Those not-so-guilty pleasures

Eat, drink and be merry.

No problem. Pleasure is a good thing, right?

Not so fast. We've come a long way baby, but we are still the cultural offspring of Puritans. We can easily feel guilty about indulging in anything that, well, gives us pleasure. If it feels good, it must be bad for us and we'd better find that appropriate 12-step program fast.

Recently, I overheard a group of women of a certain age gather around a tantalizing chocolate display. They were chirping with glee as one of their members -- a gutsy-looking redhead with a damn-the-torpedoes red-lipsticked grin on her face -- reported that she had just read in a magazine that chocolate was actually good for you.

"I think it said it prevents cancer."

When another woman questioned her on this, she backtracked somewhat and said: "Well, it is filled with antioxidants. That, I am sure of!"

That was enough for all of them. They cleaned out the case of decadent truffles, secure in the knowledge that they weren't merely being indulgent but were actually doing something good for themselves.

Actually, the happy redhead wasn't wrong.

Dark chocolate, the kind that is rich in cocoa, has more than four times the antioxidant power of an apple. And antioxidants, those substances in our bodies that reverse the damaging effects of oxidation, are a very good thing indeed.

Why dark chocolates? They contain higher levels of flavanols, an antioxidant that, when found at sufficiently high levels in our blood, can lower our risk of heart disease, lung cancer, prostate cancer, Type 2 diabetes and even asthma.

Now, let's talk nuts.

I would always gobble down a handful, then feel remorseful about the whopping 160 to 190 calories and almost 19 grams of fat (per ounce) I had just recklessly consumed.

It seems like it is time to get over that particular guilt complex. Science has been going nuts about nuts lately.

Some very good studies have shown that eating nuts -- as much as 1 to 3 ounces daily -- can have a positive impact on blood cholesterol levels and that regular nut eaters have half the heart disease risk as compared to those who aren't so inclined. They are high in calories, though, so be prudent.

And then there is that glass of jammy Cabernet. The research is now conclusive. Thousands of people in hundreds of cultures have been studied -- women, men, Japanese, Dutch, Californians, and of course, the French -- and have proved that moderate use of alcohol cuts our risk of heart disease from a third to a half over those who abstain.

According to the latest research, regularity, not moderation, seems to be the key to greater heart health. And beer drinkers can stop feeling like the white-trash cousin: Any form of alcohol regularly consumed produced the same benefit.

(Note: There are well-documented risks involved with alcohol consumption. Moderation is key to a healthy enjoyment of spirits. Besides, the study didn't find any increased benefit from imbibing more than two drinks a day.)

Let me clue you in on my favorite "pleasure" secret. Pairing a good red with a chocolate delight will produce a nice and legal endorphin rush. If you are suspicious of the science, be empirical: Pair a chocolate-covered strawberry with a nice syrah, and see if you find yourself smiling.

Even if you think this is just a bunch of scientific hooey to justify indulgence and won't necessarily make you live longer, relax! A few healthy pleasures like these will surely make you want to live longer.

Dr. Michael O.L. Seabaugh, a Cape Girardeau native, is a clinical psychologist who lives and works in Santa Barbara, Calif. Contact him at mseabaugh@semissourian.com.