As I sit sipping my hot chocolate and writing this blog, I cannot help feeling grateful (for the thousandth time) that the Native Americans have discovered the wonderful world of the Theobroma cacao beans, as early as 1900 B.C. The Aztecs and Mayans mixed the ground beans with hot water and seasoned with vanilla, chili pepper or honey, as milk and refined sugar were unknown to them until the Europeans arrived.

Although the Europeans became familiar with the cacao beverage in the 16^th century, it did not become popular until the 1800's when special processes were developed to remove the bitter taste and create solid chocolate bars. Today, chocolate has become so common in our culture that it is nearly impossible to go through your day without encountering chocolate in your house, office, cafeterias, stores and schools. Chocolate has become one of the most popular ingredients in desserts, and chocolate lovers who ever-tried to lose weight know the heart-break of parting with delicious chocolaty desserts in the name of good health (OK, now I am really getting hungry).

While most chocolate containing desserts are considered detrimental to your health due to the high number of calories as well as sugar and fat, there is a significant amount of research supporting the consumption of chocolate in small quantities. If you like dark chocolate and are able to stop after just a few bites, you will probably be excited to learn the numerous health benefits of this delicious treat:

-High concentrations of antioxidants

-Shown to lower blood pressure

-Reported to lower cholesterol

Many graduate students are young and are not concerned about heart disease, but dark chocolate has also been reported to increase the feelings of well-being and happiness by boosting serotonin in your brain.

A more significant concern for students is that chocolate products are high in fat, but dark chocolate is composed of three types of fats, and only one of them (palmitic acid, which comprises 30% of fat in chocolate) has been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. The other two fats are oleic acid (which is a healthy fat, also found in olive oil), and stearic acid (which is a saturated fat, with neutral effects on cholesterol level).

If you choose to eat chocolate for the health benefits, go for the dark kind. If you like fillings, choose the bars with whole nuts. Nougat and caramel, while delicious, have no nutrition value and only add to the calories. Scientists also recommend to skip the milk, because it can interfere with the absorption of antioxidants.

For more ideas on how to get the most out of your next chocolate treat, you can visit these sites:

http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongnutrition/p/chocolate.htm

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/prevention/nutrition/chocolate.aspx

http://www.allchocolate.com/health/basics/

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20030827/dark-chocolate-is-healthy-chocolate

Bon Appetit!

Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet

Author:

www.phdnet.org

dora@phdnet.org

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