Younger Next Week: Your Ultimate Rx to Reverse the Clock, Boost Energy and Look and Feel Younger in 7 Days by Elisa Zied

Author:Elisa Zied
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-10-11T16:00:00+00:00

Top Herbs and Spices for Health

*Discard the bay leaves, which have sharp edges and an unpleasant texture and pose a choking hazard, before you serve the dish.

Source: Adapted with permission from The Plant-Powered Diet (The Experiment, 2012) by Sharon Palmer, RD.

CHOCOLATE

Here’s the skinny—chocolate is a sweet treat made from cacao beans, the fruit of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. First, the cacao beans are fermented, dried, roasted and ground into cocoa liquor. The cocoa liquor is then separated into cocoa butter (a solid fat) and cocoa powder. These are combined with ingredients such as chocolate liquor (made by grinding the center of the cacao bean), sugar, milk or cream, and flavors to produce what some, including me, refer to as “the food of the gods.”

Besides being a delicious addition to any diet, chocolate has come out of the dark in recent years, both literally and figuratively, owing to its potential to help our hearts stay healthy. Chocolate is rich in antioxidants. In fact, it’s one of the most concentrated sources of polyphenol antioxidants called flavonoids. The 2006 and 2010 studies about antioxidant-rich herbs and spices described earlier (see page 127) showed chocolate to be a queen for its antioxidant properties. The 2006 study found unsweetened baking chocolate, dark chocolate and milk chocolate candy to be among the top fifty foods (out of 1,113) with the highest antioxidant content. The 2010 study also found chocolate to be rich in antioxidants. In both studies, the researchers found the average antioxidant content to be higher when the cocoa content was higher and the chocolate was less processed. Too much processing, for example, to make milk chocolate, destroys many beneficial antioxidant compounds. An article in Alternative Therapies in 2001 reported that after processing, milk chocolate is between 7 and 35 percent cacao, and dark chocolate is between 30 and 80 percent cacao. Dark chocolate also, typically, has roughly twice the antioxidants as milk chocolate. And sorry you milk chocolate fans, but studies also suggest that milk proteins found in milk chocolate inhibit flavonoid absorption.

Here’s the bad news. Although the nutrient composition of chocolate varies depending on the kind you buy, most chocolate packs a high dose of calories, mainly from sugar and fat, especially saturated fat. Fortunately, about half the saturated fat found in chocolate is stearic acid, a kind of fat that has neutral effects on blood cholesterol levels. And the good news is chocolate contains some healthy fats, especially monounsaturated fatty acids, and key nutrients, including copper and phosphorus (see Vital Nutrients: Milk Chocolate vs. Dark Chocolate). And for those of you who claim to get a chocolate high, chocolate also contains several stimulants, including caffeine and anandamide, a substance associated with a mild sense of euphoria.

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