A Love Affair

I couldn't help myself, I completely gave into my desires and lost myself in her arms.  She's become like a drug that I refuse to give up.  She's totally irresistible at times and when she calls to me, I bend at the knees and find myself powerless to her temptation!  The very thought of her just makes my heart beat a little faster and I build up the anticipation until the moment when she touches my lips!   Oh the sweetness of her dark curves and subtle, creamy and soft taste as she melts on my tongue!  My Diva's name is Cocoa and I am a slave to her taste sensation!  I'm having a love affair with dark chocolate!!   The seduction of cocoa has a long history dating back thousands of years.

In the book “Chocolate: a healthy passion", Shara Aaton and Monica Bearden compare men’s and women’s chocolate cravings. They say,  both men and women enjoy chocolate, though women tend to be more vocal in their “needing” chocolate (p.165). Eighty-five percent of men and 86% of women claimed to give in to their craving.  Is chocolate just a guilty pleasure, like a friend with benefits?

In the book entitled Better Than Sex: Chocolate Principles to Live By, British author Theresa Cheung states that it was her long-standing “love affair with chocolate” that prompted her to write this little pocket-size guide to better living through chocolate —“without feeling guilty.” According to her “a massive 60 percent of women would rather have a one-to-one with a chocolate bar than have sex!”

But seriously, while dark chocolate may satisfy your carnal cravings, it may also be a remedy for some health conditions. Milk chocolate is higher in sugar and lower in beneficial compounds than dark chocolate, and the best choice for dark chocolate is at least 60 percent cocoa solids by weight. Eat dark chocolate only in moderation every few days as part of a healthy diet.

Many of the potential benefits of dark chocolate result from its content of flavonoids, which refer to many groups of compounds in plant-based foods. Dark chocolate contains flavonoids called flavanols. Flavonoids may act as antioxidants, which means they reduce the cell-damaging activity of dangerous free radicals in your body. Dark chocolate may reduce your risk for heart disease, but many other dietary and non dietary factors contribute to your risk for heart disease.  See note at bottom.

Doctor Steven Warren examines the health benefits of dark chocolate. He explains the function of anti-oxidants and bioflavonoids and the fact that dark chocolate is the #1 superfood in the world.



As Dr. Warren indicated, dark chocolate may also reduce your risk of heart stroke. The effect of dark chocolate is similar to that of a blood thinner that can improve your vascular function, which means that your blood vessels are more relaxed and your risk for stroke decreases.

Nutritionally, one ounce of quality dark chocolate provides about 3.3 mg iron, or 18 percent of the daily value for this essential mineral for preventing iron-deficiency anemia.  Dark chocolate supports a healthy blood pressure because it provides 200 mg potassium and only 6 mg sodium per ounce, and it provides 64 mg magnesium, or 15 percent of the daily value, for this essential nutrient for a normal blood pressure.

So the next time you're tempted to have a love affair with dark chocolate, don't feel guilty about your submission to it's powerful seduction and resulting health benefits.




Eat right, have a healthy lifestyle, exercise, and drink or eat chocolate to utilize this superfood to feel better and improve the quality of your life!

It's never too late to start changing bad habits, habits that can shave years off your life and impact the quality of your life.   So, if you want the straight dope on fueling your body with nutritious food and what to avoid, I'm here to help and it won't cost you a penny for the free advice based on my own experience and what has worked for me.  I hope you'll follow my blog and provide me with some feedback on my posts.  I'll be catering good choices that include both dietary and lifestyle changes.  So if you could use a boost to your engine, buckle up for the ride of your life and let's get started!

Note:

TOP ANTIOXIDANT FOODS ORAC* Units Per 100 Grams
Dark Chocolate	13,120
Milk Chocolate	6,740
Prunes	5,770
Raisins	2,830
Blueberries	2,400
Blackberries	2,036
Kale	1,770
Strawberries	1,540
Spinach	1,260
Raspberries	1,220
Brussel Sprouts	980
Plums	949
Alfalfa Sprouts	980
Broccoli Florets	890
Oranges	750
Grapes, Red	739
Red Bell Pepper	710
Cherries	670
Onion	450
Corn	400
Eggplant	390
*ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) is a measure of the ability of food to subdue harmful oxygen free radicals that can damage our bodies.