a good reason to eat more dark chocolate

CHOCOLATE -status as health food
Having only recently digested the fact that some
chocolate is good for us, could it be possible that it
might be even better than we thought? The answer is
a resounding YES if the work of prolific producer
Barry Callebaut is anything to go by.
Chocolate has always contained good things, such as
magnesium for memory and muscle health,
theobromine and caffeine, which help lift the central
nervous and respiratory systems and in the case of
milk chocolate, a good dose of calcium for your bones
too.
The buzz in recent times has been about the
antioxidant content of chocolate, which increases with
the percentage of cocoa. Sounds too good to be true?
Just what are the antioxidant properties of chocolate?
Cocoa beans contain considerably larger amounts of
polyphenols (or antioxidants) than red wine or other
commonly known sources of antioxidants such as
green tea and grapes. Antioxidants from cocoa beans
are significantly more active than other traditional
sources such as vitamin E.
Polyphenols are natural components found in several
plants (fruits, vegetables, cocoa). Scientific evidence
suggests that polyphenols protect the body against
the damage of free radicals and inflammation. The
polyphenols found in cocoa belong to the category of
Flavanoids, imparticular, the flavanols. In cocoa they
are present in abundance. Cocoa also contains even
more complex flavanols, known as procyanidins.
These are powerful antioxidants protecting body cells
against the effect of free radicals. Free radicals
accelerate the ageing process and are responsible for
the degeneration of certain bodily functions.
Flavanoids have a positive effect of the
 cardiovascular system, immune system, lower
cholesterol/blood pressure and increase the function
of blood vessels. It is little wonder that dieticians the
world over are recommending a diet rich in
polyphenols.
Cocoa contains more effective polyphenols than red
wine, green and black tea:
Drink               Total Polyphenol               Epicatechine,                  
                          Content                           a   flavanoid         
Cocoa    (200ml)           611                             564

Red Wine                      340                            163
(140ml)

Green Tea                   165                                47
(200ml)

Black tea                     124                                    34
(200ml)