Dove Chocolate Is actually good for you on several levels!

Chocolate is a universally loved food, regardless of what form it is in. The first people who used chocolate as food were the Maya and Aztec, who mixed ground cacao seeds with various seasonings to make a drink. Eventually, the Spanish conquistadors brought cacao back to Spain. The drink made of cacao was thought to have medicinal properties. But it was so precious, only royalty and the wealthy had access to it. Luckily, supplies increased, new recipes were created.  Chocolate became the sweet, smooth, creamy confection we love so much today. This story is about Dove Chocolate and how it’s good for you. 

 

Good for your Flavinoids:

We consider chocolate to be a treat and a treasure. But it’s actually good for you on several levels. While chocolate does have its share of fat, calories, and sugar, it also is heart-healthy, thanks to flavonoids. Flavonoids are in foods and beverages including chocolate, and they act as antioxidants to our bodies. Flavonoids repair damage and protect from environmental toxins and help your body resist damage by “free radicals” (formed by breathing, environmental pollutants, and even cigarette smoke). If you don’t have enough antioxidants in your body, the “free radicals” can damage cause damage (eg. an increase in bad cholesterol, and the forming of plaque on the walls of your arteries.

Chocolates high in flavanols, therefore, can have heart-healthy bennies by improving blood flow. For chocolate lovers, the great news is that dark chocolate contains more flavonoids than any other food. It’s even higher in dark chocolate than in green and black tea, red wine, and blueberries. The levels of flavanols in chocolate directly relate to the amount of natural cocoa in a product and the beans must be roasted for just the right amount of time and at the right temperature.

DOVE Brand Vitalize Chocolates

However, the real point of this post is that I recently tried products from the MARS Company that satisfy a universal craving for chocolate, contain the flavonoids you’ve just been been reading about above, taste amazing, and offer even more health benefits. The products are: DOVE Brand Vitalize Rich Dark Chocolate (“with energy-releasing B vitamins, plus cocoa flavanols”), and DOVE Brand Beautiful Smooth Milk Chocolate (“with skin-nourishing vitamins C and E, biotin and zinc”).

DOVE History:

DOVE started out as a premium ice cream bar in Chicago with a signature, rich, thick, chocolate coating. I remember when these ice-cream bars were first availabe in my local supermarket, they were always sold out by the time I got there!

When MARS acquired DOVE in 1986, they expanded the brand into a premium chocolate brand. With the addition of DOVE Vitalize Rich Dark Chocolate and DOVE Beautiful Smooth Milk Chocolate, my favorite treat has become even more sophisticated. The flavanols are in the chocolate. But what’s new is the addition of skin-nourishing ingredients. These include Vitamins C&E, Biotin and Zinc (popular in many skin creams). Also the heart-healthy and energizing B Vitamins.

Eat chocolate and do good things for your body–now that’s what I call a: “yummyceutical!”

If all of this good-for-you information isn’t of interest, just try a DOVE chocolate. The taste will make you a believer. I tried the Dove Beautiful Smooth Milk Chocolate. The silky-smooth square of super-smooth, super-rich chocolate literally melts in your mouth–you can’t help but smile. It’s the perfect after-dinner or before bedtime treat. Each foil-wrapped square has 220 calories and 120 from fat (the Vitalize dark chocolate has 210 calories and 140 from fat). Just one square satisfies enough to send you to chocolate Nirvana for the night. Of course, they’re great during the daytime, too.

These wonderful DOVE chocolates should be cropping up in your local stores.