Two spoonfuls of powder cocoa in every morning’s milk would have an antioxidant effect ideal for reinforcing one of the main meals of the day: breakfast. That was stated by Dr. Basilio Moreno, President of the Spanish Society for Obesity Research (SEEDO). Dr. Moreno, who is also the national coordinator of Program NAOS for good nutrition, has stated that milk with powder cocoa is the food which supplies the greatest amount of antioxidants to our diet.

According to the specialist, milk with cocoa is the usual breakfast for many Spaniards. Consuming two spoonfuls of powder cocoa each morning can help prevent cellular aging and also postpone cardiovascular diseases, plus in the case of women, symptoms of menopause, as has been stated by Moreno in his intervention “Antioxidants and Health”, recently organized in Madrid by the Tomas Pascual Institute.

But behind these good news, there are warnings. No ingredient by itself can guarantee good nutrition, and the benefits of consuming cocoa should be included in a diet that supplies other foods with a high antioxidant power, such as bread, potatoes, fruits and beans. Attending the weight unit, the greatest antioxidant effects are found in the consumption of cocoa, dried fruits and vegetables.

The expert also added the need to be modest with each food and said that, depending on the ingredient, the quantity required for an antioxidant effect varies. For illustrating this he referred to the “misinterpretation of the Mediterranean diet” and said that taking a glass of wine during lunch can be beneficial to the organism, but not “drinking a whole bottle”, as well as, in the case of obese people, the excessive intake of fried foods or oil.

Source: LatinSalud.com with data from AZprensa, 12/04/2007

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