Make Mom Happy & Healthy With Chocolate

It's Mom's Day! And along with breakfast in bed, most lucky moms will find themselves at the receiving end of these typical gifts: "flowers …" "chocolate!" "roses…." Perfume… "…Candy…chocolate!" But are those the healthiest of gifts? Perfumes can trigger allergies or asthma, so be sure to check first. Flowers are no problem…none of the varieties you'll find at the florist's cause allergies. (nat up sneeze) It's the grasses and weeds of the world that make Mom sneeze…. But chocolate is a different matter right? Isn't it bad for Mom's teeth, skin and overall health? Not necessarily. It's true—chocolate has often been blamed for acne…yet no studies have proven a connection. It's more likely hormones and heredity are the villains in the pimple factor. Some Moms might worry that chocolate, like coffee, might give them a caffeine buzz. Yet one ounce of milk chocolate has only 7 milligrams of caffeine, while a regular cup of coffee holds 137 milligrams. And what about Mom's worry over cavities? While it's true that anything loaded with sugar will create tooth decay if teeth are not properly brushed, the tannins in chocolate may actually form a protective coating for the teeth. But the biggest reason to give your Mom a heart full of chocolate on Mother's Day is that it's good for her heart! "There is evidence that a little bit of dark chocolate can have a favorable effect on our blood vessels. It can lower our blood pressure." But being heart healthy doesn't make chocolate any better for Mom's waistline. So be sure to tell Mom to choose a small piece of dark – not white or milk chocolate—each day so she can get the heart healthy benefits of:Increasing her blood flow Improving her HDL, the "good" cholesterol Reducing her blood pressure, And increasing antioxidants in her blood. That's because cocoa contains significant amounts of plant flavonoids.—the same heart healthy antioxidants found in green tea, red wine, and various veggies and fruits. In fact one study showed a cocoa drink has almost twice the antioxidants as red wine and up to three times the amount found in green tea. Sizzle of steak cooking…. So when you give Mom her presents on her special day, tell her not to worry. This is one day when she can indulge AND stay healthy.