"The Good News on Chocolate"

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I am a foodie. My mom is a foodie, my dads a foodie, even my dogs a foodie. One thing about us as a tribe (and indeed, foodies make connections in the most random parts of the world over things like a love for blueberry smoothies!) is that we are emotional eaters. And no, by that I don’t mean that we raid the fridge every time life gets tough or use snickers to fill our inner void (trust me, that habit can come with a big, big price – not to mention waistline!). What I mean by emotional eaters is simply this; that eating good, tasty food, makes us happy :)


So you can imagine the super warm and fuzzy feeling I got in my belly when I discovered the news about chocolate. Turns out, the stuff is not all trans fat, acne, and butt enhancing after all! Actually, researchers have discovered that eating chocolate can have the effect of relieving aches and pains in the human body. In fact, they go further to say that eating or even drinking anything for pleasure (read chocolate, caramel custard, honey nut crunch ice-cream) can literally act as a natural painkiller, and thus make us feel a little better when dealing with physical discomfort. Now you know why its called comfort food. Or why it just feels better to eat something a little decadent when you are dealing with those awful monthly cramps ladies.

And getting back to the matter at hand, chocolate (specifically dark chocolate) also contains antioxidants which protect the body from the damage done by free radicals (which cause aging and cancer among other things). Studies have found that consuming a bar of dark chocolate everyday can reduce blood pressure in individuals who suffer from high blood pressure. They also say that eating moderate amounts of the dark stuff is good for the cardiovascular functioning of the heart and that consuming it regularly has been shown to reduce LDL (the bad cholesterol) by up to ten per cent! Chocolate also contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant, and stimulates the production of endorphins in the body, which give you that “feel good” sensation. And now for the best part : it tastes grrrrreat :)