Healthy Heart Basics

02 Feb Healthy Heart Basics

Heart-Smart Chocolate

A lot of evidence suggests that certain types of chocolate may be good for your health. The key is in the cocoa content.

Used properly, chocolate can help lower blood pressure, lower LDL (“bad cholesterol”), or provide potential anti-cancer benefits. Chocolate and cocoa are found in the plant – cocoa (called ca-COW) – and contains plant compounds purchased by researchers for these health benefits. However, researchers do not combine these effects into chocolate bars or chocolate-sweetened sweets but especially dark chocolate and lightly ground cocoa powder – extra cocoa in the chocolate, which contains many antioxidants. You will want to avoid the alkaline or Dutch-process, as this can greatly reduce the beneficial compounds found in chocolate. Choose dark chocolate with a cocoa content of 70% or more, and limit your portion to 1.5 ounces. That ensures that you will reap the health benefits without adding too many calories.

Buying Pre-Packed Desserts

Be sure to check the label for this delicious pre-baked food — usually among the main sources of fat at the grocery store.

What to look for:

Like most desserts, packaged cookies, brownies, and snack cakes can be high in saturated fat, sugar, and calories per serving, so balance is key. If you eat these products regularly, be careful of those loaded with sugar, and choose those that contain 10 grams or less per serving and preferably as little fat as possible — no more than 1 gram per serving.

Beware of trans fats:

Individual and pre-packaged desserts can be a jackpot of trans fats — one serving may contain more than the daily amount of trans fats that the American Heart Association considers safe. The same goes for the delicacies found in the grocery store bakery. Both, you should make sure that the ingredient list does not contain partially hydrogenated oils. Organic products and those made from all-natural ingredients are usually the best bet. Better yet, make your own from scratch. Try these Hearty Healthy Desert Receipts.