Dark chocolate is not only delicious, but it is healthy too. Although it is only healthy in moderation, it still has great benefits if you consume a little bit a few times per week (or even every day!) Dark chocolate is from the cocoa tree and is a great source of antioxidants. In fact, you probably have heard that blueberries are great antioxidants, dark chocolate is even better! Studies continue to prove that dark chocolate is very healthy. Keep reading to find out the 8 benefits of dark chocolate.
Nutritious
Let’s be honest, dark chocolate is so tasty! Because of this, people forget it is healthy too. They figure that because it tastes so good, it can’t actually be healthy too. Wrong! Dark chocolate has so many nutrition benefits. It has a lot of fiber in it as well as other minerals. A 100-gram dark chocolate bar that is 70-85% cocoa has 11 grams of fiber and fills up a lot of your suggested consumption amounts in magnesium, copper, manganese, potassium, phosphorus, zinc and selenium. It is important not to consume too much dark chocolate. A said before, eat dark chocolate in moderation because that same 100-gram bar has 600 calories and lots of sugar.
Fatty acids are great for you and dark chocolate is loaded with them too. Polyunsaturated fat is what is found in dark chocolate. Dark chocolate also contains caffeine and theobromine. If you are feeling sluggish in the afternoon and are looking for a great afternoon snack, dark chocolate will work as a stimulant and help to keep you awake and energized. This is also important to remember if you are on your way to sleep. Try and pick a different snack option.
Protects your skin
Bioactive compounds are shown to be in dark chocolate. This is an ingredient that is wonderful for the skin. It protects against sun damage by helping blood flow to the skin. Dark chocolate even increases skins density and hydration. If you have been in the sun lately or are experiencing sun damage, dark chocolate is a wonderful solution. Who doesn’t love great skin?
Antioxidant
You read easier, dark chocolate is an excellent source of antioxidant. Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) shows how much antioxidant is in each food. Research has shown that cocoa beans which of course are found in dark chocolate have the best ORAC level when being tested for antioxidants. Dark chocolate is also filled with polyphenols, flavonoids, and catechins. Keep eating your dark chocolate, there are so many benefits!
Assists with weight loss
Did you know that this yummy treat can actually help you lose weight? That’s right and there’s a simple reason for it. Dark chocolate leaves people feeling more satisfied than most other foods. This means that once you consume the chocolate, you will stop eating. Some other foods will make you want to continue eating or will not trigger your brain to tell you that you are full. If you are craving something sweet, salty and fatty, dark chocolate is the perfect option. Dark chocolate is also great for dessert. It has so many benefits but still tastes great after a meal. In fact, the University of Copenhagen actually proved this in a study they researched showing that dark chocolate will leave people more satisfied over lighter chocolate.
Decreases risk of heart disease
Dark chocolate has been shown to decrease the risk factors for heart disease. If you have any heart conditions, or you have a heart condition that runs in your family, dark chocolate can help immensely. Cocoa powder is found to decrease the cholesterol in men if they are experiencing high cholesterol. This is because dark chocolate produces so many antioxidants which are going straight into the consumer’s bloodstream. Dark chocolate will help to reduce insulin resistance. This is just another risk that is typical for people with heart disease.
Two different studies show how dark chocolate decreases the risk of heart disease. The first study shows 470 older men and found that when they consumed cocoa, it reduced their risk of heart disease by 50% over 15 years. These numbers are so big to see and important to understand. The second study showed that consuming dark chocolate 5 times per week lowers the risk of heart disease by 57%. This study is observational so it is hard to fully prove anything, but it is still a great study to understand and remember. In that same study, it also noted that no changes took place when people were only consuming dark chocolate less than 2 times per week. This shows the importance of eating it on a regular basis.
Help to improve brain function
Another benefit of dark chocolate is that is can help to improve your brain function. A study shows that when eating cocoa that was high-flavanol for 5 days in a row, it will help to improve the blood flow going to the brain. Cocoa will help to not only improve cognitive functions in older people, but can actually help with mental impairment, verbal fluency, and many risk factors for various diseases. Lastly, since dark chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine, it will help to improve brain function short term.
Helps to lower blood pressure
There can be a lot of science that goes into why dark chocolate helps to lower blood pressure, but it is a stimulant which helps to produce nitric oxide. This helps to send signals to the arterials and tells them to relax. This will result in reducing blood pressure. When blood flows smoothly it will allow your body to be more nutritious and fewer complications. Many studies have proven this time and time again. This is just another reason why there are so many benefits to dark chocolate.
Let’s face it, it’s good!
Let’s not forget one of the main reasons why you may be consuming dark chocolate in the first place. It’s so tasty! Dark chocolate can be an excellent dessert and can be sprinkled on various other foods to enhance their flavors. You can incorporate it into a meal or even have it on its own. Dark chocolate is so great because it has so many great benefits, but let’s also remember how tasty it really is. What a great treat!
As you now have read, dark chocolate has so many great benefits. It’s not only a tasty treat, but it can help to increase our overall health. It’s important to remember to keep everything in moderation. A 100-gram bar of dark chocolate has 600 calories. So, although dark chocolate has many benefits, more is not always better in this case. Enjoy dark chocolate and watch your body enjoy all the many benefits!
