The Rx we’ve been waiting for

Last fall, Catholic University in Italy announced that eating a small piece of dark chocolate per day – just 6.7 grams – is the optimum amount to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease by 1/3 in women and ¼ in men. Wait, did we read that right? Reduce women’s risk of heart disease by 33% by eating chocolate every day? Finally a prescription that makes sense!

According to researchers, dark chocolate has such an abundance of antioxidants, in particular flavonoids and polyphenols, that its anti-inflammatory properties are remarkable.

Romina di Giuseppe, lead author of the study said, "Our results have been absolutely encouraging: people having moderate amounts of dark chocolate regularly have significantly lower levels of C-reactive protein in their blood. In other words, their inflammatory state is considerably reduced."

The best part for us, however, is that somehow, it all makes sense. One piece of any flavor of Wei of Chocolate is just 7 grams. So go on, take care of your heart. Enjoy a little Inner Peace today. Or Inner Clarity … or Inner Delight … or Daily Gratitude … or Daily Love … or Sensual Love … mmm.

Count me in!

This week, Northumbria University in the UK released a study that showed consuming cocoa flavanols improved people’s performance on math tasks, and lessened their mental fatigue.

Actually, I’ve noticed that before. I’ll be working away on an Excel spreadsheet, trying to figure out THE formula that will make my life easier, and when I eat a piece of chocolate, whoosh! The answer will come flooding in. No kidding. Or maybe it’s the end of a long day, and you walk into the room wondering what you were looking for … if I can only remember to eat a piece of chocolate, it makes those brain neurons stretch out their little tentacles until they finally touch again, and it all becomes clear.

The kindness of chocolate … ah …

Have you ever had an experience like that?