Chocolate is hard to hate. While it is true that 10% of the population does not particularly like it, the rest love it so much that the average American eats 12 pounds of chocolate a year, and a European eats 15 pounds. Every single day, 1 billion people enjoy a chocolate treat – many not just for the taste but the health benefits.
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When eaten in moderation and in its purest form, chocolate is full of antioxidants; it reduces blood pressure and keeps cholesterol low. It can help you lose weight by decreasing your appetite, and it increases serotonin and dopamine – chemicals in the brain that make us happy.
Unfortunately, chocolate is not so easy to find pure anymore, and recent lab results have shown surprisingly high levels of toxic heavy metals in some of the world’s most prestigious brands. If you want to avoid this nasty surprise in your next chocolate bar, make sure you know what you’re buying before your next purchase.
Sources and Negative Health Effects of Lead and Cadmium
Recently, a study by As You Sow found levels of cadmium and lead, two toxic heavy metals, in 45 of 70 chocolate bar samples (including some organic brands) at levels higher than what is considered to be safe in drinking water (scroll down to see the full list of brands tested to be high in these metals)…..more here