Dark chocolate, red wine good for heart

Dark chocolate and red wine have "positive components that are good for your heart", a new study has claimed. According to Susan Ofria from Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, red wine and dark chocolate with a cocoa content of 70 per cent or higher contain resveratrol, which has been found to lower blood sugar. Red wine is also a source of catechins, which could help improve "good" HDL cholesterol. "You are not even choosing between the lesser of two evils, red wine and dark chocolate have positive components that are actually good for your heart," Newswise quoted Ofria, a registered dietitian at the Loyola University Health System's Melrose Park campus as saying. Ofria, who is also a nutrition educator, has also recommended a list of heart-healthy ingredients for February, which is national heart month, and for good heart health all year. Along with red wine and dark chocolate, the list of heath-healthy food comprises of salmon or tuna, especially white, or albacore, tuna and salmon, as they "are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids, and canned salmon contains soft bones that give an added boost of calcium intake." Next comes golden or brown flaxseeds, followed by oatmeal and black or kidney beans. Walnuts and almonds, which "contain omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, magnesium, fiber and heart-favorable mono- and polyunsaturated fats", come next in the list. Blueberries, cranberries, raspberries and strawberries, which "are a good source of beta carotene and lutein, anthocyanin, ellagic acid, vitamin C, folate, potassium and fiber," round off the top eight heart-healthy foods.