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Hi Eric:

Eric asks: "Is chocolate actually a super food? In recent months the internet is crammed with articles that Chocolate, without added fat and sugar, is a super food loaded with antioxidants and a natural anti-depressant.
What's the recommended way to eat chocolate for alertness, feelings of love, mood elevation, and to get the benefits of its anti-oxidants? Where can unsweetened and unfattened chocolate be inexpensively aquired?"

Eric chocolate, without the added sugar and fat like you get in candy bars, is a very impressive food. It's packed with antioxidants (Flavonols) and contains more antioxidants than blueberries, red beans, and prunes which are at the top of the various antioxidant scales. Chocolate also contains
a pile of neuroactive chemicals which can be cognitively enhancing, mood elevating (PEA & Anandimide), stimulating (Therobromine & caffeine), and relaxing (Tryptophan). It's also a good source of magnesium. Because it contains PEA and Anandimide, chocolate also creates loving warm fuzzies.

The best way to consume chocolate and dodge the fat and sugar is to use cocoa powder in a beverage. It mixes well with powdered skim milk or soy milk and non-caloric sweeteners in hot water.

Research has noted some of the following health
benefits of cocoa, dark chocolate, and milk chocolate
consumption:

*Lowered blood pressure.
*Lowered cholesterol.
*Anti-aging: Antioxidant activity which blocks oxidative stress.
*Mood elevation.
*Brain protective.
*Increased alertness.
*Warm loving feelings.

"Where can unsweetened and unfattened chocolate be inexpensively aquired?"

If you're looking for inexpensive and readily available sources for unsweetened and unfatted chocolate, look no futher than your supermarket shelves where they sell unsweetened cocoa powder in either the coffee/tea area or the baking area. I use "Natural Hershey's Cocoa". It mixes quickly in hot water.

Here's some more about chocolate and it's benefits:

www.hersheys.com/nutritio...idants.asp

www.chocolateusa.org/Scie...idants.asp

www.consumerhealthjournal...colate.htm


Take care, Steve