Yes, its true. Chocolate is GOOD FOR YOU!!!

Boy, do I have some great news for chocolate lovers today!! You know that brownie you ate for breakfast?  Not only was it good but it was GOOD FOR YOU.  This means you can stop feeling guilty.  Recently scientists  have reported that cocoa and other chocolates may keep high blood pressure down, your blood flowing and your heart healthy.

One study recently  found that a substance in cocoa helps the body process nitric oxide (NO), which is critical for healthy blood flow and blood pressure. Another study showed that flavonols in cocoa prevent fat-like substances in the bloodstream from oxidizing and clogging the arteries, and make blood platelets less likely to stick together and cause clots. Flavonoids are plant compounds with potent antioxidant properties; so far, scientists have found more than 4,000 kinds. Cocoa beans contain large quantities of flavonoids meaning that the chocolate you eat is helping you. 

People everywhere have known about this for centuries, it  just seems to be taking a while to get “scientific proof.” For instance,  Mexican healers use chocolate to treat bronchitis and insect bites.  The Aztecs thought it gave their warriors strength. Early doctors used to prescribe it to cure ailments. Throughout history, chocolate has been revered  for its medicinal qualities just as much for  its delicious taste.

After the famed conquistador Hernan Cortes returned to Europe from Mexico with trunks of cacao beans, a chocolate frenzy swept through Europe  because of its reputed medicinal qualities. A drink of chocolate was viewed as a cure-all, a restorative, and vital for treating everything from anemia to digestion problems. Manuscripts dating from the 16^th to 20^th century Europe reported more than 100 medicinal uses for chocolate.

In the early 1800s, England’s Dr. Hughes advised that it was especially good for pregnant women. “Chocolate is the most excellent drink that is yet found. It is good alone to make up a breakfast, needing no other food, is beneficial to the body, and may be drunk by people of all ages, and is very good for women with child, since it nourishes the embryo, and prevents fainting fits,” he wrote.

When the Swedish naturalist Linnaeus was officially naming all the plants of the world in 1753, he called the cacao tree Theobroma cacao which means Food of the Gods. Thomas Jefferson is even  quoted as saying: “The superiority of chocolate, both for health and nourishment, will soon give it the preference over tea and coffee in America which it has in Spain.”

While there are still masses of coffee and tea drinkers, chocolate sure hasn’t lost its popularity.  It will be a cold day in hell when Hersheys goes out of business. But, you don’t need to be eating Hershey’s for health when there are even BETTER chocolate items out there.  Like Wildtree’s Rich Dark Chocolate Fudge Sauce.  This contains no corn syrup either.  It’s the real deal.  Or, how about Wildtree’s O So Fudge Brownies for breakfast?  This is delectable mouthwatering chocolate lover heaven (which is easy to mix and bake).  My personal favorite is Wildtree’s Heavenly Chocolate Mousse.  I could eat this all day every day.  Its as if I can almost hear the celestial choirs every time I have a spoonful.   My favorite pancake and waffle breakfast is also not complete without Wildtree Strawberries and Dark Chocolate Jam.  YUM YUM.

So, if you have been wondering about chocolate, or perhaps wondering what you want to get your significant other for the upcoming Valentine’s Day, I hope that I have been able to provide more than a few ideas.  And, if you have felt guilty at all about eating chocolate–don’t!  You just may be doing yourself a favor.