Candy- The Healing Benefits of Sweets!
Do you try and resist that urge to indulge in a piece of candy or two?
Are you helpless around chocolate or hard candies (butterscotch or peppermint)?
Well relax, according to researchers a few pieces a day can actually benefit
your health, still not convinced, continue reading.
a) Nutty Candy-
Reduce Your Belly-
Candy like Reese’s Pieces, Reese’s Peanut Butter cups or a Snickers bar,
contain protein and monounsaturated fats which help shuts down appetites.
And a reduction in appetite means a cut in caloric intake and better control
of your blood sugar, prompting less fat accumulation in the belly area.
Your Rx: Eat a few peanut M&M’s, or 1 peanut butter cup or a snickers bar
3 to 5 times a week.
b) Any Type of Candy-
Resist Other Sweet Treats.
If you have trouble resisting that pan of brownies, donuts at Dunkin
or chocolate chip cookies, you may need a few pieces of hard candies,
(butterscotch) or soft candies, (Swedish Fish Red or Sour Patch Kids)
instead. Researches say a little bit of candy (any type) can help you avoid
overindulging with a baked good or other treats loaded with calories.
Your Rx: Buy some hard candies or soft candies, and separate them
by placing a few pieces in small plastic bags, and each day or every
other day, eat a few pieces.
c) Milk Chocolate-
Sweets For Your Brain.
If you’re bullied and made to feel guilty about choosing milk chocolate
over its superior cousin, (dark chocolate) push back and continue to
indulge. Researches say thanks to the milk and small amount of sugar
in milk chocolate, you’ll be able to remember things and organize and
track information a little bit faster. Compounds in this type of candy
(flavonols) work to send a quick stream of energizing glucose to your
brain.
Your Rx: Have a few chocolate kisses, a Milky Way bar or a box of Raisinets
2 to 4 times a week.
d) Dark Chocolate-
Lower Heart Attack and Stroke Risks.
Considered the Mercedes or BMW’s of the candy world, people who indulge
are 45% less likely to have a stroke and 27% less likely to have a heart attack.
Credit goes to dark chocolate’s abundance of flavonols, compounds that reduce
blood pressure and blood vessel-harming free radical damage.
Another benefit: Researchers say those who enjoy a little candy
outlive those who avoid it. Maybe it’s the lower heart attack and stroke risk
that helps you live longer.
Your Rx: Purchase some Lindt, Trader Joe’s Pound Plus, or Ghirardelli dark chocolate
and add a few pieces to a baked treat, a fruity smoothie or eat a piece or two
by itself a few times each week.
Sources:
* Lyssa Weiss, R.D. C.D.N.
* German Researchers
* American Journal of Medicine
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