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<TITLE>**Health Tip for the Day**</TITLE>
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<P><I><FONT FACE="Arial">Support your heart’s health with chocolate.</FONT></I> <FONT FACE="Arial">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.<BR>
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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. Check the ingredient label as well, many chocolate manufacturers add extra sugars, preservatives, and fillings like nuts, fruits, and creams that can add extra calories you don’t need.<BR>
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Dark chocolate and cocoa powders are rich in flavonoids, which have been shown to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease and lower your blood pressure. So when you choose a chocolate bar with a higher cocoa percentage, you are also getting more flavonoids and helping your heart stay healthy. In fact, a recent study published in the</FONT><I> <FONT FACE="Arial">Archives of Internal Medicine</FONT></I> <FONT FACE="Arial">found that women who ate one serving of chocolate per week (about one ounce) were 60 percent less likely to die from heart disease. Also, their levels of carotid atherosclerotic plaques (the stuff that clogs the artery in your neck, which supplies your brain with oxygenated blood) were significantly lower.<BR>
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However, many chocolate manufacturers process the treat over and over again, causing the chocolate to lose some of its antioxidant properties. And white chocolate has no flavonoids whatsoever; it’s made with no cocoa solids at all, only cocoa butter and sugar at it’s basic level. But don’t rush out, grabbing for all the dark chocolate you can get! Women who ate chocolate every day had comparable results to those that ate it once per week.<BR>
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Remember: moderation is key, and the darker the better. If chocolate is not your thing; there are other foods rich in flavonoids, too. Try some red wine, tea, cranberries, and apples. </FONT></P>
<P><I><FONT FACE="Times New Roman">~Source, Natural Solutions</FONT></I>
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<P><B><FONT COLOR="#FF0000" SIZE=5 FACE="Franklin Gothic Book">Tai Chi Institute USA</FONT></B>
<BR><B><I><FONT COLOR="#000080" SIZE=4 FACE="Franklin Gothic Book">~The Movement of Life~</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000080" SIZE=1 FACE="Franklin Gothic Book">TM</FONT></I></B><I></I>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Franklin Gothic Book">Sifu Edward Niam</FONT>
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<BR><A HREF="http://www.taichicleveland.com"><U><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" SIZE=2 FACE="Franklin Gothic Book">www.taichicleveland.com</FONT></U></A><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Franklin Gothic Book"></FONT>
<BR><A HREF="mailto:edniam@windstream.net"><U><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" SIZE=2 FACE="Franklin Gothic Book">edniam@windstream.net</FONT></U></A>
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