February being the month of Valentine’s day, two things that jump to mind are “Hearts and Chocolates”! Why is that so? There are many stories about how Valentine’s Day came into existence to be celebrated and the tie-up with chocolate . I can only imagine if the connection with V-Day had been with something other than chocolate – perhaps something like Broccoli, Spinach or anything else you are averse to; maybe even visiting your mother-in-law …Am sure candy sales and celebration of V-Day would have declined considerably !!)

Anyways, getting back to the story of Valentine’s Day - Each year on February 14th, many people exchange cards, candy, gifts or flowers with their special “valentine.” The day of romance we call Valentine’s Day is named to commemorate the death and burial of a Christian martyr named Saint Valentine and dates back to the 5th century, but has origins in the Roman holiday Lupercalia as well. According to history, Saint Valentine was imprisoned and sent his first “Love note” signed as “From your Valentine”. Notes became cards (which got fancier) , laced ribbons, clothing, and now currently is meant to be “what women want most” – which is jewelry and/or chocolates.

I’d like to touch upon some facts and myths about chocolate (especially Dark Chocolate, if I may) relating to the heart. Dark chocolate is an energy-rich food that provides about 170 - 200 calories per ounce. Depending on the amount of sweetener and fat used while making the chocolate, the actual intake of sugars and fat could vary. Cacao is the main ingredient in dark chocolate. The flavanols extractable from the cacao have been studied extensively and proven to support  the vascular system or blood circulation. Studies have shown that eating dark chocolate two or three times a week helps prevent hardening of arteries (and this reduces incidence of strokes), improves blood flow and prevents blood clots (and these will help reduce heart attacks). With all this benefits to the circulation and blood flow, it indirectly helps lower blood pressure too.

Study has found that dark chocolate also has positive effects in lowering one of the “bad cholesterol” in our blood called LDL cholesterol (Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol). Additionally, dark chocolate improves blood Insulin level which in turn has positive effects in controlling blood sugar levels (great news for Diabetics !). Dark chocolate is a low glycemic index food which means it will not cause spikes in the blood sugar levels. Albeit all the greatness of dark chocolate mentioned above, it suffices to say that it is very important to eat in moderation, as with anything else. You can stack on calories and fat without realizing it if you go on a chocolate binge.

Another important fact that has been brought to light is that dark chocolate seems to promote anti-oxidant levels in the blood. Anti-oxidants are destroyers of free radicals, certain molecules implicated in heart disease and strokes. Anti-oxidants have gained more popularity recently with their role in decreasing risk of cancer and slowing down the process of aging. I think this last piece of “reversing/ slowing aging process” is probably the best gift for any Valentine !

With that, I will conclude my charade of outlining positive traits of dark chocolate on health.

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