Chocolate for Health and Well Being

Everybody loves chocolate but did you know that cocoa bean is actually a healthy source of nutrition?
Native to south America, Cocoa or Cacao as it sometimes called are actually seeds that are found in a large pod hanging from the Cacao tree. Cocoa and chocolate are a very high source of antioxidants, those helpful chemicals that clear inflammation from the body.
There are a number of chemical compounds naturally present in cocoa that have health benefits in the body. Chocolate contains tryptophan, which naturally increases our happy chemical in the brain serotonin.
Naturally occurring caffeine (about half as much as one cup of coffee) combined with a substance called theobromine also account for the natural mood elevation that chocolate delivers.
Chocolate is one of the highest natural sources of the mineral magnesium. Magnesium is a key mineral that helps to relax the body, buffer stress, and lower blood pressure.
Did you ever notice how many people who are highly stressed, crave chocolate?
Chocolate cravings may indicate a dietary deficiency of magnesium and a regular intake of high quality chocolate can work to correct this. A good dosage of chocolate therapy would be approximately 2-4 grams per day.
The important thing to remember about using chocolate for medicine is that most commercial chocolate products are loaded with sugar, and cut with poor quality dairy and other fillers. So it is important to select a chocolate product that is unadulterated and unsweetened.
You may choose to sweeten it yourself with honey, maple syrup, or stevia if you so desire.
The product known as raw Cacao beans have recently become available on the commercial market and studies on these beans has revealed them to be a nutritional powerhouse.
To learn more about natural health and food as medicine contact us at the New Eastern Health Center. 609-536-2339 www.neweasternhealth.com