Antioxidants

Dark chocolate contains several compounds that possesses antioxidant prop­erties, such as flavanols and polyphenols. Antioxidants neutralise free radicals and prevent oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress refers to the damage that excessive amounts of free radicals can inflict on cells and tissues in the body.

Oxidative stress contributes to the natural aging pro­cess. Over time, the effects of ox­idative stress may also contribute to the development of a variety of diseas­es.

Heart disease risk

Regularly eating dark chocolate helps reduce a person’s likelihood of develop­ing heart disease. Some of the compounds in dark chocolate, specifically flava­nols, affect two major risk factors for heart disease: high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Blood pres­sure

The flavanols in dark chocolate stimulate nitric oxide pro­duction in the body. Nitric oxide causes blood ves­sels to dilate, or widen, which improves blood flow and lowers blood pressure.

Cholesterol

Dark chocolate also con­tains certain compounds, such as polyphenols and theobromine that may lower levels of low-den­sity lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the body and increase lev­els of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Doctors often refer to LDL cholesterol as “bad cholesterol” and HDL cholesterol as “good cholesterol.

Anti-inflamma­tory effects

Inflammation is part of the body’s natural immune response to germs and other harmful substances. However, chronic inflammation can damage cells and tissues and may increase the risk of some health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, arthritis, and certain types of cancer.

Dark chocolate contains compounds with anti-inflam­matory properties that may help reduce inflammation in the body.

Insulin resistance

Insulin resistance occurs when the body’s cells stop responding to the hormone insulin. Insulin resistance can cause abnormally high levels of blood glucose, which can lead to prediabe­tes and type 2 diabetes.

Brain function

Eating dark chocolate may improve brain function and help prevent neurode­generative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

The findings of a small 2018 study Trusted Source suggest that the flavanols present in dark chocolate may enhance neuroplasti­city, which is the brain’s ability to reorganise itself, particularly in response to injury and disease.

Ingredients

• 300 grams of cowpea (dehusked) flour

• 200 ml of oil (for deep frying)

• 20 grams of ginger

• 10 grams of fresh or dry hot pepper

• 50 grams of onion (op­tional)

• 2 tablespoonfuls of salt

• 1000 ml water

Preparation

-Wash, peel ginger, hot pep­per, onion (Grind or blend)

-Mix water with cowpea flour and beat until mixture is fluffy

 -Add ground spices (ginger, hot pepper and onion) and salt to cowpea flour in bits and continue to beat

-Add water and stir to mix evenly and to obtain a soft dropping consistency cooking

-Put oil on fire and add chopped onions

-Drop mixture by spoonfuls in the hot oil and fry, turn­ing occasionally until golden brown (frying may take about three minutes)

– Take the cakes from hot oil, drain in a colander and place on kitchen paper to extract excess oil

• Serve hot with corn, millet or sorghum porridge or alone as a snack

 By Linda Abrefi Wadie