Thursday 7 February 2013

Chocolate Health Benefits for Women


Besides satisfying your sweet tooth and tasting delicious, chocolate has some surprising health benefits. This really is mainly thanks to the cacao bean, a chief ingredient in chocolate, containing over 400 chemicals, a few of which are good for you.

Chocolate has gotten lots of media coverage in recent years since it is believed that it may help protect your heart. The reasoning being that the cocoa bean is full of a class of plant nutrients called flavonoids. If you’re looking to have an excuse to indulge on a single of the world’s most popular treats take a look no further - here are a few health benefits of chocolate.

Heart Health

Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of women. With all this fact, it is important to find foods that can help keep a woman's heart as healthy as you possibly can. Eating moderate amounts of chocolate can decrease your risk of heart failure, specifically if you are an older woman..

Blood Vessel Relaxation Effects

Cocoa flavanols helps the body to produce nitric oxide, found in the inner lining of blood vessels that can help normalize blood flow through the arteries and relaxes blood vessels.

Flavanoids

Flavonoids are present in lots of healthy foods, but dark chocolate has a lot more than most. Research indicates flavonoids can help lower blood pressure and levels of cholesterol, improve blood flow to the brain and heart minimizing your risk for a blood clot. Get more tips on women's health visit here.

Selection

Processing to get rid of cocoa's naturally strong taste also reduces the quantity of flavanoids. While most commercial chocolates are packaged, dark chocolate is less so. The best choice is to pick dark chocolate over milk chocolate. It's also smart to read labels and steer clear of cocoa powder that has undergone "Dutch" processing, a procedure that treats cocoa with alkali to neutralize acidity.

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