am currently using healthy dark chocolate to lose weight and address health issues such as high blood pressure and atherosclerosis. I am excited about the research and science behind healthy dark chocolate. I was not a chocoholic and did not like dark chocolate, I know sounds insane not to like dark chocolate, but I love what I am eating.
Just want everyone to know there is such a thing as healthy dark chocolate. It is the same chocolate referred to by Amin in the previous post.
Bev
Dear Dr. I sincerely appreciate the publication of your approach and attitude to dark chocolate.
Seven years ago I started with eating three quarters to a whole 100g Lindt Excellence 85 to 90% dark chocolate bar
with two to five banana’s on a daily basis. I did this in order to prevent and arrest the many symptoms that would have otherwise been treated with counselling and prescriptions. At many times I could have been labelled with the SAD or Bi-polar disorder, ADD or ADHD, a neurotic, physco psuemadic manic depressive type.
It seemed I was always on a roller coast of unpredictability with irregular and difficult periods, quick tempered mood swings, random emotional bursts,extreme highs and lows, muscle and joint pain and stiffness, regular headaches causing the occasional blinding type migraines with debilitating hangovers, sugar and starch cravings that inevitably disturbed my digestive health and left me lethargic, listless and up and down with weight. This stuff ruled me and my life , . Well as you can see, that’s a long winded list of symptoms. It sounds awfully depressing and it was. When I saw and felt what traditional dark chocolate (dutched or heated) did for my over all health in so many areas, I refused to be with out it for even ONE day! I knew it was addressing a multitude of issues and was a real solution so accepted the inevitable weight gain gracefully and enjoyed these foods as staples.
Three years ago an add describing “Healthy Chocolate” caught my attention. Without much information I signed up for it and enjoyed it daily. Three to five (or more sometimes!) big delicious mouthfuls of this gold nugget chocolate chunk that I was not to chew but to let melt. It was so delicious, rich and soothing.
I enjoyed them shamelessly without the guilt and the health consequences of the fattening and clogging traditional alternatives. It is was so satisfying that I didn’t crave the old food anymore and became hungry without an apitite therefore naturally making better choices. I didn’t even notice the symptoms of all those afflictions lift from me. I was steady, stable and content.
Two years later I ran out it while working in Northern Alberta. It was the first time with out any of the “healthy Chocolate” type of chocolate. All the gourmet and health food type chocolate including my trusted Lindt were leaving me literally on my back. It seemed that each day that passed became another slide back down to the horrors of the past with the emotional insanity difficult periods, cravings, physical pain and stiffness, migraines and depressions all returning in full force. Thankfully I found it and thankfully I lost it just to realize what a saving grace this product has been. I am a testament to the benefits of this miraculous wonder of nature. It is the raw, cold pressed chocolate that did it. I am compelled to share this story and it’s many sides with all my fellows as we all deserve to feel this ‘bliss’ and sence of well being . Not to mention getting to fill their mouths with this delicious chocolate every day. It’s even deemed a health food by Health Canada now. Science Daily published an article stating it “may rival the discovery of penicilian and anesthetic”.
So eat it ! we need it ! Sincerely, Chocolady. Chocolateforloveandhealth.
hi Julia, I suffer from most of the maladies you mentioned in your post too. I am desperately searching for natural remedy, and was hoping you might share what brand and type of dark chocolate was it that worked best for you? I am happy it worked so well for you!
I know about the benefits of chocolate – dark chocolate to be excat.
Resveratrol is found in the extract of the cocoa bean, and if you can get resveratrol without all of the sugar, then it can be a help for weight loss.
I’ve lost almost 180 pounds with the help of resveratrol supplements – and a lot of hard work!
Jen
The Center for Flavonoid Research has an excellent White Paper study on the benefits of Dark Chocolate: http://chocolatewealthnetwork.com/flavonoid.pdf
I LOVE chocolate!! I prefer the milk chocolate, but will eat either. No pain, no gain.
I didn’t know that milk negated the good stuff in chocolate. Thanks for all the good info on chocolate. It’s a guilt free treat that’s good to eat. Love it.
Dear Diana Walcutt,
I, Thresha Llena, and my group members, Samantha Algoso and Diane Velasco, are 8th grade students of Romig Middle School. We have read your article about “Chocolate and Mood Disorders,” and we found it very interesting. It helped us a lot for our Gatto project that we are currently working on in my Language Arts class. For this assignment, students are required to have their own experience on figuring out ways to increase their knowledge from a topic that they chose to learn more about. My group and I have decided to do a research about how chocolates affect one’s health, mood and emotion. We figured that an interview with you could provide some information that we could use to get us going.
We are writing to ask, in advance, if we can have permission to get a hold of your time in order for us to talk you about our topic. This would be a very wonderful opportunity for us, personally, and it would be very a useful source for our project. We hope to get a reply from you soon.
Sincerely,
Thresha Llena, Samantha Algoso & Diane Velasco
Epicatechin is a compound found in unrefined cocoa, it is believed that regular consumption of this could prevent 4 of the biggest and most common killers of the Western World..stroke, heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
Powerful stuff eh?
An ounce per day of chocolate is actually a significant quantity- the bigger dark chocolate bars are 3 or 3.5 oz, so a third of those is quite a bit indeed. Interesting that drinking milk with it negates the benefits- didn’t know anything about that.
I’m a fan of Endangered Species chocolate, their extra dark (88%)- the higher the cocoa percentage, the less the sugar of course. This brand is made with beet sugar as opposed to cane, though health-wise not sure there’s any benefit there.