Do Your Heart A Favor: Chocolate May Offer Health Benefits For Your Valentine

With all of the “junk” foods on the market, one might ask, “How can something so good as chocolate actually be good for us?”

According the American Heart Association (AHA), eating chocolate (in moderation, of course) can potentially help lower one’s risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack.

There are several reasons for this. Chocolate is high in magnesium, which helps regulate the cardiovascular system. It contains antioxidants, which are proven to help keep plaque from building up in the arteries, and flavonoids, which can lower blood pressure and improve blood flow.

According to the AHA, “Some studies suggest that cocoa consumption is associated with a lower risk of insulin resistance and high blood pressure in adults.”

The green light on chocolate is happy news for chocoholics.

Chocolate also lowers LDL cholesterol, which may be an added benefit: it is widely believed that LDL cholesterol can lead to heart disease, (although studies regarding that connection are conflicting).

It should be noted, though, that the darker the chocolate, due to its richer concentration of cacao, the better.

A standard bar of dark chocolate contains around 70 to 85 percent cacao.

Around one ounce of raw, dark chocolate per week is all you need to gain health benefits.

Make it an almond bar or choose chocolate covered strawberries for even greater heart health benefits.

Both almonds and strawberries are high in antioxidants and both have properties which can help prevent several conditions that may lead to heart disease and stroke, as well as diabetes (which increases the likelihood of heart disease).

A healthy chocolate fondue can be made with 1/2 cup heavy cream, 4 oz. 70 percent cocoa dark chocolate, chopped into 12 squares, and 1 T. vanilla extract.

The heart is the body’s most vital organ and also its strongest muscle, based on its ability to endure.

Therefore, heart-healthy choices make good common sense, not only on Valentine’s Day, but every day.