Are you descended from the Aztecs as well?
Research suggests that I, Ray Collins, am a descendant of Montezuma II – Emperor of the Aztecs.
Or maybe I was Montezuma in a past life.
I can just see myself draped in gold and feathers, sitting on a throne with an army of maidens to do my bidding. And if Montezuma’s wife was forever telling him he should give his chariot a wash and clear out the garage – then my theory is conclusive.
So why do I think I’m a long lost son of the Aztecs?
Well apparently, Montezuma drank at least 50 cups (sorry, make that goblets) of chocolate every single day. And it wasn’t just because he liked curling up in front of a stone telly at night with a cup…
He drank that much chocolate because the cocoa bean was sacred. The ancient civilisations of the Aztecs and the Mayans used to offer cocoa beans to their Gods.
Not only this… the beans were so valued, they were used as currency (can you imagine that – if we used chocolate coins in this country I’d eat my savings).
And, more importantly, these civilisations used cocoa beans for medicinal purposes.
And now it seems that, some 1,500 years on, western medicine is finally catching up…
How to prevent heart attacks with hot chocolate
Research has suggested that enjoying a traditional cup of hot chocolate at bedtime can help lower blood pressure and protect you against the threat of a heart attack.
And get this…
It can help you as effectively as prescription medicine!
Once again it shows that foods (even enjoyable, so-called ‘naughty’ foods) have the power to mend us, protect us, and fight our corner.
In chocolate’s case, it’s the polyphenols and flavanoids that seem to act as a blood-pressure regulator to protect us from heart attacks and strokes.
In this research (published in the American Medical Association’s Archives of Internal Medicine), 173 patients were studied over a course of 5 trials, 87 of whom were told to drink hot chocolate, against 86 who did not.
Out of those 5 trials, 4 showed that there was a reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure over a period of two weeks of the hot chocolate drinkers … as much as if the participants had taken a course of blood pressure medication like beta blockers!
Put simply, this study suggests that drinking hot chocolate could reduce the risk of stroke by 20%, reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 10%, and reduce the likelihood of dying by 8%.
Hot chocolate or beta blockers…?
Hmmmm, I know which one I’d choose. After all, you try topping a beta blocker with a marshmallow – it just doesn’t work the same!
Now, we all know that chocolate isn’t something that should be consumed in vast quantities.
All right, I might ignore this rule on special occasions… Christmas, Easter, birthdays, Thursdays, days when it’s raining etc etc… but the mass production of chocolate these days means there’s too much sugar and fat added to make it a truly healthy alternative.
So chocolate should still be classed as an occasional treat rather than an essential part of your diet.
But this research just goes to show – the health nags have got it all wrong. Chocolate, wine, beer, red meat, cheese… none of these taboo foods will do you any harm if enjoyed in moderation.
In fact, they’ll ALL do you some good.
Even the occasional pizza or burger won’t kill you – and if it’s something you truly enjoy, then limit yourself to one a week, but don’t ban it. Being happy and healthy is the key to a good life – not being a size zero.
