It's hardly news that dark chocolate contains some health-giving goodies, like antioxidants and polyphenols. But now, after a new study, newspaper headlines have been dubbing chocolate a "super fruit".
Last time I checked, chocolate - dark or otherwise - didn't count as one of my five-a-day. But, in fact, what lead scientist Dr Debra Miller really said was:
Cacao seeds should be considered a 'super fruit' and products derived from cacao seed extracts, such as natural cocoa powder and dark chocolate, as 'super foods'.
The study is due to be published in the Chemistry Central Journal.
Miller and colleagues compared cocoa powder with powders made from ground-up "super food" fruits like acai berries, blueberries, cranberries and pomegranates. According to Miller, they found that "The compounds in dark chocolate are just as good as the botanical compounds in fruit."
What does this mean for chocoholics? The scientists recommend that to get the benefits of this new "super fruit", you can use cocoa powder to recipes and drinks.
Don't use this new study, and the excited headlines, as an excuse to scoff down extra chocolate, though.
Chocolate is very high in calories, sugar and fat.Only dark chocolate or cocoa powder gives the benefits cited in the study.The Hershey Company (chocolate manufacturers) sponsored this research, so obviously they have a vested interest in encouraging us to eat more chocolate.Do you think chocolate can be, or should be, part of a balanced diet?
Image credit: John Loo
No comments:
Post a Comment