"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson



My morning started off well yesterday when I read in the newspaper that "Cocoa may have cognitive benefits."  http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/04/2983409/cocoa-may-have-cognitive-benefits.html.  I know that eating a small piece of dark chocolate each day is good for our hearts and that it is full of antioxidants, thus helping rid our bodies of free radicals.  And now research published in the American Heart Association journal, "Hypertension," reports that older subjects given a daily drink with intermediate to high amounts of cocoa had higher overall cognitive scores, lower insulin resistance, and lower blood pressure and oxidative stress than those given smaller amounts.

Dark chocolate can also reduce the risk of stroke in men and women.  It is a rich source of flavenoids, the same plant-based polyphenols found in fruits, vegetables, red wine, and legumes, and can thus reduce inflammation throughout the body.  Additionally, it can reduce the aggregation of platelets causing blood clots which cut off blood supply to the brain or the heart.

Everything in moderation, however, because chocolate is also high in fat and calories.  But, with fall approaching, it is soothing to know that we can curl up at night with a good book and a healthy cup of hot cocoa and not feel guilty (low sugar, of course)! ♥