When I Need a Fix....

....I Take a Choco Hit....

Those of you who've been checking in on my blog know that when it comes to vices, well, I'm a bit of a bore. No drugs, no alcohol, no tobacco, no fast food, I don't even drink coffee. But there's one caffeinated product I'll never give up. Yup. It's chocolate. I come from a long line of people obsessed with the comforts of this semi-sweet precious commodity and I'm no exception. Though, as I age, and as I learn more about my health, I've been getting deeper and deeper into darker and darker chocolate. What I'm saying is I'm hitting the hard stuff. It began with the gateway darkness of 60-65%, a typical semi-sweet, a standard chocolate chip, but soon moved to the 70-73% range. Within the last few months however, I've really been starting in on the 85-88% blends. I like Green & Blacks "dark 85%", Equal Exchange's Organic Panama Extra Dark 80%, Endangered Species "dark 88%", and Alter-Eco's "Dark Blackout 85%" the best. I find the fair trade organic chocolates to be extremely rich and smooth and super intensely chocolatey. The ES bar is all natural rather than organic but is verified by the Non-GMO project. 

So let's get down to why (other than obsessive addiction) you won't be catching me without my chocolate. 

1. Yeah the anti-oxidants, we've all heard this one by now. I'll loosely re-cap. Good for the heart, anti-aging, lowers inflammation, inhibits certain types of cancer cells, improves memory, helps ward off Alzheimer's and Parkinsons. Let's move onto the endocrine system... (my problem area)

2.  Eating quality dark chocolate actually increases insulin production. So if you have problems with insulin sensitivity, resistance, pre, or full on diabetes, extra dark chocolate can help to alleviate blood sugar issues by increasing insulin and leptin. This leaves you feeling more satiated, and less lethargic and craving less sugar. Dr. Davide Grassi 2008 *Note this is ONLY for super dark chocolate that extra sugar has not been added to. Dark chocolate cake, or hot fudge, or that triple chocolate muffin you've been eyeing will NOT help blood sugar levels....

3. Long term intake of super dark chocolate can increase your body's ability to produce dopamine and serotonin (happy hormones) British Journal of Nutrition 2008 and decrease your body's cortisol production (stress hormone/fat storage hormone.) Journal of Proteome Research 2009

4. It contains oleic acid which can help lower LDL. The Cleveland Clinic

It should be mentioned that while it does contain caffeine, in general dark chocolate bars are savored rather than wolfed down in one sitting. This means that per serving the caffeine intake is greatly reduced from coffee. 

So I guess what I'm saying here is don't fight that feeling. Just let it happen....But remember that these health effects really only start kicking in around 70% and that the levels of sugar and fats in milk chocolate and white chocolate tend to outweigh the health benefits. Also beware check out line candy bars, like Milky Way Dark, or Mounds. Yes, it's dark chocolate, it's also filled with sugar, (generally from GMO corn and beets.) And oils (generally from GMO soy.) So ya know, avoid this choice for daily consumption and save it for a once in a while treat...

BKBTY