Chocolate for your Valentine

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If you read my blog regularly, you know I’m a chocolate lover. I have some chocolate most every day and dark chocolate is my favorite. Dark chocolate with cherries, hazelnuts, spices…I love it all. If you feel the same way or plan to give chocolate to someone special and whose heart you care about this Valentine’s Day, then you’ll want to read this new research.

Dark chocolate has a sensual mouth feel and is loaded with phytonutrients called flavonoids. Guess what? These flavonoids may have anti-inflammatory effects in the body that can lower the CRP. What’s CRP you might be saying? CRP stands for C-reactive protein found in the blood that is tied to inflammation and heart disease. Recent studies out of Johns Hopkins found that eating dark flavonoid rich chocolate lowered the CRP level in women by 23% and improved lipid profiles in both men and women.

I think more research will be conducted to determine if it’s the flavonoids or other compounds in chocolate which provide this cardiovascular benefit. Remember, portion control is still key due to the calories and fat in good chocolate but at least we can kick the guilt to the curb.