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I can’t pass up an opportunity to tell you about the mental health benefits of dark chocolate. Are you kidding me? That would be like skipping the article that says the messier the desk, the more balanced you are and in harmony with the chaos that surrounds you. Diana Walcutt shares some research about my favorite food on a Psych Central post. She writes:
You’ve probably heard the buzz about dark chocolate, and how it’s good for your blood pressure, lowers cholesterol, prevents cancer and can fix nearly anything that is wrong with you, except that expanding waistline.
Some of dark chocolate’s benefits come from resveratrol, an antioxidant (immune system booster) found in red wine, among other products. Its mental health benefits include the ability to boost brain levels of endorphins (natural opiates) as well as serotonin (a mood-altering chemical on which many antidepressants act). Because it can increase serotonin levels in the brain, dark chocolate also may increase serotonin production in the gut, and thus help your immune system.
But before you decide to switch to an all-dark-chocolate diet and throw away the rabbit food, keep this in mind: The recommended dose is one ounce per day. It doesn’t sound like much, but it may help reduce blood pressure and increase arterial blood flow, reduce the chance of blood clots and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol.
Thanks, Diana, my taste buds are celebrating this bit of news.
To read Diana’s entire post, click here.
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Therese J. Borchard writes the daily blog, Beyond Blue, on Beliefnet and is a regular contributor to the award-winning blog, World of Psychology, on Psych Central. Therese is the author of Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes and The Pocket Therapist: An Emotional Survival Kit. Subscribe to Beyond Blue, visit her website, or follow her on Twitter @thereseborchard.
Meet others on the journey in
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Therese J. Borchard writes the daily blog, Beyond Blue, on Beliefnet and is a regular contributor to the award-winning blog, World of Psychology, on Psych Central. Therese is the author of Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes and The Pocket Therapist: An Emotional Survival Kit. Subscribe to Beyond Blue, visit her website, or follow her on Twitter @thereseborchard.
posted June 4, 2009 at 10:53 pm
It’s always good to see another article about dark chocolate and mood. I was able to stop taking anti-depressant medication after finding an all natural, healthy dark chocolate. In just three months time I was able to put away the prozac for good. That was almost 3 years ago. Feel free to email me with questions. chocolatedollars@gmail.com
posted June 7, 2009 at 11:47 am
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It has no processed sugar, no caffeine, no waxes of fillers, no coloring or preservatives, No bad trans fats or oils. It’s unprocessed, non-alkalixed, non-lecithinized cacao powder and are then combined with the acai berry and blueberries. This cold-processed, great tasting Belgian cocoa powder, acai berry, and blueberry, has high levels of antioxidants. for more info. rjebbole@juno.com or go to our web site. http://www.HCLPRO.com/rjebbole
posted July 26, 2010 at 12:43 am
Yes chocolate certainly makes you feel good and the benefits of good quality dark chocolate are being made more public now. I know I feel better in mood when I eat it. The best dark chocolate I have found which has been recently released is chava and scientists have created a superior chocolate that increases the mood enhancing effect by 70%.
posted August 4, 2010 at 10:46 pm
It’s good to know that dark chocolate is healthy for you to eat. I also hear that it suppresses your appetite, so it could even help you loose some extra pounds. I know a couple pieces of dark chocolate a day keeps my sweet tooth at bay.
posted October 14, 2010 at 7:29 am
Eating too much chocolate each day can cause complications including migraines, weight gain, digestive tract problems such as diarrhea, kidney stones and heartburn. Dark chocolate seems to have less of an impact on heartburn than milk chocolate and it may also be less of a problem in gallbladder disease, but no promises there. And all chocolate contains caffeine, which is a problem for some as well. As always, if you have any dietary restrictions, talk with your primary care physician before making any big changes.