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By: Nigel Goodwin
Chocolate: The New Health Food?
Forget about Atkins. It’s time for the Mars diet.
Mars Inc., the company behind Milky Way, Snickers and M&Ms, plans to launch a new line of products made with dark chocolate, which the company claims has health benefits.
As reported by CNN:
“Called CocoaVia, the products are made with a kind of dark chocolate high in flavanols, an antioxidant found in cocoa beans that is thought to have a blood-thinning effect similar to aspirin and may even lower blood pressure. The snacks also are enriched with vitamins and injected with cholesterol-lowering plant sterols from soy.
“But researchers are skeptical about using chocolate for its medicinal purposes and experts warn it’s no substitute for a healthy diet…
“Mars created a new division, Mars Nutrition for Health & Well-Being, to distribute CocoaVia. The company has sold the CocoaVia products online for a couple years. They are already available at retail stores in 34 states, selling for nearly $1 a bar.”
If only someone could make cheeseburgers healthy, too.
Posted: Feb 21, 06
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LINK FROM POPULAR SCIENCE ABOUT THIS OLD MYTH.
" Myth #1--Chocolate Helps Prevent Cancer
Based on the fact that chocolate contains high levels of certain antioxidants, the Chocolate Manufacturers Association’s Web site implies that eating a few Hershey Kisses is tantamount to eating a salad. The site states that antioxidants “mop up” free radicals, which may be the “triggers” for cancer. Ingredients “may reduce the risk for developing cancer.” In fact, hundreds of studies on people link diets high in fruits and vegetables to a lower risk of cancer, while there are no human studies on chocolate and cancer.
Myth #2 - Chocolate Protects the Heart
The industry web site says that a “growing body of research” indicates that ingredients in chocolate may reduce the risk of heart disease. It is true that chocolate contains stearic acid, a saturated fat that does not raise cholesterol levels. But chocolate contains other fats that do. When it comes to raising blood cholesterol, chocolate is comparable to lard. In addition, stearic acid may promote blood clots, which could lead to heart attacks or strokes.
Myth #3 - Eating Chocolate Doesn’t Make You Fat
The chocolate industry says that “there is no scientific evidence that chocolate consumption is associated with obesity.” It adds that “no single food causes obesity or weight gain.” In fact, chocolate is one of many foods that contribute to obesity. Like any fatty and sugary foods, chocolates are calorie-dense. They pack a lot of calories into a small volume, which makes it easy to overeat.
Eating chocolate as a snack compounds the problem. “If you eat chocolate between meals, when you’re most hungry, it rapidly satisfies your hunger and that reinforces your craving for it,” says obesity expert Barbara Rolls, of Pennsylvania State University. Her advice: “Break the cycle by having a delicious piece of chocolate at the end of a meal, when you’re already satisfied, and you’ll be less likely to overindulge.”
“You don’t need to swear off chocolate entirely,” says Liebman. "If your diet is high in vegetables, fruit, lean protein, and whole grains, a little chocolate is OK. But many Americans eat a steady diet of cheeseburgers, pizza, doughnuts, french fries, ice cream, and other fatty, fattening foods. They need chocolate like they need pats of butter to swallow between meals.
“If you have a hankering for something chocolate,” Liebman continued, “try a small chocolate candy or a York Peppermint Pattie. One 1.5-ounce pattie provides 170 calories, but only two grams of saturated fat. Beware of the huge chocolate candies sold at movie theaters, which have 400 to 800 calories per box or bar.” By: shat on Mar 25, 07 | 0 Trends | 545 Comments |
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