We made it through the holidays. The fruit cake is stale and trash-worthy, and the last remaining Valentine’s chocolates are quickly dwindling. For those of you who have fought through this tempting time and remained vigilant in your workouts, I salute you. However, for those of us with an intense sweet tooth or two, the end to the holidays can be bitter-sweet. But bitter-sweet it just the solution that I want to celebrate. Chocolate! Dark chocolate, that is, is good for you! Yes, I said it. Just as we can bask in the glory of that healthful daily glass of red wine, we can and should enjoy the sweet “fruits” of dark cacao’s health benefits.
You may have a friend or few who have opened their eyes to the good-fat reality, and in my humble sugar-loving opinion, dark chocolate is the champion of this movement. This satisfying desert is packed with more antioxidants than Oprah’s Acai berries. When mixed with hot water, it’s been seen to lower oxidized LDL while increasing HDL. Studies have linked cacao to lower blood pressure readings. Chocolate also raises your minimal erythematic dose! Do you know what that means? Your MED relates to your resistance to UV rays. So make sure to keep a semi-sweet or dark chocolate bar in your day pack for your summer hikes.
I’m not an expert on this chocolate uprising, but I sure am a fan of those who are…and I know there are other fans here at DrDeborahMD. For more information, check out Marks Daily Apple.
