There are many health benefits of chocolate that you all may now have been made aware of  - but it all depends on the TYPE of chocolate, and that is where the confusion lies.

To start with, did you know that chocolate and cacao are not the same?   The commercial chocolate that we all love has very little, if any, health benefits.   The processing and adding of milk and sugar to the cacao plant completely destroys the 'antioxidant' (anti-aging) properties that are found in RAW CACAO.  Raw cacao is therefore the best choice for the health benefits we going to describe here. 

But first what about the negatives?  Chocolate has been linked to weaker bones and an increase risk of osteoporosis.  However  if you read further into the study on 1,000 women in 2008, you will notice that there was no distinction between which type of chocolate was consumed.   We do know that although chocolate contains flavonol and calcium, both of which are linked to positive affects on bone density, chocolate also contains oxalates which are inhibitors of calcium absorption.  Also chocolate usually contains SUGAR which is linked to calcium excretion. To make matters worse, commercial chocolate have often had the healthy 'flavanoids' removed. So you can see that by eating milk chocolate, with added sugar, you are increasing potential calcium loss and gaining none of the health benefits.  So if you are eating processed chocolate, you might as well be eating lollies as the manufacturing processes destroy all the benefits.

Again, comments made by the Heart Foundation, that chocolate (and red wine!)  does not have any cardiovascular health benefits is misleading.  Of course we would not want to encourage large consumption of processed chocolate (or red wine come to that), but moderate consumption of RAW Cacao ( the 'chocolate' plant), has been studied and shown to have the following health benefits. 

So as long as your MODERATE chocolate consumption is in the form of raw, dark chocolate with no added sugar or better still, a raw cocoa powder and consumed as a drink ( without sugar), then you will gain a number of health benefits listed below.

Why is Dark Chocolate healthy?

Dark chocolate is made from a plant.  It is in fact from raw Cocoa (Cacao) and derived from the seed of  Theobroma cacao - meaning 'Food of the Gods'.   Cacao contains a number of compounds including: Magnesium, calcium, protein, fat, carbohydrates, fibre, iron zinc and copper.  

The following benefits have been confirmed from consumption of RAW DARK CHOCOLATE only:

• Cocoa (raw) contains Polyphenols/Flavanols and has been shown, through the production of nitric oxide,  to lower blood pressure in a study of mild hypertensive subjects.  J Hum Hypertension Jan 21.  This was again confirmed in a more recent study in 2010.(Brit J Nutr 103:10;1480-4)
• Other cardiovascular benefits studied include lowering of LDL cholesterol ( the baddy) by up to 10%
• Cocoa powder may also aid in weight loss.  Thats good news!  How?  It apparently does this by improving lipid (fat) metabolism.  In addition it appears to also enhance 'thermogenesis',  the rate at which you burn energy. 
• The methylxanthines found in cocoa also have a 'serotonergic' effect.  In short this means that It improves your mood.  But of course we already know that one. Apparently chocolate affects the brain causing the release of neurotransmitters which can trigger emotions, one of which is euphoria. Again this affect has been the centre of a recent study.  So it tastes good and feels good.  No wonder we crave the stuff!
• Cocoa is a very powerful antioxidant (but milk deactivates this property, and so does sugar!.).  This means that it has the property to protect the body from aging caused by free radicals that can lead to cell damage including heart disease.  Dark chocolate in fact contains a large number of powerful antioxidants.

However on the negative side:

• Cacao does contain threobromine - this affects our nervous system and dilates blood vessels.  So it might create headaches.  But this substance in fact only has about 1/4 of the stimulating affect of caffeine. It might also cause some people to feel 'high'  and then a sudden 'low', just like caffeine.  Whether there is any actual caffeine in chocolate is debatable, but it is believed that theobromine is responsible for its caffeine-like effects. However, on its positive side, Theobrominine is also a mild diuretic (increases urination) and as such, has been used as a drug to treat heart attacks resultant from excessive accumulation of body fluid. 

So, should we include chocolate in our diet?

We at GutMatters feel that a small amount of very dark, or pure cacao powder a few times a week is beneficial.  But bear in mind that consuming high flavanol fruits such as the berries, apples, grapes and most vegetables would also give you the same benefits.

Remember though these pointers:

•  Restrict to dark, organic chocolate only - at least 85% - and avoid any chocolate containing sugar or milk.
• Consume it in moderation only - about 4 squares is sufficient or 40 gms of powder - not the whole bar.
• Avoid including milk and sugar in any chocolate indulgence or you will gain no health benefits.
• Replacing your morning coffee with a raw cacao drink would be a far healthier alternative.  Try this with some organic coconut milk and stevia and cinnamon to sweeten.
• Make your own!  using coconut and a healthy sweetener - see our recipe on the GutMatters 'health information'  pages to find out how to make our beautiful version of healthy dark chocolate!

Enjoy your chocolate without guilt  - remember moderation in all things is the key! 

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