February 07, 2012
Alright, Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries can't give you a piece of chocolate via the computer, but we can share some of its perks with you.Predominantly, chocolate is good for you, especially the dark chocolate kind. We could believe it either! Could that be why 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are bought for Valentine's Day? (1) Not really, but your Manchester chiropractor hopes you get one full of dark chocolates!
Chocolate and its principal ingredient, cocoa, have beneficial effects for your heart, mind and body.
- Cocoa has around 4 times higher antioxidant capacity than green tea and twice that of red wine. (2) The anti-oxidant flavanols encountered in cocoa beans lowers cell damage in heart disease and help lower blood pressure. (4,6)
- Moderate (not overly indulgent!) consumption of dark chocolate offers blood pressure reducing effects and anti-inflammatory activity. (3,6)
- The anti-oxidants and the bigger magnesium content in dark chocolate may help with constipation trouble and even speed up bowel movements! (2,5) We chiropractors know that constipation when you have back pain isn't good!
These discoveries are why Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries can live with the enjoyment of dark chocolate...in moderation, of course. Mood, memory, brain function, heart, immune system and stress reduction may all benefit as well. (2) Whose day isn't taken up a notch with a piece of chocolate?!
Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries stands firm that not all nutrition has to be in pill form or even boring food form. Check out these articles, then chat with us about the viability of adding some dark chocolate to your life at your next Manchester chiropractic visit. Contact us now to set that up before all the chocolate hearts start arriving!