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February 10, 2012
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Nutrition Article
CHOCOLATE-NUTRITIONALLY GOOD AND BAD
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In NUTRITION, baby boomers receive healthy eating tips from health reporters and dietitians, many of whom are boomers, too.  Judy Swancutt Registered Dietitian |
 Chocolate "The Food Of the gods" |
(50PlusPrime) SOUTHFIELD, MICHIGAN --
Chocolate, once called food of the gods, has a history of medicinal uses but has also been accused of contributing to maladies from acne to migraines and obesity. The word chocolate actually means “bitter drink” and Cortez brought this drink back to Spain from the New World in the 1500’s. Sugar and Cinnamon were added and its popularity exploded.People crave chocolate even though there doesn’t seem to be a scientific rationale for these phenomena. One of the latest is that the cacao beans, the natural source of all chocolate, is proving to be a powerful antioxidant, comparable to fruits and vegetables. Chocolate may never be used as a “health food”, but then again it may not be all that bad either and it definitely is not a neutral food.
The calories in both milk chocolate and dark chocolate are almost equally from carbohydrate and fat with protein contributing a very small amount. The fat in cocoa butter is oleic acid, a monosaturated fat, and palmitic and stearic acids which are both saturated fat. However, stearic acid does not act like a saturated fat. It does not raise Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL), the bad cholesterol, although research has shown that in women it does slightly decrease the High Density Lipoproteins (HDL), the good cholesterol. Part of the charm of chocolate is that cocoa butter is a solid at room temperature but melts at body temperature.
In a chocolate bar containing approximately 226 calories there is an appreciable amount of magnesium, iron and copper. Milk chocolate also contains about 7% of the RDA for calcium. Other components in chocolate include:
- Polyphenals in chocolate are comparable to the amounts found in fruits and vegetable. These are strong antioxidants and there are efforts being made to develop a method of processing the cocoa bean that better preserves these antioxidants. The fact that chocolate does not spoil and can be left unrefrigerated for a long time attests to the high antioxidant content.
- Theobromine, a stimulant related to caffeine, provides a mild diuretic effect on the kidney, increases pulse rate and may dilate the blood vessels. Theobromine is toxic to animals.
- Caffeine is a stimulant. Chocolate contains about 20 mg per ounce.
- Phenylethylamine, anandamide and typtophane are suspected to trigger mood-enhancing chemicals in the brain. This may explain some of the cravings for chocolate as well as reports of people feel better after eating chocolate.
Quality chocolate contains pure cocoa butter with no added fat and has less sugar than poorer grade chocolates. People tend to overeat chocolate deserts and candies that contain processed sugars, flours and an abundance of saturated fat in addition to the chocolate. One piece of high quality chocolate will not contribute to obesity but a cup plus of a chocolate flavored desert could. Other negatives associated with chocolate include: migraines, fibrocystic disease, heartburn, and kidney stones
Chocolate is not a health food but the reason people feel guilty when they eat chocolate may not be the chocolate as much as the excess. Eat in moderation and thrive.
