Chocolate is a favorite among people all over the world. Dark chocolate has been proven through studies that it is healthier for people than milk chocolate and white chocolate, which offer higher fat content and less health benefits to the consumer.
Chocolate has an anti-stress effect:
Dark and milk chocolates contain, respectively 112 mg and 60 mg of magnesium per 100 g. To fight against stress and anxiety, nothing could be better than increase the consumption of magnesium. Numerous studies confirm that this mineral is a major element in preventing the negative consequences of stress and has a great capability to bring substantial reductions of plasma cortisol levels in the blood.
If you are one of those chocolate lovers, you know that feeling of happiness and guilt when you put in your mouth that piece of flavorful candy. Now imagine that same feeling but without the guilt! You can achieve that with dark chocolate because now you know that it is better for your health and has much more benefits than regular or milk chocolate. There have been studies were people that ate dark chocolate showed a decreased amount of stress hormone levels.
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Chocolate is good for cholesterol:
Blood carries the cholesterol in the blood vessels. Proteins are responsible for that operation. Some of them bring the cholesterol to the liver where it is used for digestion: this is the good cholesterol. Other wrongly programmed proteins tend to the cholesterol behind: this is the bad cholesterol that can clog the arteries.
Chocolate and cocoa can protect the organism against the bad cholesterol. Thanks to their flavonoids with antioxidant properties, they lower bad cholesterol levels and favor the production of good cholesterol. The vitamin B3 contained in chocolate also helps to reduce the clogging of arteries.
The Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate:
Raises good cholesterol and lowers bad cholesterol:
The compounds in dark chocolate appear to be highly protective against the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, the bad cholesterol. It lowers the chances of LDL to get oxidized. When LDL oxidizes, it has reacted to free radicals, which makes the particle reactive and capable of damaging other tissues.
Promotes weight loss:
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen found that dark chocolate is far more filling, offering more of a feeling of satiety than its lighter-colored sibling because it reduces cravings for sweet, salty, and fatty foods. So if indulging in a bit of healthy dark chocolate should not only make it easy for you to stick to the small portion recommended for optimal health, but it should make it easier for you to stick to your diet in general.
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Prevent diabetes:
Dark chocolate reduces insulin resistance. In a small Italian study, participants who ate a candy bar’s worth of dark chocolate once a day for 15 days saw their potential for insulin resistance drop by nearly half. The flavonoids, which are the antioxidants in dark chocolate, create a gas called nitric oxide that helps control insulin sensitivity.
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Helps brain function:
Cocoa may also significantly improve cognitive function in elderly people with mental impairment. It also improves verbal fluency and several risk factors for disease. Cocoa also contains stimulant substances like caffeine and Theo bromine, which may be a key reason cocoa can improve brain function in the short term.
Protects against the sun:
The flavones can protect against sun-induced damage, improve blood flow to the skin and increase skin density and hydration. If you are out in the sun, dark chocolate can reduce or prevent your chances of getting sunburned. Also if you were to get sunburned, eating dark chocolate can help your skin heal quicker.
Chocolate is healthy during pregnancy:
According to a study in the Epidemiology revue, chocolate would protect women during pregnancy. Eating good dark chocolate on a daily basis would thus reduce by 69% the risks for developing a pre eclampsia, a complication of high blood pressure. The study, performed by researchers from Yale University, was made on a cohort of 2291 pregnant women between 1996 and 2000.
The scientists have estimated their chocolate consumption mainly through measuring the levels of Theo bromine in the umbilical cord. This component of the cocoa is particularly present in dark chocolate. The conclusions of the report show that the concentration of Theo bromine is associated with a lower risk of pre-eclampsia.
This type of chocolate is also known as semi-sweet chocolate or bittersweet chocolate and has many benefits. One of the benefits of chocolate is that it is a good mood enhancer. Many people consume it when they are having a bad day. It contains serotonin which acts like an anti-depressant. It not only relaxes us, but also serves to make blood vessels more flexible to help the flow of blood throughout our bodies.
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The cocoa plant is a fruit from the cocoa tree, a 12 m evergreen in the family Malvaceae. Its seeds are cocoa beans, which are used to make chocolate liquor, cocoa solids, cocoa butter, and chocolate. The cocoa family of plants originates from southeastern Mexico to the Amazon basin.
The healthy form of chocolate consists of 70%, 80%, and 90% cocoa as these have less added sugar.
Dark chocolate is loaded with nutrients that can actually be good for you, but not a lot of people know that. It is made from the cacao tree’s seed and is one of the best sources of antioxidants.
