Think chocolate with Natural Solutions

Think chocolate with Natural Solutions
	Who doesn't love a good chocolate cake once in awhile? Or how about hot chocolate in the winter? Here at Natural Solutions we sure love a good dose of chocolate too. Find out how chocolate can be good for you heart health and overall health. Then- the next time you have a hankering for some chocolatey goodness you don't have to feel guilty! Or don't feel guilty about raiding your children (or grandchildren's) Halloween candy!
	Health By Chocolate
	If you think steamed spinach is the most mouthwatering health food, you may want to reconsider. A candy bar's worth of dark chocolate, or 100 grams, has just as many antioxidants as 100 grams each of spinach, prunes, raisins, kale, and brussels sprouts, combined. According to Jeff Hurst, PhD, principal scientist at The Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition, cacao, the plant responsible for dark chocolate's delights, contains more than 700 compounds, including 26 known anti-inflammatories, 14 antiseptics, 12 analgesics, and two anesthetics. Learn more about why cacao is the new broccoli.
	For the Love of Chocolate
	Yep, that's right, chocolate: that oh-so-indulgent treat that makes women around the world swoon. But it's not the milk chocolate candy bar or the box of chocolate-covered cherries that best support your heart. It's the dark and cocoa powder varieties that work best. When you surf the shelves for the best chocolate, keep this in mind: Chocolate is basically made of cocoa solids, cocoa butter, and sugar. The percentage you see on the front of the package is the ratio of cocoa and cocoa butter compared to the rest of the ingredients. Be heart healthy- have some dark chocolate!
	Cacao Craze
	Nestled among the flora of steamy equatorial forests across the world, the Theobroma cacao tree can be found sprouting leathery, seemingly useless pods. However, inside these red, brown, or green football-shaped pods are precious cacao beans full of flavanoids and antioxidant polyphenols. Raw beans have little taste. Cacao, not to be confused with cocoa, refers to the tree and unfermented bean. Conversely, cocoa is the fermented bean used in the making of chocolate. It's the fermentation process that gives cocoa its complex flavor. Crack open the pod of powerful antioxidants.
	Dark Chocolate Dates and Truffles
	Don't feel guilty- go ahead indulge! Make these delicious chocolate treats for your next party, or just for fun! Click here to learn more.