Chocolate. Is it good for our health? Or is it just good? Many experts warn that the sugar in chocolate is notgood for us. But doctors point to the healthful qualitiesof chocolate’s antioxidants.
VOA's George Putic reports that uncooked, organicchocolate may contain the right balance.
The biggest value in eating cocoa and dark chocolate, besides the taste, maybe its ability to lower blood pressure. This comes from the rich, comforting,almost decadent, feeling of cocoa butter melting in your mouth.
That happy feeling may also add to chocolate's anti-depressant qualities,says Kim Hoffman. Ms. Hoffman is a dietician, a person who advises peopleabout what to eat to be healthy. She tells how dark chocolate makes us feelbetter and raises our mood.
“It contains phenethylamines, which is a neurotransmitter that is found in thebrain and actually acts as a mood elevator. It also enhances the bloodendorphins, which are the happy opiates, and they are basically around whenyou are on a high.”
Not all chocolate is equal when it comes to those helpful chemicals. The waycommercial chocolate makers produce chocolate affects its health benefits.