More great tasting health news

July 24, 2015 0 0

More great tasting health news
Chocolate fans have been celebrating recently with reports that there could be significant health benefits from eating the nation’s favourite guilty pleasure. Whilst it was widely reported in the national press that scientists discovered eating up to 100g of chocolate a day could help reduce the chances of a heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular problems by 11 percent, it was quickly followed by the caveat that this doesn’t mean we have a green light to eat as much chocolate as we want – because most bars also contain unhealthy amounts of sugar and dairy.
For those who prefer a more natural chocolate flavour, without the addition of belly building ingredients, there has been more good news, as another study has found that the flavonoids (natural nutrients that occur in certain plants) found in cacao (the raw ingredient found in chocolate and a great snack in its own right) appear to be able to keep cognitive decline at bay and other health issues at bay.
In this research 90 individuals, with some form of cognitive decline, were assigned to groups to consume a drink containing either high, medium or low levels of cacao flavonoids for a period of 8 weeks.
After the trial period it was found that various improvements in mental performance had occurred, since the start of the test. Problem solving had improved in the middle and high flavonoid groups and verbal fluency was enhanced in all groups. Furthermore additional benefits, to the mental ones, were seen with cacao consumption, including improvements in fat metabolism, insulin resistance and blood pressure.
So it appears, if you want the health benefits of including more chocolate in your diet, without the negatives that come with eating chocolate bars, you should be reaching for the cacao powder or cacao nibs.

Which cacao?
BodyMe’s cacao nibs and powder provide some of the highest quality cacao products available.
Certified organic and cultivated without pesticides or other chemicals, BodyMe’s cacao nibs, from which they also make their powder, are never roasted. They are pressed in their raw and natural state in order to keep all their nutritional goodness. Roasting the nibs at high temperature (which they do to create chocolate) can severely reduce the nutritional properties and antioxidant levels.
The products are organically certified by the Soil Association giving you the best reassurance that the product meets the highest organic standards in an ethical manner. Furthermore 20p from every sale of BodyMe products goes to the Healthy Planet organisation to help preserve the world in which we live for future generations.
There is no set use for cacao powder but people generally have two or three teaspoons per day mixed in with desserts, breakfasts, smoothies, yoghurts etc, whilst the nibs make a great chocolatey treat in their own right – enjoy!