Pick up know-how for tackling diseases, pests and weeds.
Farm bill, farm marketing, agribusiness webinars, & farm policy.
Find tactics for healthy livestock and sound forages.
Scheduling and methods of irrigation.
Explore our Extension locations around the state.
Commercial row crop production in Arkansas.
Agriculture weed management resources.
Use virtual and real tools to improve critical calculations for farms and ranches.
Learn to ID forages and more.
Explore our research locations around the state.
Get the latest research results from our county agents.
Our programs include aquaculture, diagnostics, and energy conservation.
Keep our food, fiber and fuel supplies safe from disaster.
Private, Commercial & Non-commercial training and education.
Specialty crops including turfgrass, vegetables, fruits, and ornamentals.
Find educational resources and get youth engaged in agriculture.
Gaining garden smarts and sharing skills.
Creating beauty in and around the home.
Maintenance calendar, and best practices.
Coaxing the best produce from asparagus to zucchini.
What’s wrong with my plants? The clinic can help.
Featured trees, vines, shrubs and flowers.
Ask our experts plant, animal, or insect questions.
Enjoying the sweet fruits of your labor.
Herbs, native plants, & reference desk QA.
Growing together from youth to maturity.
Crapemyrtles, hydrangeas, hort glossary, and weed ID databases.
Get beekeeping, honey production, and class information.
Grow a pollinator-friendly garden.
Schedule these timely events on your gardening calendar.
Equipping individuals to lead organizations, communities, and regions.
Guiding communities and regions toward vibrant and sustainable futures.
Guiding entrepreneurs from concept to profit.
Position your business to compete for government contracts.
Find trends, opportunities and impacts.
Providing unbiased information to enable educated votes on critical issues.
Increase your knowledge of public issues & get involved.
Research-based connection to government and policy issues.
Support Arkansas local food initiatives.
Read about our efforts.
Preparing for and recovering from disasters.
Licensing for forestry and wildlife professionals.
Preserving water quality and quantity.
Cleaner air for healthier living.
Firewood & bioenergy resources.
Managing a complex forest ecosystem.
Read about nature across Arkansas and the U.S.
Learn to manage wildlife on your land.
Soil quality and its use here in Arkansas.
Learn to ID unwanted plant and animal visitors.
Timely updates from our specialists.
Eating right and staying healthy.
Ensuring safe meals.
Take charge of your well-being.
Cooking with Arkansas foods.
Making the most of your money.
Making sound choices for families and ourselves.
Nurturing our future.
Get tips for food, fitness, finance, and more!
Understanding aging and its effects.
Giving back to the community.
Managing safely when disaster strikes.
Listen to our latest episode!
TEXARKANA, Ark. –
Cupid's arrow has struck the sweet tooth of chocolate lovers this Valentine’s Day holiday. According to the U.S. Food Market Outlook for 2018, Valentine's Day is the third biggest holiday for the $22 billion U.S. chocolate candy industry. If you plan to buy chocolates for your loved one for Valentine’s Day, you won’t sabotage their New Year’s resolution to improve their health because the latest research information says chocolate may actually be good for you.
Researchers have found the main flavonoids found in cocoa are associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. Flavonoids are naturally occurring compounds found in plant-based foods that provide us with antioxidants. Cocoa contains the same nutrients found in other plant foods, including minerals and specific antioxidants that help ward off diseases such as heart disease.
Antioxidants help the body’s cells resist damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are the bad guys. They are the things we want to reduce in our body that cause plague formation on arterial walls and leads to increases in LDL-cholesterol levels.
Not all chocolate carries the same amounts of possible health benefits. There are certain forms of chocolate that seem to promote more health benefits than others. When cocoa is processed into your favorite candy or chocolate product, it goes through several processing steps in order to produce a product the consumer will eat. During processing, flavonoids are lost. So the more the chocolate is processed, the less flavonoids it will have, therefore, reducing any possible health benefits.
Dark chocolates seem to have the highest level of flavonoids, because they have gone through few processing steps. On the other hand, milk chocolate is processed many times and therefore many of the flavonoids are missing.
Milk chocolate is made by adding dry milk to sweetened chocolate. To be classified as milk chocolate it must contain at least 12 percent milk solids and 10 percent chocolate liquor.
Manufacturers are currently looking at ways to keep flavonoid levels high in all types of chocolate. Until they develop a process that does this, dark chocolate candy and baking products promote the highest level of possible health benefits.
While this is great news for chocolate lovers, it doesn’t mean that you should consume all the dark chocolate that you want, and consider it a health food. Caution still must be maintained as it relates to the amount of fat found in chocolate. The fat in dark chocolate has equal amounts of monounsaturated fat, the heart healthy fat and saturated fat, the fat we want to avoid.
In fact, according to the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, 1 dark chocolate candy bar contains 5.51 grams of total fat, 8 grams of sugar, 85 milligrams of potassium, and 90 calories.
All of this good news may leave you wishing you could trade places with Lucille Ball in that famous television scene where she is working on the assembly line eating all those chocolate candies. While we may be tempted to eat the whole box of chocolate candy we receive, it makes better sense, health wise, to enjoy it over time.
As with all foods, we still should consume chocolate in small amounts and balance it with healthy foods rich in vitamins and minerals. Keep in mind that we have to make wise choices in any foods, including sweets that we eat. We have to keep in mind the additional fat and calories supplied by the ingredients in the total piece of candy.
For more information, contact the Miller County Extension Office, 870-779-3609 or visit us in room 215 at the Miller County Courthouse. We're online at cdue@uada.edu, on Facebook at UAEXMillerCountyFCS, on Twitter @MillerCountyFCS or on the web at uaex.uada.edu/Miller.
By Carla Due County Extension Agent - FCSThe Cooperative Extension ServiceU of A System Division of Agriculture
Media Contact: Carla Due County Extension Agent - FCSU of A Division of AgricultureCooperative Extension Service400 Laurel Street, Suite 215 Texarkana AR 71854 (870) 779-3609 cdue@uada.edu
The Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact your County Extension office (or other appropriate office) as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay. The Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.