{"id":21222,"date":"2019-01-01T10:50:56","date_gmt":"2018-12-31T23:50:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/?p=21222"},"modified":"2019-01-01T10:50:59","modified_gmt":"2018-12-31T23:50:59","slug":"health-benefits-of-chocolate-even-for-diabetics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/?p=21222","title":{"rendered":"Health Benefits of Chocolate – Even For Diabetics!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Chocolate<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This is a newsletter from Dr Al Sears wherein he differentiates between the considerable health benefits of low or no sugar dark cocolate and the (what I find addictive) commercial sweet chocolate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tom,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your house is anything like mine after the holidays, you probably have lots of leftover sweets and candies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is also the time of year when you see lots of articles hyping chocolate\u2019s health benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I saw one recently that said eating 3.5 ounces of chocolate a day \u2014 that\u2019s a large Dove bar, two bags of M&M\u2019s or 22 Hershey\u2019s Kisses \u2014 is linked with a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.1<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But here\u2019s what they\u2019re not telling you\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those studies were paid for by the chocolate industry. In fact Mars, the company that makes Dove and M&M\u2019s, paid for 100 separate studies on chocolate\u2019s health benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not surprisingly, 98 of those studies showed a positive result. It reminds me of the old saying, \u201cif it seems too good to be true, it probably is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And unfortunately, those commercial chocolate candies you find on your supermarket shelves \u2014 with their added sugar, fat and calories \u2014 aren\u2019t a healthy choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there is an ingredient in dark chocolate that I consider to be a superfood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nutrients in cocoa \u2014 the bean that dark chocolate is made from \u2014 are high in antioxidants called flavonoids. Flavonoids are the natural antioxidants in fruits, vegetables, tea and wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, cocoa contains up to four times the flavonoids found in tea.2 These flavonoids can reduce your risk of a host of serious illnesses, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heart disease\nStroke\nHypertension\nInflammation\nDementia\nCancer\nDepression<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
And now you can add another benefit to the list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The cocoa in dark chocolate reduces your risk of diabetes. Let me explain\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cocoa contains another kind of antioxidant called polyphenols. These naturally-occurring compounds can improve insulin resistance and help your body use insulin more efficiently. This in turn helps balance blood sugar levels.3<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A large study of more than 900 people found that those who eat dark chocolate at least once a week had a lower prevalence of diabetes and were at lower risk for diabetes four to five years later.4<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A separate study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that cocoa significantly improves blood flow in people suffering from type 2 diabetes.5<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Poor blood circulation is one of the most serious health hazards a diabetic faces. If left untreated, circulation can get so bad that it can lead to amputations \u2014 and even a heart attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the study, researchers divided diabetics into two groups. The first ate about 1,000 mg of cocoa three times a day for four weeks. A second group consumed about 25 mg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By the end of the month, the higher-cocoa group\u2019s circulation improved from \u201cseverely impaired\u201d to normal. The low-cocoa group\u2019s circulation remained unchanged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cocoa\u2019s power to improve blood flow lies in its ability to kick production of nitric oxide (NO) into high gear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NO causes the linings of your blood vessels to relax and open up, improving circulation, lowering blood pressue, and helping your body to deliver oxygen and other nutrients in the blood more efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you\u2019re looking for a good source of chocolate, here are a few tips to keep in mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Check the percentage of cocoa. Candy companies are aware that dark chocolate provides health benefits. And some mislead you by calling their product \u201cdark.\u201d In fact, some brands of \u201cdark chocolate\u201d contain as little as 30% cocoa. To get the antioxidant health benefits, choose a bar that contains 75% cocoa or more.\n\nBeware of extra ingredients. Avoid bars with added ingredients like caramel, liquor, toffee and fruit-flavored fillings. All that additional sugar will spike blood sugar levels.\n\nLook at the label. It\u2019s important to check the label to see how much sugar was added to your chocolate. You want to keep it as low as possible. But avoid bars that are labeled sugar-free. They typically contain dangerous artificial sweeteners or other chemical additives.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
My favorite way to enjoy chocolate is the same way the early natives of the Americas did. The Aztecs in Mexico, the Mayans in Guatemala and the Incas in Peru all cultivated cocoa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They fermented and roasted the beans to make a powerful chocolate drink. They called it the \u201cDrink of the Gods,\u201d because of its many health benefits. It was served as a bitter, frothy liquid, and often mixed with spices and wine. It was also recommended as an aphrodisiac and strength-giver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/www.healthelicious.com.au\/ChocolateAndMacadamiaRockyRoadSlice.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This is a newsletter from Dr Al Sears wherein he differentiates between the considerable health benefits of low or no sugar dark cocolate and the (what I find addictive) commercial sweet chocolate. Tom, If your house is anything like mine after the holidays, you probably have lots of leftover sweets and candies. This is also … <\/p>\n
Continue reading “Health Benefits of Chocolate – Even For Diabetics!”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general-interest","category-health-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21222"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21222\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21224,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21222\/revisions\/21224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}