Image from cruwinecompany.com
Valentines Day is right around the corner. Naturally, our thoughts turn to chocolate and wine. With wine, I think (besides loving to have an occasional glass of red) of resveratrol and with chocolate (DARK CHOCOLATE!), I think of flavonoids. But it's not just any wine or chocolate which will give you the benefits of these two important antioxidants or phytonutrients.
Some researchers at the Mayo Clinic have found that resveratrol may be the key ingredient in red wine which prevents damage to blood vessels, prevents blood clots and reduces LDL cholesterol.
Only some chocolate contains flavonoids. But these plant pigments turn into powerful antioxidants in the body where they search within it for free radicals which damage arteries and cells and cause diseases. They also have been found to protect the skin from UV damage.
The darker the chocolate and higher percent of cocoa it has (50% or higher), the better chance of ingesting these valuable flavonoids.
A 2011 study found that women who ate more than 45 grams of chocolate per week had a 20% lower risk of a stroke.
Flavonoids give chocolate its bitter taste and most manufacturers remove that. Once that's been processed, up to 90% of the flavonoids are destroyed. So, remember to buy high percentage of cocoa in your DARK chocolate.
If dark chocolate is too bitter for you, try different kinds which add cherries, crystallized ginger, sea salt (yup...sounds strange but it's really good), almonds and cherries and even chili pepper.
Red wine tends to have more benefits than white because the red is fermented with grape skins (which is where the resveratrol comes from) longer than white wine is.
One drink of red wine a day for women and two for men - lowers your risk of heart disease.
So, drink more red wine and eat darker chocolate. Your body will thank you for it. And remember...
Some researchers at the Mayo Clinic have found that resveratrol may be the key ingredient in red wine which prevents damage to blood vessels, prevents blood clots and reduces LDL cholesterol.
Only some chocolate contains flavonoids. But these plant pigments turn into powerful antioxidants in the body where they search within it for free radicals which damage arteries and cells and cause diseases. They also have been found to protect the skin from UV damage.
The darker the chocolate and higher percent of cocoa it has (50% or higher), the better chance of ingesting these valuable flavonoids.
A 2011 study found that women who ate more than 45 grams of chocolate per week had a 20% lower risk of a stroke.
Flavonoids give chocolate its bitter taste and most manufacturers remove that. Once that's been processed, up to 90% of the flavonoids are destroyed. So, remember to buy high percentage of cocoa in your DARK chocolate.
If dark chocolate is too bitter for you, try different kinds which add cherries, crystallized ginger, sea salt (yup...sounds strange but it's really good), almonds and cherries and even chili pepper.
Red wine tends to have more benefits than white because the red is fermented with grape skins (which is where the resveratrol comes from) longer than white wine is.
One drink of red wine a day for women and two for men - lowers your risk of heart disease.
So, drink more red wine and eat darker chocolate. Your body will thank you for it. And remember...
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