Healthy chocolate — Dream or reality?

Healthy chocolate — Dream or reality?
By Mayo Clinic staff

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Original Article:http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-chocolate/AN02060/?utm_source=FeaturedTopic&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=HouseCall&pubDate=February%208,%202010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With Mayo Clinic nutritionist
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
read biography close window
Biography of
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As a specialty editor for the Food & Nutrition Center, Katherine Zeratsky helps you sort through the facts and figures, the fads and the hype to learn more about nutrition and diet.

A Marinette, Wis., native, she is certified in dietetics by the state of Minnesota and the American Dietetic Association. She has been with Mayo Clinic since 1999.

She is active in nutrition-related curriculum and course development in pediatrics at Mayo Clinic Rochester and nutrition education related to the physiology and recommended intakes for premature infants.

Other areas of interest include breast milk and formula safety, neonatal feeding, and nutrition for breast-feeding mothers.

She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served a dietetic internship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and worked as a registered dietitian and health risk counselor at ThedaCare of Appleton, Wis., before joining the Mayo Clinic staff.
Nutrition basics (26)
Alkaline water: Better than plain water?

Energy drinks: Do they really boost energy?

Monosodium glutamate (MSG): Is it harmful?

see all in Nutrition basics
Healthy diets (9)
Canola oil: Does it contain toxins?

Water after meals: Does it disturb digestion?

Diverticulitis diet: Should I avoid nuts and seeds?

see all in Healthy diets
Healthy cooking (8)
E. coli: How can I tell if food is contaminated?

Canned pumpkin: Better than fresh?

Moldy cheese: Is it unsafe to eat?

see all in Healthy cooking
Healthy menus and shopping strategies (7)
Calories in sushi: What are the low-cal options?

Vegetable juice: As good as whole vegetables?

Buying beef? A guide to choosing the leanest cuts

see all in Healthy menus and shopping strategies
Nutritional supplements (14)
Percent Daily Value: What does it mean?

Multivitamins: Do young children need them?

Calcium supplements: Should they be taken with meals?

see all in Nutritional supplements

Nominated for a Webby Award!

Vote for MayoClinic.com by clicking here! Mayo Clinic Health ManagerGet free personalized health guidance for you and your family.

Get Started Free
E-Newsletters
Subscribe to receive the latest updates on health topics.
About our newsletters

Housecall
Alzheimer's caregiving
Living with cancer



close window
About our e-newsletters
Free e-newsletters
Mayo Clinic expertise
We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.


Housecall Archives RSS Feeds
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
Free weekly e-newsletter
Mayo Clinic expertise
Recipes, tools and other helpful information
We do not share your e-mail address
Sign up
View past issues
Question
Healthy chocolate — Dream or reality?Can chocolate be good for my health?
Answer
from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
Healthy chocolate sounds like a dream come true, but chocolate hasn't gained the status of health food quite yet. Still, chocolate's reputation is on the rise, as a growing number of studies suggest that it can be a heart-healthy choice.

Chocolate and its main ingredient, cocoa, appear to reduce risk factors for heart disease. Flavanols in cocoa beans have antioxidant effects that reduce cell damage implicated in heart disease. Flavanols also help lower blood pressure and improve vascular function. Dark chocolate contains more flavanols than does milk chocolate. One caveat: The evidence for the healthy benefits of flavanol-rich chocolate comes mostly from short-term and uncontrolled studies. More research will be needed to confirm chocolate's role in heart health.

In the meantime, if you want to add chocolate to your diet, do so in moderation. Why? Most commercial chocolate has ingredients that add fat, sugar and calories. And too much can contribute to weight gain, a risk factor for high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.

Choose dark chocolate with cocoa content of 65 percent or higher. Limit yourself to no more than 3 ounces (85 grams) a day, which is the amount shown in studies to be helpful. Because this amount may provide up to 450 calories, you may want to cut calories in other areas or step up the exercise to compensate.

Next question
Yerba mate: Is it safe to drink?See AlsoHand Scheduled
Section Focus
Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet

Water: How much should you drink every day?

Nutrition Facts: An interactive guide to food labels

Added sugar: Don't get sabotaged by sweeteners

Sodium: Are you getting too much?

Food pyramid: An option for better eating

Artificial sweeteners: A safe alternative to sugar?

Alcohol use: Why moderation is key

Caffeine: How much is too much?

Dietary fats: Know which types to choose

Alkaline water: Better than plain water?

Calorie calculator

Slide show: 10 great health foods for eating well

Energy drinks: Do they really boost energy?

Monosodium glutamate (MSG): Is it harmful?

Nutrition rating system: What's behind the new food labels?

Multigrain vs. whole grain: Which is healthier?

Yerba mate: Is it safe to drink?

Caffeine: Is it dehydrating or not?

Coffee and health: What does the research say?

Underweight? See how to add pounds healthfully

High-fiber foods

Diet soda: Is it bad for you?

Grape juice: Same heart benefits as wine?

Olive oil: What are the health benefits?

Fat grams, calories or percentages: Which are more important?

Phenylalanine in diet soda: Is it harmful?

Healthy diet: End the guesswork with these nutrition guidelines

Water softeners: How much sodium do they add?

High-fructose corn syrup: What are the concerns?

Low-sodium diet: Why is processed food so salty?

Stevia: Is it available in the United States?

Taurine in energy drinks: What is it?

High-protein diets: Are they safe?

Acai berry products: What are the health benefits?

Omega-6 fatty acids: Can they cause heart disease?

Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid tool

Healthy skin: What role does diet play?

Trans fat is double trouble for your heart health

Cholesterol: The top 5 foods to lower your numbers

Nuts and your heart: Eating nuts for heart health

Can whole-grain foods lower blood pressure?

Slide show: Guide to portion control for weight loss

Junk food blues: Are depression and diet related?

Related Links