Chocolate- Heart Healthy Candy

     Today is Valentines Day and February is also heart health month. In recent years studies have been conducted on the benefits of chocolate on the heart and since this month we see a lot of both of those I thought it be best to look at which kind of chocolate is good for you and how to eat it appropriately.

What does chocolate have that benefits our health?
- Chocolate is rich in a plant nutrient called flavonoids and the main type found in it is flavanols.

 Flavonoids- work at protecting the body from toxins as well as repairing it. They can be found in fruits as well as vegetables and have somewhat of an antioxidant effect.

**Antioxidants are important in preventing oxidative damage to the body from cigarette smoking or other toxins. An example of the power of an antioxidant would be putting lemon juice over an apple. The acidity prevents the apple from browning and is similar to how these things can function in your body to prevent cellular damage and toxins. They can be found in many fruits and vegetables. 

Flavanols- the main type of flavonoid in chocolate and is thought to have potential influences on heart health include: improving blood flow (especially to the heart), lowering blood pressure and decreasing the risk of blood clots.

How much chocolate is good for you?
- Most commercial chocolate products process their item so much that much of the flavanols are lost during production. Candies that are loaded with sugar are not a good source of these plant nutrients. Your best bet would be buying dark chocolate over milk chocolate. You can also get flavanols from wine, fruits, vegetables and more.

- Although chocolate has fat in it, it is made of fats that have good benefits on your bad cholesterol. The real fat comes from the other ingredients in chocolate like the caramel, marshmallows, etc.

Try to eat about 1 ounce of dark chocolate if desired and avoid those calorically loaded chocolate candies. 

Happy Valentines Day!