Dark Chocolate: What You Didn’t Know
Chocolate is called Food of the Gods for a reason. It’s a heavenly way to lift your mood and performance. Dark Chocolate has a long history of being used as a healing plant, a mood enhancer, and even as an aphrodisiac. Loaded with nutrients, dark chocolate positively affects our health. Made from the seeds of the cocoa tree, it is one of the best sources of antioxidants.
Chocolate Day – a day to express your love for health in the sweetest way.
We’ve put together 9 health benefits of Chocolate just for you.
Dark chocolate protects your body against the oxidation of bad cholesterol.
The fats in dark chocolate are mostly saturated and monounsaturated, with only small amounts of polyunsaturated. Saturated fatty acids play a key role in maintaining heart health, lowering cholesterol in the blood, and are required for calcium to be made into bone.
- Consuming chocolate two or more times a week lowers the risk of calcified plaque building up in the arteries by 32%.
- The smell of chocolate may increase theta brain waves, resulting in relaxation.
- Chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a mild mood elevator.
- The cocoa butter in chocolate contains oleic acid, a mono-unsaturated fat which helps raise good cholesterol.
- People who eat chocolate regularly live an average one year longer than those who don’t.
- The flavonoids in chocolate help keep blood vessels elastic.
- Chocolate increases antioxidant levels in the blood.
There is a lot of evidence surrounding the fact that chocolate provides health benefits and is especially protective against cardiovascular disease. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should go all out and consume chocolate out of moderation every day. Along with its health benefits, it is still loaded with calories and easy to overeat. 1–2 small squares of dark chocolate per day are not only fine, it is good for you due to the presence of antioxidants. Grab a chocolate bar which contains more than 70% cocoa content and makes sure it contains cocoa butter and cocoa powder as ingredients and not hydrogenated oil or emulsifiers like soy lecithin.The darker the chocolate, the better it is. However, the flavanol levels in types of chocolate can vary based on the cocoa beans selected, the processing of the beans and chocolate, and storage and handling conditions.
Next time you grab a piece of chocolate, don’t feel guilty about it. Despite its bad reputation for causing weight gains, no specific food is bad or good for our body.Chocolate has since become an incredibly popular food product that millions indulge in every day, thanks to its unique, rich, and sweet taste.
