Health & Wellness Issues

Chocolate: the Obesity Time Bomb

'Chocolate tax' to tackle obesity from the BBC News Website today A Scottish GP has called for chocolate to be taxed in the UK in the same way as alcohol and cigarettes to tackle increasing levels of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Dr David Walker, a GP in Lanarkshire, said many people eat their entire daily calorie requirement in chocolate, on top of their normal meals. Dr Walker, who is also a trained food scientist and nutritionist, told the BBC news website: "Obesity is a mushrooming problem. We are heading the same way as the United States. Dr Walker said that a 225g bag of chocolate sweets contained almost 1,200 calories - almost half the recommended daily calorie intake for a man - and could be eaten incredibly quickly. I have recently made an in depth study of the real difference between the healthy and antioxidants claims of chocolate manufacturers and the reality. The cocao bean is the richest source of healthy antioxidants known to man (good thing) yet when chocolate manufacturers get hold of it, they do all sort of bad things to it ... health wise. Tastes good but not healthy (bad thing). "People have been lulled into a false sense of security about chocolate. "I had one patient recently who said to me she thought chocolate was good for you. People are being brainwashed into believing this." Given the publicity for this real cause for concern it is very important to understand the difference between good and bad chocolate. Chocolate manufacturers use hype and spin to claim that chocolate is rich in antioxidants which is not the case when it has been heated and when the dairy fats and sugars are added is the ticking obesity bomb Dr David Walker is talking about. Chocolate as a Health Food. Be your own judge at www.ilovehealthychocolate.co.uk

Nutritional Authority David Wolfe Discusses Metabolism and Chocolate

(NaturalNews) This interview is an excerpt from Kevin Gianni's Fountain of Youth Summit and in this excerpt, David Wolfe shares on foods that speed up metabolism and the truth about chocolate. Original Article

Kevin: Yeah, I think that's a nice approach. What other foods are there that can speed up metabolism. People love to hear, I love to hear, foods that can speed up metabolism because everyone feels they're so sluggish.

David: Well, we categorize these foods that speed up metabolism as super foods because not only do they speed up metabolism but they're also usually complete protein sources. They're usually some of the richest sources of minerals, natural trace minerals in food, and some of the best sources of vitamins. For example, the goji berry. The goji berry is one of the hottest substances, foods, in the world right now. In fact, it has just really, you know, caught fire in the west. The goji berry is a simple berry. It's a snack food. It's about the size of a raisin. It tastes great. You know, I start people on goji berries, even some of the top executives in America. That's the one thing they get from me. They get on the goji berries and they eat it all day long every day. What it does is it keeps you alert because of all the protein. It keeps the blood sugars stable but it also has all these trace minerals. It speeds up metabolism. It increases weight loss. In fact, I have a little story to tell. I sent this one executive off to Europe. I had met him at a party, talked to him about what I do. He said, "look, just give me a bag of whatever you've got. I'm going to Europe for six weeks tomorrow morning".

Kevin: Right.

David: I had to come up... I had to go to my car and just pull together all I had right there. What I had was I had goji berries.

Kevin: Um-hum.

David: I had another super food, which we're going to talk about, which is cacao beans, which is the raw chocolate nut. All chocolate is made from a nut. Most people are not aware of this. And this nut is the most widely eaten nut in the world; a hundred times more people eat it than almonds but not in its original form, in its processed form, which we call chocolate. Anyway, I gave him a bag of the cacao beans, the goji berries, a bag of cashews and I mixed it all together -- I mean it must have been two pounds of stuff. It was in, you know, those big Ziploc bags?

Kevin: Sure.

David: And I handed it to him and I said, "okay, every time you're tempted to snack on something in an airport. Every time you run out of food. Every time you feel hungry, snack on this." Well, he shows up -- I hear a knock at my door six weeks later and it's him.

Studies Prove That Chocolate Is Really Good for You

(NaturalNews) Chocolate lovers, take heart. Reports from recent studies have given you plenty of reasons to keep on eating chocolate without feeling guilty. In fact, the news from several studies released this spring shows that chocolate is quite effective against the number one killer of Americans, heart disease. Another serious threat to our health, environmental pollution, was significantly reduced by eating chocolate. And the news is even better for females.

Studies and results

Epidemiologic investigations have supported the hypothesis that regular consumption of flavonoid-containing foods reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases. While flavonoids are found in many plants, cocoa is particularly rich in a subclass of flavonoids known as flavanols. Several dietary intervention trials with flavanol containing cocoa products have shown improvements in endothelial and platelet function, as well as blood pressure. These studies have provided direct evidence of the benefits of flavanol containing foods and have helped to substantiate the epidemiological data.

The April, 2008 Journal of Nutrition reports a double-blind controlled study evaluating the efficacy of daily consumption of a cocoa flavanol-containing dark chocolate bar and chocolate bar with added plant sterols on serum lipids, blood pressure, and other circulating cardiovascular health markers in a population with elevated serum cholesterol. Plant sterols are essential components of plant membranes that resemble the chemical structure of animal cholesterol and carry out similar cellular functions in plants. 49 adults participated in the study, eating the American Heart Association style diet for two weeks prior to beginning the study. They were divided into two groups and instructed to consume 2 cocoa flavanol containing dark chocolate bars per day with or without plant sterols. Each bar was nutrient matched and contained approximately 180 mg of cocoa flavanols.

Good Chocolate v Bad Chocolate

Over the centuries, chocolate has come full circle. Most of the modern world currently views chocolate as a tasty but quite unhealthy indulgence meant for only occasional consumption. But health-conscious consumers are now learning that dark chocolate, devoid of some of the unhealthful ingredients usually paired with it in confectionary products, possesses some impressive health properties.

Scientists are rediscovering what ancient Mesoamericans knew centuries ago: chocolate can be very good for you. It may have been cultivated for over two thousand years, but in the last five years science has finally begun to discover the actual health benefits of cocoa. Research is just beginning and is especially promising in the area of phytonutrients, polyphenols, and flavonoids.

However, not all chocolate is created equal. Most candy bars and chocolate foods commonly found in grocery stores are not what you’re looking for. These are typically high in refined (white) sugar, milk fats, and hydrogenated oils—ingredients that replace the truly healthful nutrients found in cocoa.