Good News About Sweets

 Chocolate is a favorite sweet treat that also has heal

th benefits. It contains flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, which can cause damage that leads to heart disease.


Sweets and fats can contribute to optimum health due to the health promoting phytochemicals they may contain – many of which are still being identified.

Satisfying your sweet tooth may also help protect you against cardiovascular disease. Chocolate is rich in antioxidants called flavonoids, most notably epicatechin, catechin and procyanidins.

Cocoa, and its special mix of antioxidant flavonoids, has been widely studied for its heart protective effects. Several studies have found that consuming cocoa products reduces platelet aggregation in arteries, which is a step in the formation of plaque that can clog arteries.

The flavonoids in cocoa also exhibit anti-inflammatory properties and may help to lower blood pressure. Epicatechin and catechin in cocoa are antioxidants that can remove damaging free radicals in the body and protect the body’s own antioxidant defenses

High intakes of foods rich in flavonoids, such as cocoa, are associated with reduced risk of death caused by heart disease.

Types of Chocolate
Chocolate varieties are classified based on the amount of cocoa solids they contain (which includes cocoa and cocoa butter). Cocoa butter is the vegetable fat portion that is extracted from the center of the cacao bean.

White chocolate is technically not chocolate because it contains a very low level of cocoa solids. White chocolate is made from a mixture of cocoa butter, sugar, milk and vanilla.

Milk chocolate is sweet and normally contains 10-20% cocoa solids and more than 12% milk solids. It is rarely used for baking.

Dark chocolate has a higher content of cocoa solids than milk chocolate, ranging from 35-80%. Dark chocolate with a higher content of cocoa solids will have less sugar and taste more bitter.

Unsweetened chocolate is almost 100% cocoa solids and is only used for baking.

Moderation is Key.
While chocolate contains ingredients beneficial to health, it does not mean you should overeat chocolate. Chocolate bars and candies are often high in fat, sugar and calories. Moderation is always the key and dark chocolate conveys

It is important to enjoy chocolate in moderation. Chocolate still has fat and sugar, and eating too much can cause weight gain. There is not enough evidence to make a general recommendation as to how much chocolate an individual should consume, but it is important to not eat chocolate in excess.

Enjoy the health benefits by making chocolate recipes.