The Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

It's Good for the Body and Soul

This is my standard closing for all of my Cindy Sheehan’s Soapbox Substack Newsletter:

SEND CHECK/MONEY ORDER/CASH/DARK CHOCOLATE:

CINDY SHEEHAN’S SOAPBOX, LLC

PO BOX 6264

VACAVILLE CA 95696

Even though the dark chocolate part was intended to be slightly tongue-in-cheek, I do love the rich taste of dark chocolate, and it is the one treat, that as long as you don’t go cuckoo bananas and eat too much, is actually very beneficial to ones health.

So, imagine my absolute delight when I went to my PO box yesterday and there was a heavy package! Because of my financial problems lately, I knew I hadn’t ordered anything, so it was a genuine surprise when I opened the package and there were FIVE ORGANIC, GOURMET dark chocolate bars from my friend and Soapbox supporter Gail G!

This wonderful “donation” made me recall all of the things I have learned about the magnificent cacao plant and the delicious, yet very healthy, properties of cacao. My daughter and I call dark chocolate our “vitamins,” pronounced the British way with a short “i.”

I love sweets, but I don’t love the inflammation that comes with a heavy sugar intake. For me, it’s when my thumb joint starts to ache, I reassess and readjust my sugar/carb intake. The average USAian consumes 57 pounds of sugar every year! Sugar and other simple carbs can cause this inflammatory response which causes high levels of insulin to be pushed into cells, which could give cancer cells a more friendly environment to reproduce (check it out, I am not a doctor and I don’t even play one on tv—just a regular person dedicated to healthy immune systems for myself and others) more rapidly. Geez, no wonder, the co-morbidities for this country are OFF THE HOOK! (Read labels and assess the hidden sugar ingredients ending in “ose,” and avoid high fructOSE corn syrup like the plague).

For thousands of years, Central and South American civilizations prepared a chocolaty drink called ka’kao – the drink of the Gods. Served to kings in golden cups, this cacao beverage was prized for its energizing and restorative properties. It was passed down from generation to generation until Cortes landed in the new world and the tradition was lost. Today, chocolate or cacao is making a big comeback. We’re not talking about Hershey’s chocolate here.  We’re talking clean pure dark and unprocessed cacao in the form of cacao powder, cacao nibs, or brewed cacao that retains its nutrients and can give you amazing health and wellness benefits. 

One of the many lifestyle co-morbidites attributed to “covid” deaths is type-2 diabetes. Good news for dark chocolate lovers: polyphenols in dark chocolate may improve insulin sensitivity, or how well insulin works in the body. This quality may help control blood sugar, according to research published in Endocrine Abstracts. Such improved insulin sensitivity may delay, or even prevent, the onset of diabetes in adult populations who are not already diabetic. A quip I often make is that the only two things the US produces any longer are: weapons and type-2 diabetes. Avoiding cancer, diabetes, cognitive decline, and heart disease are some of the reasons I try to live as healthy a lifestyle as I am able to on my budget and in this sick society.

The properties of the cacao plant have been shown to expand arteries—therefore being good for ones heart health. (Maybe covax recipients should add some high quality dark chocolate into their daily routines?).

Red wine, tea, and apples are high in anti-oxidants which protect our cells from the premature aging, and debilitating disease of villainous free radicals. Dark chocolate is also high in anti-oxidants.

Eating dark chocolate may help reduce your chances of accumulating the harmful lipoprotein: LDL and even increase your production of HDL—-the good lipoprotein or cholesterol.

Dark chocolate has a glycemic index of 23—which is why it does not cause a spike in blood sugar levels. In contrast, a Snickers bar has a glycemic index of 68, and honey checks in at 87! Consequently, dark chocolate is a good snack that is capable of satisfying without being filling because of its natural ability to suppress appetite. So next time you are having the munchies, reach for a chunk of dark chocolate, and not that bag of Doritos, or Snickers.

At this stage in my life, a very exciting element for me of dark chocolate is that it is high in flavenols that are an excellent brain booster by promoting and improving blood flow to our brains which could prevent Joe Biden disease by improving our cognitive functions.

I could go on and on about this versatile and beneficial treat, but holistically, we are not just our physical health—we need to balance our spiritual, emotional, and mental health, as well. With so many new and exciting studies that are showing the immensely important connection between gut and brain health, we need to make sure we are protecting and promoting health in all these aspects of our lives.

Not only does it have physical health benefits, dark chocolate can also be good for your mood! It seems when we are into healthy lifestyles we always hear, “it’s bad for you!” Well, in dark chocolate we have something that is beneficial to most of us and can also satisfy our soul’s craving for something yummy and can remind us of when it wasn’t so hard to stay healthy. The natural flavonoids in dark chocolate boost the "good mood" transmitters in the brain and raise brain levels of endorphins. Grab those endorphins!

I love to put a square, or piece on my tongue and just let it melt into my cells!

(I am not being paid or affiliated with any organization that profits off of or promotes dark chocolate, just a fan-girl).

Thanks, Gail G.!

SEND CHECK/MONEY ORDER/CASH/DARK CHOCOLATE:

CINDY SHEEHAN’S SOAPBOX, LLC

PO BOX 6264

VACAVILLE CA 95696