Chocolate. Is There Anything It Can't Do?

Today's Numbers:

• Fasting Blood Glucose Level:  103 mg/dl 
• Weight:  190 lbs
• Exercise:  45 minutes on the bike
• Mood:  7.0

Today's Menu

• Breakfast:  Fruit salad of a banana, Texas Rio Star grapefruit and strawberries, last of the tofu black bean salsa stuff on a corn bread pancake. It's tasty, filling and easy to make,  recipe here. 
• Lunch: Stuff and stuff, all tied together with lots of hot sauce
• Dinner:  Red beans and rice, carrots. 
• Snacks:   Handful of almonds and dark chocolate.  Lots of dark chocolate. 

Chocolate, Is There Anything It Can't Do?

People who ate chocolate regularly have a lower body mass index (BMI) than non-chocolate eaters, according to this study. In other words, chocolate helps keep your weight down.

This is just a study that notes a correlation and it proves nothing.  One possibility mentioned are the anti-oxidants found in chocolate, but that's really just a guess.  I think a small chocolate snack is satisfying and filling and may prevent more unnecessary snacking later on, so the total calories consumed are less. Lower calories, lower weight.  Easy.

I am going to guess that dark chocolate is better than milk chocolate, milk chocolate has more fat and calories than dark, and since dark is my preferred chocolate.  I am going to add it to my regimen. 

Chocolate is a complex food with compounds that affect almost any mood or situation.  It's mental health properties have been long recognized, if that not exactly understood.   Chocolate can calm you down, mellow you out, enhance a romantic mood, sooth you, be something to celebrate with to make the good times roll, bring you up, bring you down and in general make life more fun and satisfying.  That it is also good for weight control and maybe overall physical health just makes consumption of this wonderful stuff all the more compelling.

Time for a trip to World Market and splurge, in moderation of course.  It's probably the healthiest thing I will do all day.