Green Tea And Dark Chocolate
We have all heard of the health benefits of tea and especially green tea.
But, did you know dark chocolate is also good for you? Yes, it’s true.
Both tea and chocolate contain flavanols which are the most powerful antioxidants andfree radical scavengers found in food. They turn cocoa and green tea into anti-aging power drinks.
Dark chocolate is plant-based because cocoa comes from the cacao beans from the cacao tree. All the nutrients, or flavanols, in chocolate are natural and the darker the chocolate the higher the concentration of cocoa solids and antioxidant flavanols.
These flavanols are the key to a healthy heart by activating the production of nitric oxide in the arteries which causes the blood vessels to relax and expand. This expansion causes free flow of blood, reduces stress on the artery walls and causes blood pressure to go down. A study published, in “The Journal of the American Medical Association”, showed that people who ate a small bar of dark chocolate every day for a week lowered their blood pressure. Their blood pressure went back up when they stopped eating the chocolate.
High cholesterol also leads to unhealthy hearts. When LDL, or bad cholesterol, meets free radicals in the blood, oxidation of LDL occurs. When LDL is oxidized it causes plaques of cholesterol to adhere to the coronary artery walls. Blood flow to the heart is slowed or blocked causing a heart attack. Flavanols neutralize free radicals before they can oxidize LDL thus slowing down or preventing arterial aging.
All of this scientific stuff is fine but we all know why we like chocolate–it tastes wonderful! It gives us great pleasure (triggers production of endorphins), it lifts our spirits (triggers serotonin) and stimulates us (contains caffeine). And, best of all, we can say it’s good for us, too!
Green tea has long been touted for its’ benefits to health. It has been shown to promote healthy hearts, prevent or reduce the risk of some cancers, guard against viral or bacterial infections, prevent or help to manage diabetes, strengthen teeth and promote weight loss. All of this is due to the fact that green tea is the least processed tea. The leaves are steamed to prevent oxidation and fermentation and to preserve epigallocatechin-3-gallate, (ECGC), one of the most potent antioxidants in tea.
ECGC kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue, lowers the level of bad cholesterol, or LDL, in the blood and prevents blood clots from forming. It kills the bacteria that cause dental plaque and prevents tooth decay. It also jump starts metabolism and helps the body burn more calories thus promoting weight loss. ECGC is an effective starch and sucrose blocker in the blood causing glucose and insulin levels to be lower and thus helps manage diabetes.
Green tea is a miracle drink with so many benefits to maintaining good health. The only negative to drinking lots of green tea may be trouble sleeping because of the caffeine. However, green tea still only has half the caffeine of a cup of coffee. It may stimulate you but doesn’t give you jitters like the caffeine in coffee.
With so many benefits to green tea and dark chocolate, it would be a shame not to indulge in both everyday. So, don’t feel guilty just enjoy!