Its
winter and the weather is chilly cold, recession is knocking at our door and we
are worried about what gifts to send and a little depressed from stress, which can
cause free radical build up and damage to our bodies. (Free radicals are highly
charged atoms that are missing one electron, making them unstable. They enter
our body through sunlight, poor diet, use of alcohol, tobacco, airborne
chemicals, and stress; they steal an electron in order to gain electron stability.
Free radicals target fatty acids, cell membranes which are rich in
phospholipids, DNA, and proteins and in the process cellular activities are
replaced by chaos of electron swapping, which eventually disrupts cell
function. Free radicals are the primary factors in aging and inflammation
because they produce random radical change and disrupt normal metabolic
processes, over time leading to disease). So what can we do to reduce stress---bring
some joy and Santa moments to our life this candy season; we can make time for candies--chocolates
of course. Dark chocolate are little bitter, sweet and high antioxidant snacks that brings on
pleasurable feelings because it releases natural feel-good chemicals called
endorphins in your brain.
Dark Chocolate is a
psychoactive food. It is made from the seeds of the tropical cacao tree,
Theobroma cacao. The cacao tree was named by the 17th century Swedish
naturalist, Linnaeus. The Greek term theobroma means literally "food of
the gods". Dark chocolate made of cocoa bean from the plant (Theobroma
cacao) is a rich source of flavonoids, rich in cell-protecting antioxidants.
Other benefits of Dark chocolate:
- Dark chocolates are highly loaded with epicatechin- an active member of a group of compounds called plant flavoniods. Epicatechin may improve blood flow and can potentially improve the health of the heart.
- Dark chocolates have antioxidant properties that are effective against aging caused by oxidative stress, inhibition of platelet activity, and activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase due to its flavonoids content.
- Flavoniods in dark chocolate prevents cholesterol from gathering in blood vessels, reduces the risk of blood clots, and slows down the immune responses that lead to clogged arteries.
- Dark chocolate was found to reduce blood pressure, improve blood flow and prevent plague formation in the arteries and had mild anti-clotting effects
Dark chocolate has potential cancer-fighting properties---immune boosting.
Dark chocolates improve cognitive function.
Pure dark chocolate improves endothelial function and increases plasma epicatechin concentrations that aids wound healing.
Pure cocoa can help elevate insomnia because it’s
relaxing and can put you to sleep—you tend to dream more when you drink pure
cocoa by nettle and eat dark chocolate!
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