Does Chocolate Have a Place in a Healthy Diet?
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For most of us, a mere taste of chocolate on our tongue can trigger a flood of fond memories: our first Hershey Kiss, licking chocolate ice cream off our wrist during the summer, dipping our fingers into rich chocolate frosting meant for a birthday cake. But hardly any of us think of chocolate as good for us. Sinful, surely. Decadent, definitely. But healthy? Never. But just this once, you’ll love being wrong.
How can chocolate have a place in a healthy diet? Isn’t it loaded with fat, sugar, dairy, additives, preservatives and caffeine? Won’t the mere mention of the word ‘chocolate’ cause us to fall over, dead by some subversive energy lurking in this humble pod? Well, if your idea of chocolate is the cellophane wrapped junk you pick up while standing in the checkout line at the supermarket or convenience store, you just might keel over. The chocolate I am talking about is not only the food of the gods, but can actually be good for your health. Recent studies show that dark chocolate can actually do everything from protecting our hearts to alleviating depression and symptoms of both PMS and menopause. A rich source of antioxidants and other trace minerals, chocolate is one of the richest sources of magnesium in the plant kingdom (which is why it’s so great at relieving PMS). On top of that, chocolate has compounds that release serotonin in the brain – our ‘feel-good’ hormone – the hormone that makes us feel contented and relaxed. But the energy of chocolate is what I love the best. Tropical in nature, chocolate brings a warm and dry energy to our bodies. With its astringent character, chocolate is the perfect catalyst for digesting fat and protein (which is why it makes the perfect mole sauce: a traditional bitter chocolate sauce served with fatty meats like pork or fowl, even with vegetarian ‘fatty’ foods). This warm and dry energy aids our bodies in moving stagnant energy, alleviating sluggishness, but relaxing the body at the same time. |
So how did chocolate get such a bad rap? Well, it’s not the chocolate. In its pure state, chocolate is bitter. Originally consumed as a hot liquid, either thick or thin, laced through with hot spice and cinnamon, chocolate tasted nothing like the cloyingly sweet candy we call chocolate today. This version of chocolate, however, had little appeal for European taste, so sugar was added. Then butter, and frankly… it was downhill from there. As chocolate became a common food, the quality of it was compromised, artificial flavorings added to ‘create’ a depth of flavor and chocolate became the enemies of our health.
All that aside, there is a way to enjoy chocolate without compromising your health. Choose a chocolate, such as Xocai that is not loaded with refined sugar, dairy fat and other additives, because otherwise, it has crossed the line from good quality chocolate to junk food, deadly for our health.
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