Is Eating Chocolate Daily the Secret to a Healthy Diet?

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Dr. Will Clower Ph.D., if one seeks out the right kind of chocolate, and consumes it using healthful eating behaviors, what once was decadent now can become healthy. Dr. Clower cites research that finds chocolate may boost memory, attention span, reaction time and problem-solving skills by increasing blood flow to the brain.

"People don't often associate chocolate as a health food but it is if you eat it the right way," says Dr. Clower. "Once you understand how to eat chocolate, it will open up a whole new way of eating chocolate and other foods so it becomes a way of life—not a diet. And this makes 'chocolate eating' the perfect metaphor for correct healthful eating."

Dr. Will Clower is author of "The Fat Fallacy: Applying the French Diet to the American Lifestyle" and "Path to the Mediterranean Life Style." Dr. Clower will provide his signature "Chocolate Eating Lessons" at the Marvelous Me! A Journey of Renewal weekend September 7-9, 2012 at Lakeway Resort and Spa www.marvelous-me.com.

The doctor offers some valuable lessons on the right way to eat chocolate:  

Eat the dark chocolate:  As popular as milk chocolate is, it's the dark chocolate that's healthful.  What gives chocolate its trove of amazing health properties is cocoa.  So, to gain the health benefits, choose the rich dark chocolate – the higher cocoa content the better.

Understand the benefits:  Chocolate acts like an antibiotic as well as an anti-platelet akin to aspirin.  It raises good cholesterol, lowers bad cholesterol, and its polyphenols can prevent the DNA damage that can lead to tumor formation.  Flavenoids and flavenols (compounds also found in grapes, apples, tea, and other plant/foods) are found in high concentrations in cocoa.  Flavenoids are proven to keep blood healthy, prevent cell damage and inflammation.

"The bottom line is eat small, be small," says Dr. Clower." "No real food is bad for you, if eaten in control. Healthy cultures eat rich foods like chocolate, butter, breads--all of these things and remain fabulously healthy precisely because they eat those foods in control."

Marvelous Me! A Journey of Renewal weekend happening September 7-9, 2012 at Lakeway Resort and Spa, a Four Diamond AAA resort, in Austin, Texas.  This wellness weekend is suited for women of all ages with some of the top speakers discussing such important topics as life balance, stress management and achieving optimal health results through unique seminars. For more information on the Marvelous Me! A Journey of Renewal weekend please visit www.marvelous-me.com or lakewayresortandspa.com, 512.261.6600.

ABOUT DR. WILL CLOWER
Dr. Clower's breakthrough work has been featured everywhere from The View with Barbara Walters, Fox TV, CBS' Up To The Minute and ABC News, to USA Today, The New York Times, Readers Digest, and Cosmopolitan.  His work has also garnered recommendations by such luminaries as Julia Child, Peter Mayle, Dr. Dean Edell and Susan Loomis.

He has applied his knowledge of neuroscience to explain how people living the Mediterranean lifestyle enjoy rich, healthy foods and still be thinner than Americans. He has also been awarded the "Healthy School Hero" for his contributions to the Action For Healthy Kids Organization, which aims to reduce childhood obesity by raising the nutrition and activity standards in our nation's schools. Further details on Dr. Clower can be found at www.willclower.com.

SOURCE Dr. Will Clower