How many times have you heard you can't eat chocolate and lose weight at the same time? You may have also heard that chocolate is bad for you. Well great news is here for chocolate lovers across the globe. There is evidence now supporting the indulgence of chocolate and it's the result of scientific research not a department store promotion. There have been two studies conducted recently which concluded that there are health giving benefits in chocolate. Some of the findings were: * hot chocolate contains more than 5 times the levels of natural antioxidants as those found in black tea. * cocoa, or hot chocolate, also has more than twice the levels of antioxidants contained in green tea or red wine. * chocolate is naturally rich in flavonoids, phenolic acids, and natural antioxidants. * fat cells from lab mice produced significantly less triglycerides and fat releasing hormones when exposed to phenolic acids and flavonoids. * hot chocolate, or cocoa, has much higher levels of antioxidants, flavonoids, and phenolic acids than the usual chocolate bar or candy. * chocolate does contain fat burning properties, but consume too much chocolate and the fat grams and calories will undo any weight loss campaign. Health benefits of antioxidants. Antioxidants are being shown to have increasing health benefits. Natural antioxidants are important for good heart health, repairing damaged cells, turning back the hands of time, reducing the risk of some cancers, and reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. In addition, metabolic syndrome risks are minimized, triglycerides are reduced, fat hormone manufacturing is reduced and obesity is also reigned in. Researchers have noted that those who consume a well balanced diet high in natural antioxidants seem to have a reduced chance of suffering from weight related health problems. Of course there are other foods high in antioxidants including vegetables (they are higher usually in the more colorful), red wine, green tea, berries of course and spme seeds and nuts. Healthy Weight Loss. It is important to remember that a well balanced diet along with exercise is the real key to weight loss. Consuming chocolate alone would not be helpful in losing pounds, and there would be many other important nutrients that would be lacking. This includes foods from all groups and some lean protein. For those looking to lose weight a little chocolate is not going to sabotage your weight loss efforts. When doing your daily calculations, make sure you include fat grams, carbohydrates and calories for consideration. Chocolate has many health benefits, but a little goes a long way. You can have your chocolate cake and lose weight too, just make sure it is a small slice.
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