Tuesday, April 10, 2007


but cocoa has no side effects

"drinking a traditional cup of cocoa at bedtime can help to lower blood pressure as effectively as prescription medications, researchers say.. . .the findings are published to-day in the american medical association's archives of internal edicine."

my, we all knew from earlier studies that cocoa could help with heart and blood vessel issues, but this is an intense claim! if it weren't for the imprimataur of the ama, i wouldn't believe it.

so that's it then, dear readers: help prevent blood pressure problems now by drinking a cup of hot cocoa a day -- but make it with a non-sugar sweetener and non-fat milk.

again what i always find hilarious in these articles are the inevitable concluding comments from someone warning you not to take advantage of the study:

"julie o'sullivan, of the british heart foundation, said: 'we should remember that chocolate is far more often part of the problem for heart health than the solution. eating five portions of fruit and veg a day is a far better way to get the heart protective antioxidants without having to worry about the fats and sugars that go into cocoa products such as chocolate.'"

big problem, julie -- cocoa powder has no fat! it has no cocoa butter in it! so what the heck are you talking about?

but furthermore a good portion the kind of fat found is cocoa butter is mono-saturated -- making it as heart-healthy as olive oil. another good portion has a neutral effect.

and further, cocoa is the powerhouse in the anti-oxidant club, julie, it would be hard to equal, really.

not to mention of course, that almost no one really looks forward to a nice cup of steamed kale before bedtime. . .! good heavens, why do these experts twitch in fear lest people actually eat something that could be healthy if properly made and might actually bring them pleasure?

posted by fortune | 8:04 AM | top | link to this | email this: | | | 0 comments