Comments on: The Brain Drink http://www.healthyfellow.com/204/the-brain-drink/ Your Natural Health Critic Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:34:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: JP http://www.healthyfellow.com/204/the-brain-drink/comment-page-1/#comment-2184 JP Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:46:20 +0000 http://www.healthyfellow.com/?p=204#comment-2184 You're welcome! :) That reminds me ... I think it's time to make some hot cocoa! Kind regards, JP You’re welcome! :)

That reminds me … I think it’s time to make some hot cocoa!

Kind regards,

JP

]]> By: Sweden http://www.healthyfellow.com/204/the-brain-drink/comment-page-1/#comment-2183 Sweden Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:25:26 +0000 http://www.healthyfellow.com/?p=204#comment-2183 I agree, thank you for the answer! Be well! I agree, thank you for the answer! Be well!

]]> By: JP http://www.healthyfellow.com/204/the-brain-drink/comment-page-1/#comment-2179 JP Sun, 10 Jan 2010 20:24:19 +0000 http://www.healthyfellow.com/?p=204#comment-2179 Sweden, Almost all the positive research conducted on "chocolate" is based on cacao/cocoa extracts rich in natural antioxidants (mostly flavanols) or dark chocolate which is also abundant in said antioxidants. The illustration above is rather general in nature. The negatives would apply primarily to processed chocolate with added sugar that lacks the naturally occurring fiber, nutrients and phytochemicals present in cacao/cocoa or high-cocoa dark chocolate. The exception to this might be the "lead issue". This can largely be avoided by buying high quality cocoa or chocolate from manufacturers that test for heavy metal content in their products. Cocoa can have a positive effect on brain chemistry but I don't think it possesses any real life addictive potential. Cravings for chocolate likely indicate something other than an addiction such an intuitive attempt to address low blood sugar, magnesium deficiency, poor mood, etc. In my opinion, it would be hard to become obese simply by including pure cocoa into one's diet - even with added honey. Having said that, I personally prefer sweetening my hot cocoa with calorie-free stevia. Be well! JP Sweden,

Almost all the positive research conducted on “chocolate” is based on cacao/cocoa extracts rich in natural antioxidants (mostly flavanols) or dark chocolate which is also abundant in said antioxidants.

The illustration above is rather general in nature. The negatives would apply primarily to processed chocolate with added sugar that lacks the naturally occurring fiber, nutrients and phytochemicals present in cacao/cocoa or high-cocoa dark chocolate. The exception to this might be the “lead issue”. This can largely be avoided by buying high quality cocoa or chocolate from manufacturers that test for heavy metal content in their products.

Cocoa can have a positive effect on brain chemistry but I don’t think it possesses any real life addictive potential. Cravings for chocolate likely indicate something other than an addiction such an intuitive attempt to address low blood sugar, magnesium deficiency, poor mood, etc.

In my opinion, it would be hard to become obese simply by including pure cocoa into one’s diet – even with added honey. Having said that, I personally prefer sweetening my hot cocoa with calorie-free stevia.

Be well!

JP

]]> By: Sweden http://www.healthyfellow.com/204/the-brain-drink/comment-page-1/#comment-2177 Sweden Sun, 10 Jan 2010 15:20:44 +0000 http://www.healthyfellow.com/?p=204#comment-2177 Thanks for writing this interesting post! One question though, cocoa and chocolate is not the same thing, right? Cocoa is the powder produced from the cocoa bean while chocolate is a mixture of cocoa powder and sugar + a lot of other ingredients. So for the picture above that illustrates the positive and negative effects of chocolate in the human body, is it really fair to say that it has the same effects for just cocoa to? I mean, can you get addicted to cocoa powder? Hasn't that a lot to do with the sugar most people add to it? I don't believe you can get obese by drinking just the cocoa with water and honey... What do you think about it? :) Thanks for writing this interesting post! One question though, cocoa and chocolate is not the same thing, right? Cocoa is the powder produced from the cocoa bean while chocolate is a mixture of cocoa powder and sugar + a lot of other ingredients.

So for the picture above that illustrates the positive and negative effects of chocolate in the human body, is it really fair to say that it has the same effects for just cocoa to?

I mean, can you get addicted to cocoa powder? Hasn’t that a lot to do with the sugar most people add to it? I don’t believe you can get obese by drinking just the cocoa with water and honey… What do you think about it? :)

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