Weigh In: Hop your heart out

Hop your heart out

Me and the Easter Bunny don’t always get along so well. He gets on my nerves, happily hopping around spreading joy and Almond Joys. All the while I’m dreading our inevitable encounter. I know Easter is supposed to be a day of sacred celebration and egg decorating, but it really just turns into a day of temptation for me. Because there’s chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate. Everywhere.

So I was delighted to find out the evil Easter Bunny isn’t all that bad. According to a recent study, he’s got our hearts in mind when he fills our baskets with bon bons.

German researchers have found that a bit of chocolate every day may lower your risk of having a heart attack or stroke by 40%. They believe flavonols in the chocolate help the muscles in blood vessels widen, which lowers blood pressure.

The key here is “a bit” of chocolate – 6 grams to be exact.

How many grams are in a Cadbury Creme Egg? Or three. Just asking. Not for myself, or anything.

But thankfully these “experts” have also warned us that eating large amounts of chocolate could lead to weight gain.*

"This is not a prescription to eat more chocolate," said Dr. Robert Eckel, a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado. Bugger. Eckel knows me too well.

So, go enjoy a bit – 6 grams – of chocolate on Sunday, guilt-free. You’re eating for your health!

*Duh.

Labels: chocolate, Easter, Easter bunny, health

This entry was posted by kate, on Thursday, April 1, 2010. You can leave your response .

Hop your heart out

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“Hop your heart out”