Dark chocolate: benefits and calories

Question: Is there a supplement that one can take that gives you the same benefits as dark
chocolate, without the calories of the chocolate? Also, would you know any
good supplements for high blood pressure?

Answer: One good thing about dark chocolate is that it's effective in very small amounts. As an antioxidant, it's 7 times stronger than the "next best" antioxidant - blueberries!

Another good thing is, remove the added sugar - and you'll have even stronger "power food" for a calorie. The problem is, in sugar-free chocolates, they add sugar alcohol, which do have calories. The alternative is using unsweetened dark cocoa powder to cook with (see some suggestions below) -- it has most calories from fat, not carbs.

The fats in dark chocolate are mostly heart-healthy monounsaturated fats also found in olive oil polyunsaturated) and those found in palm and coconut oils. Though being saturated, they are so called medium-chain fats shown to be beneficial in low carbohydrate diets.

Read more:

1. For a quick and easy chocolate fix
2. Caramel Chocolate Crunch --The first "Bites" candy ever created for the low-carb and low-glycemic lifestyles
3. Is Chocolate Healthy?
4. Chocolate's Sweet Rewards
5. Low Carb Chocolate Cake Recipe

Tanya Zilberter, PhD