Fit Fare

As Halloween looms, the quest for the perfect candy to be given out begins. The last thing you want to do is to buy candy that you know will be sorted out and thrown away. On numerous Halloween’s past, I recall sorting out many candies I knew I detested. However, I was consistent in keeping all of the delectable chocolate candy bars that made their way into my Halloween basket. Take it from the professional chocolatier, that you simply cannot go wrong giving out chocolate this October 31st.

This year though, I propose you consider the importance of giving out a chocolate that not only satisfies the sweet tooth, but also can improve health as well. This means discontinue purchasing the mainstream chocolate candy bars that the commercial candy industry wants you to buy, and consider getting a higher quality all natural chocolate products.

While mainstream America has been accustomed to the delightful sweetness and creaminess of milk chocolate, the rest of the world has been benefiting from the health benefits of dark chocolate. It is only recently that a major shift has been made with new studies showing that dark chocolate indeed has powerful flavanoids, similarly found in green tea, which can aid in boosting your immune system among many other effects.

Heart and Body Healthy

In an April 2005 MSN Article, the question of whether or not chocolate can be good for you is considered. The article states that “the flavonoids in chocolate…demonstrate to have powerful antioxidant effects.” The article goes on to say, “This rise in antioxidant levels helps protect us from damage to the heart and blood vessels, while it also guards our DNA from damage that can lead to cancer.” In other words, dark chocolate, in moderate amounts can in fact be good for the heart and body.

Slows the Aging Process

The Consumer Health Journal has a very interesting article about the importance of antioxidants for our body. According to the February 2004 article by Alison Stewart, “Chocolate, derived from the beans of the cacao tree, is brimming with antioxidants, in much higher concentrations than other produce.” She goes on to talk about how antioxidants defend our aging bodies by being essential to help prevent the cell destruction that naturally takes place over time. Given that antioxidants carry out a fountain of youth type transformation within our bodies, dark chocolate is a perfect candidate to be added to a daily supplement in moderation.

Decreased Blood Pressure

According to The Journal of the American Medical Associations’ August 2003 issue, a study was conducted that came to the conclusion that with controlled moderate amounts of dark chocolate, individuals can lower their blood pressure. Not only is this a wonderful discovery to dispel myths about the negative effects of chocolate, but it gives license to those chocoholics to indulge in a modest amount in the interest of health.

Happy Mothers and Babies

Another wonderful study showing benefits of chocolate came from the New Scientist magazine, where researchers in Finland were able to run studies which showed that women who ate chocolate during their pregnancies ended up having happier babies. When I had heard about this article, I followed the advice and I can confirm that after a good amount of chocolate during pregnancy, I did have a very happy baby.

As you are reading this article, studies on other possible positives that dark chocolate can give are being conducted.

Halloween is a time when children will be helping themselves to countless sugary sweets. This could be the time when getting a dark chocolate treat can be not only savoring the trick-or-treater’s sweet tooth, but starting them on a path to eating good quality dark chocolate. With the leftover dark chocolate after Halloween, you will have the benefit of eating all of it. Just remember to do it in moderation.