{"id":8010,"date":"2020-02-03T15:24:24","date_gmt":"2020-02-03T20:24:24","guid":{"rendered":"\/blog\/?p=8010"},"modified":"2020-05-04T13:22:46","modified_gmt":"2020-05-04T17:22:46","slug":"chocolate-totally-loves-your-back-heres-why-heart-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=8010","title":{"rendered":"Chocolate For Your Heart Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever <\/span><\/span>wondered if\u00a0<\/span><\/span>your love affair with chocolate is a one-sided relationship,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0don\u2019t worry.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>T<\/span><\/span>he latest\u00a0<\/span><\/span>nutritional\u00a0<\/span><\/span>research has some\u00a0<\/span><\/span>very\u00a0<\/span><\/span>good news. Because February is “Heart Month” as well as the month for Valentines Day, we will give you all the reasons why this delicious food is so good for you!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For Improved\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Heart Health<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"cocoa<\/p>\n

It may be surprising to hear that h<\/span>igh cocoa chocolate is heart healthy because of its saturated fat content.\u00a0<\/span>But it\u00a0<\/span>turns<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>out<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>that,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>like<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>many<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>evil<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>villains,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>they\u2019re<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>just<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>mis<\/span>understood<\/span>. One-third of the cocoa-derived fats\u00a0<\/span>are composed\u00a0<\/span>stearic\u00a0<\/span>acid<\/span>, which\u00a0<\/span>doesn\u2019t<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>raise<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>your<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>bad<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>cholesterol<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>at<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>all.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Moreover,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>your<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>liver<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>converts<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>it<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>into<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>heart-healthy\u00a0<\/span>oleic<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>acid.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Another<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>one-third<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>are<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>healthy monounsaturated<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>fats<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But whatever the current theory\u00a0<\/span>d\u2019jour<\/span> of health may be, it is still true that t<\/span>he consumption of\u00a0<\/span>cocoa\u00a0<\/span>fats<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>can<\/span> in fact<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>raise<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>your<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>good<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>cholesterol<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>(HDL)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>lower your<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>bad<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>cholesterol<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>(LDL).<\/span>\u00a0Even better, the antioxidants in cocoa also help fight the chronic vascular inflammation that can lead to\u00a0<\/span>atherosclerosis<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>All this may be why researchers at Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital found that people who ate more high cocoa chocolate actually did have <\/span>fewer incidents<\/span><\/a>\u00a0of heart disease.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just isolated research\u00a0<\/span>reports\u00a0<\/span>either.\u00a0<\/span>This<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>meta-analysis of\u00a0<\/span>114,009\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Heart<\/p>\n

participants<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>showed that the\u00a0<\/span>highest levels of high-cocoa chocolate consumption were associated with a 37% reduction in cardiovascular disease<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>and a 29% reduction in stroke compared with the lowest levels.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This <\/span>Australian\u00a0<\/span>study<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>argue<\/span>s<\/span> that eating 100 grams of dark chocolate per day is more cost effective than traditional medication and could <\/span>save\u00a0<\/span>people<\/span>\u2019s lives<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>How popular would doctors be if\u00a0<\/span>t<\/span>hey prescribed dark chocolate?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Caveat<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"DarkAnd you’re like, sure but what’s the catch? The catch is that the healthy nature of chocolate comes from its cocoa.\u00a0 That’s why darker chocolate is better. Think about using your chocolate as a vehicle for the cocoa.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If you need a rule, strive for chocolates that have 70% cocoa or more. That way you get more of the heart healthy stuff with less of the sugars — a double bonus!<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever wondered if\u00a0your love affair with chocolate is a one-sided relationship,\u00a0don\u2019t worry.\u00a0The latest\u00a0nutritional\u00a0research has some\u00a0very\u00a0good news. Because February is “Heart Month” as well as the month for Valentines … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8011,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[494,529],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-cocoa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Heartshape-in-Cocoa2.jpg?fit=1998%2C1500&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Qv5g-25c","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1891,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=1891","url_meta":{"origin":8010,"position":0},"title":"AskWill: This Valentines Day learn the difference between chocolate and “chocolate”","author":"Will Clower","date":"February 11, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Dear Will,\u00a0With Valentine\u2019s Day coming up I\u2019m a bit confused. Normally I\u2019d just get chocolates for my wife, knowing that they\u2019re a decadent, not-so-good-for-you treat.\u00a0But lately I\u2019ve heard that there\u2019s good chocolate and bad chocolate. \u00a0Now I feel like I could actually making wrong choice!Dear Confused, As the bearer of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.willclower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/valentines-day-chocolates2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2616,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2616","url_meta":{"origin":8010,"position":1},"title":"Chocolate Eating Lessons","author":"Will Clower","date":"February 5, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Eat the dark chocolate:As popular as milk chocolate is, it\u2019s the dark chocolate that\u2019s healthful.What gives chocolate its trove of amazing health properties is the cocoa itself. And, if you had to guess ... how many GRAINS of cocoa do you suppose there to be in standard chocolate confections, Kit\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1950,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=1950","url_meta":{"origin":8010,"position":2},"title":"Chocolate and “fat bloom” … it’s not what you think","author":"Will Clower","date":"April 15, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"When you hear these two things together -- \"chocolate\" and \"fat bloom\" -- you're thinking ... oh I see, I eat chocolate and then my fat blooms.Actually, fat bloom is like sugar bloom in your chocolate. All it means is that either the fat or the sugar\u00a0crystallizes together and forms\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.willclower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/ChocolateStrawberry.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1874,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=1874","url_meta":{"origin":8010,"position":3},"title":"Chocolate Countdown, Number 1 Reason To Eat Chocolate That You Never Saw Coming","author":"Will Clower","date":"June 26, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Weight loss. Yes you do have to eat the right kind of chocolate, and no you can't over-consume it with a plunger.\u00a0But if you can manage those two issues (quantity and quality) then this is definitely the number 1 reason to eat chocolate, that you never saw coming!Follow @willclowerIf done\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.willclower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/EatChocolateLoseWeight-180.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2213,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2213","url_meta":{"origin":8010,"position":4},"title":"Chocolate Is a Health Food For Your Brain. 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