Hear the word mushroom and you probably think fungi but the word healthy should come to mind; mushrooms are proving to be healthy for both your colon and your heart.

Lynn Goldstein, MS, RD, CDN, a dietitian at Weill Cornell Medical Center states that mushrooms are a very healthy and tasty addition to your favorite dishes. They are low in calories, very low in sodium and fat, and a good source of potassium, riboflavin, niacin, selenium, and high in fiber.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found white button, crimini, portobello, maitake, shiitake, and enoki to be rich in heart healthy dietary fibers. Portobello and Crimini mushrooms contain oligosaceharides (sugar molecules) only partially digestible and are considered prebiotic (meaning they promote the growth of healthful bacteria in the colon. 

For the sake of your heart and your colon - eat a mushroom.    

Over the past 10 yeas studies suggest that the compounds in dark chocolate, flavonoids, have cardiovascular and other potential health benefits. It is thought that the antioxidant, anti-clotting, and anti-inflammatory effects make dark chocolate heart friendly.

Most of the fat found naturally in chocolate is saturated but more than half of that fat is stearic acid, this has a neutral effect on blood cholesterol.

Unfortunately the chocolate bars we have all grown to love is not the healthful chocolate; chocolate used in these studies is cocoa, baking chocolate, or specially formulated dark chocolate.

Even though no one is ready to declare chocolate a health food the University of California, Berkely says “there still may be some health benefits to an ounce or so of chocolate a day”.  

Tips on how to choose the most healthful chocolate

• Look for chocolate that list cocoa beans (or some variation such as cocoa, chocolate liquior, or cocoa mass) as the first ingredient – not sugar. 60 to 75% cocoa is the content to aim for. The darker the chocolate, the less room for sugar.
• Check serving size - a 3oz. bar may contain as much as 450 calories and 30 grams of fat.
• Ingredients like nuts and dried fruit are healthful, carmel and bacon are not. According to this article there is a chocolate bar that contains bacon.
• Cocoa powder is highest in cocoa solids and has more flavonoids if it is not Dutch or alkali-processed.
• White chocolate is not real chocolate — it has no cocoa or flavonoids — just cocoa butter, sugar, and flavorings.

Source: Article from he Wellness Letter, University of California, Berkeley