Dark chocolate is the chocolate that was found to have positive effects on blood pressure. Participants, either given dark, milk, or white chocolate every day were evaluated in different studies. It turns out that dark chocolate contains important antioxidants called phenols. These natural compounds from the cocoa bean are known to increase nitric oxide, reduce platelet aggregation, and inhibit oxidation of LDL cholesterol. Cocoa can decrease blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, and increase your insulin sensitivity. Milk and white chocolate are low in these antioxidants and do not have the same effect.
The problem is how chocolate is processed in this country. White chocolate, regardless of where you get it, actually contains no cocoa at all and is made only from cocoa butter; just the fat from the cocoa beans. It also contains no phenols. Most of the other chocolate we eat is made with “dutched” cocoa. The cocoa beans are treated with an alkaline solution to make them dark in color and reduce the natural bitterness from the plant. But it also reduces almost 90% of the phenols and most of its healthy benefits. The other problem is that when made into milk chocolate, the milk seems to prevent the phenols from being absorbed and, thus, negating any possible benefit from the chocolate.
The best chocolate for your health appears to be dark chocolate. In the European studies done, participants ate 100gm of chocolate a day (100 grams equals approx. 3.5 ounces). This is the equivalent to 2 1/2 regular size Hershey’s bars. It also added about 550 calories to their diet. They were instructed to substitute this amount of calories from other foods they normally ate each day. You would have to do the same or forego its healthy benefits by increasing your waistline. European chocolate in general is healthier than that found in America due to the fact that it is less processed than ours and contains more of the heart healthy antioxidants. Dark chocolate is an acquired taste for most Americans since it is much more bitter than its milky counterpart.
So why is this research being touted as the ‘best medical news in ages’? It appears to be one more way we look to justify the unhealthy diets we follow. When people hear that chocolate is now healthy, they don’t hear any of the other restrictions involved, and don’t want to. In fact, most people wouldn’t want to change to a more bitter tasting chocolate and also cut out over 500 calories from their diets as they did in the studies. Our diets already have enough sweets and this type of news only fuels the diabetic and obesity epidemics. This kind of medical news will only make most people add extra calories to their diets and increase their health problems.
These studies do look promising but there still is no information on how long these benefits last, how many phenols need to be eaten or how often. Stick with the darkest chocolate, if you must, and balance out your calories. Until we have more information, chocolate should remain a treat and not a treatment.
Have you ever heard about Turmeric Powder? What is this? Do you know an unbelievable spice which has for decades been very prevalent in the country of India. The product is universally known as turmeric powder and is made from a process of drying the Curcuma Longa plant’s rhizomes. This plant is a remote relative of the well celebrated ginger spice of which everyone is familiar. Although this seasoning for many years now has been a staple for Indian cuisine it is suddenly gaining in reputation within the continental United States. To anyone who may be familiar with curry dishes this is the flavoring which imparts the food with the distinctive yellow color. In addition to its distinguished flavor which it enhances in the cooking it also expounds some very remarkable health properties as well.
Turmeric powder is a natural antibacterial agent which when smeared upon dressings or bandages it avert infection from occurring. In India they generally make this as a paste for use in this respect. Of recent note it appears that this incredible embellishment now has certain traits that make it a latent combatant towards fighting the dreaded Alzheimer’s disease. During recent investigations that were conducted by the UCLA research team they distinguished a discernible decrease amongst the number of Alzheimer’s patients in the country of India. It was determined that conceivably the prevalent use of turmeric may have been the rationale behind this phenomenon. As opposed to western civilization the Indian populace tends to consume a significant number of meals with turmeric powder as an active ingredient. The particular compound found in the turmeric powder which may have been causing all this apprehension is an ingredient known as curcumin. This compound of the spice has been demonstrating exceptionally good promise towards reducing the amount of brain damage which ultimately results from Alzheimer’s disease.
Upon doing supplementary research into the positive applications associated with turmeric powder I discovered that it is used somewhat frequently in assorted food coloring tasks. These colored foods range from tinting cheese to shading breakfast cereals. Turmeric powder is a natural food coloring which is safer for use then the customary dyes used in the industry today.
Surprisingly, bathing is another interesting use that the powder has been put to by the Indian women. They habitually soak in tubs of warm water from which turmeric has been mixed. It is alleged that the turmeric’s antibacterial properties tend to prevent infections. Additionally, it is assumed that turmeric will impart a radiant and healthy glow to the skin after continual use of this spice in ones bath water.
There are at present a vast number of both institutional and private studies being conducted at this time which have turmeric as the core of research. It is principally turmeric’s antioxidant and its antitumor characteristics which are under analysis by the researchers. It is anticipate that in the near future the spice could be influential in the triumphant management of pancreatic cancer as well as various liver related diseases.
