Chocolate - Is It Really Healthy?

Are you are a chocaholic? If so, I have some good news...........
but unfortunately more bad news.

Have you been sucked in re; all the publicity in recent times
regarding chocolate (more so dark chocolate) being 'good for you'.

I even heard a story of someone being prescribed eating
chocolate for breakfast to treat their bowel cancer.
I'm sorry, but 'Give me a break'. What next, Big Macs to prevent
heart disease...a bottle of Scotch every day, to rejuvenate your liver?

I know everyone is really excited about the prospect of
eating chocolate...for 'health reasons', and that you are
going to be really peeved with me for spoiling the party,
but seriously, the whole issue does need a bit of perspective.

So let's try and get some.

If you haven't heard the spin yet, it goes like this.

Chocolate increases mood-enhancing 'endorphins'.

Chocolate is high in 'disease fighting anti-oxidants'.

Chocolate is high in 'health(heart)-protecting' flavanoids:

* Flavonoids are naturally-occurring compounds found in
plant-based foods recognized as exuding certain health benefits
(relaxing blood vessels, reducing platelet activation etc).
They are higher in 'dark' chocolate.

Therefore (as the fad goes), eating regular amounts
(some experts at least say 'small amounts') of dark chocolate
can actually be good for you.

Okay, so let's see if we can have a look at things in a bit more
of a 'holistic' way - looking at ALL the effects of chocolate.

To start, yes, 'dark' chocolate is quite high in flavanoids & 'anti-oxidants'
(which can help protect against heart-disease, stroke etc),
but that alone doesn't make something healthy.

Vodka & Orange is high in 'anti-oxidant vitamin C',
but that doesn't make drinking it 'healthy'.
A double cheeseburger is probably reasonably high in calcium,
but that doesn't make it 'healthy'.
Iron nails are high in 'iron', so should we all eat a handful of
nails for breakfast?

Obviously we have to weigh up the 'overall' effect of any food.
Most importantly (from the perspective of Maharishi Ayurveda),
we have to also consider 'how that food is digested'.
As we know, if you don't digest something, it doesn't matter how
good it is in principle, it will lead to problems.

So if a food has a few good qualities, but a lot of 'not so good'
qualities, the overall effect is hardly healthy.
*Unless of course, you're a chocaholic and are looking for any
positive spin to rationalise you eating lots of chocolate!!!

Are the researchers and advocates of these
new findings chocaholics themselves by any chance??? Hmmm.

Anyway, What Aren't We Hearing So Much About?:

1. Processing Reduces Flavanoids:

The more chocolate (cocoa) is processed, the more flavonoids are lost.
Experts state that on average, 75% of flavanoids are lost in commercial
chocolate processing anyway.

* Dark chocolate does contain the highest levels.
Regular milk chocolate doesn't have much & white chocolate has none.

2. Chocolate is High in Sugars & Saturated Fats:

Not much needs to be said here. Why does chocolate taste so good?
It's definitely not the flavanoids (which are naturally pungent).
It's because it's loaded up with sugar & fats. Not exactly the staple
of a 'healthy heart' diet.

3. Chocolate Has Next to No Nutritional Value:

Fundamentally, the purpose of food is to give energy & supply nutrients to
build healthy tissues. Chocolate does very little in this respect.

4. Mood Enhancement, Yes... but 'Short-Term':

Yes, chocolate can improve your mood (this is suggested through increasing endorphins).
Cocaine and ecstacy can give you a lift too...for a little while!!! (so I'm told!).

Similarly, the initial 'high' of chocolate is usually followed by a
corresponding low (sugar low, feeling heavy etc).

The 'Natural' Health View:

From the standpoint of natural health science (Maharishi Ayurveda),
there is one other major factor commonly overlooked with chocolate.

We get so caught up being 'quantitative' (looking at foods nutrient composition), we forget to take into account a foods 'inherent quality' - principally, whether it is easy or difficult to digest (i.e. process internally).

Remember, whatever food you eat, you have to digest it first to get
any nutrition/benefits.

Chocolate is fundamentally HEAVY & STICKY in quality.
Being heavy, fatty and sticky, chocolate is extremely difficult to digest. Worse, it coats the lining of your stomach. This coating blocks the natural enzymatic secretions from your stomach wall, not only making the digestion of the chocolate more difficult, but also obstructing the proper digestion of any other food (even good healthy food), you put in your mouth a short time later.

Summary: Weighing it All Up:

Okay, there is some good news. Chocolate does have some 'good qualities' - nearly everything does if you look hard enough! So if you are addicted and
eat it regularly, you don't need to feel as guilty as you might have in the past!

And remember too, the enjoyment of something can be healthy. So if you genuinely enjoy chocolate...it's your 'pleasure' fix, then fine, a bit of chocolate as your 'treat' is fine...but please don't eat it, or eat more of it, because you think it's healthy!!!

Unfortunately, that's about where the good news ends.
In reality, the 'not so good' qualities of chocolate far outweigh the good ones, so it's a humungous stretch to call it 'healthy' and
to think it's a good idea to go out of your way to eat it regularly.

It's a bit like saying a serial killer who murdered 20 people in cold blood,
is actually a good bloke, because he sends his mum a bunch of flowers on
Mothers Day!! Okay, another of my extreme analogies, but you do get the point (I hope!). Basically, one redeeming feature doesn't eliminate ten bad ones.

Sorry to break the bad news, just trying to be honest. But a little bit won't kill you and you have to have a treat now & then, so enjoy...on the low side of moderation!!

Females - Alternative Chocolate Therapy:

If your boyfriend/husband has left you and you need to de-stress,
leave chocolate out of the equation. Get all his underpants and
before you give them back, rub the hottest 'tiger balm' you can find,
on the inside of them. That will give you much more satisfaction
(it's a timeless/guaranteed locker room footy gag that one!), and
won't result in any extra calories.

Article written by Mark Bunn - guest speaker & writer of health speakers articles.

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