Monkey Chocolate - Gourmet Chocolate

Gourmet Chocolate

Gourmet chocolate and its benefits

The health benefits of chocolate have been known to us for some time now. In fact, many of the early European cocoa producers were actually apothecaries that sought out its medicinal uses. There are good and bad aspects to our love of gourmet chocolate. Luckily the bad can be significantly curbed when practicing moderation in the amount of gourmet chocolate we consume and that will leave us with plenty of excuses for the few gourmet chocolates that we do eat.

Here's the good news

Cacao seeds, from which gourmet chocolate is made, contain large amounts of flavonoids that occur naturally and are also present in red wine, green tea, fruits, and vegetables. According to recent studies, flavonoids may have a very beneficial effect on cardiovascular health. So the next time you bite into your favorite European chocolate, you don't have to feel as guilty knowing that you helping to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and some cancers.

There are also small amounts of nutrients in gourmet chocolate. A 1.5 ounce bar of milk chocolate contains recommended daily values of vitamins and minerals including 3 grams of protein, 15% of the daily recommended amount of riboflavin, 9% of calcium, 7%of iron, and if you add a few nuts to the mix you will increase the percentages of all of the above.

Scientists at Harvard have even done studies that have shown that men who do eat gourmet chocolate (or any other chocolate), lived about a year longer than men who do not. They think that chocolate contains some chemicals that help keep blood vessels more elastic and therefore less prone to breakage and clogging and increase the amount of antioxidants in the bloodstream. But more tests do need to be done in order to say for sure which specific benefits are hidden inside chocolate. Who knows what those scrumptious chocolate candies might be hiding?

So what does all this tell you? That's right! You can't go wrong with a gourmet chocolate gift. It promotes life, helps your cardiovascular system, and tastes like a bite of heaven. More gourmet chocolate gifts, please.

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