Eating sweets might not seem like an overly healthy endeavor. In fact, many healthcare professionals warn patients away from consuming too much sugar in their day-to-day lives. When eaten in moderation and paired with a balanced diet, however, it turns out that some sweets can be quite beneficial. Dark chocolate in particular offers a whole host of positive effects. Let’s look at some of the reasons why it is good for health and how eating dark chocolate can help improve your health.
Dark Chocolate vs. Milk Chocolate
Not all chocolate is created equal. Milk chocolate, the more common type of the sweet to find on grocery shelves, is creamy and overtly sweet. Dark chocolate, on the other hand, is distinctly less sweet and features a slightly sharper taste that lingers even after the snack is finished. This difference matters and it is important to ensure that you are indulging in dark chocolate, not milk chocolate, if you are hoping to derive health benefits from it.
The reasons milk chocolate is less beneficial to your health are the same reasons it is such a popular treat among people of all ages: the sugar and milk. These additives are mixed into the chocolate to create a softer, sweeter flavor than dark chocolate offers, however this also makes it objectively worse for your health than darker varieties.
Antioxidants
One of the reasons dark chocolate offers healthy benefits that milk chocolate does not is due to its content of antioxidants. Cacao contains a number of flavanols proven to help improve insulin sensitivity, reduce blood pressure, reduce heart disease risk, and lower inflammation. Because these flavanols are focused in the cacao, specifically, chocolate with high concentrations of cacao is the most beneficial. In addition to the information above, milk chocolate has much of the substance removed, making it less effective for your health. Dark chocolate contains far more flavanols that have not been alkalized, making it the better the choice.
Nutrients
Chocolate bars don’t only contain high levels of antioxidants. They also offer a variety of micronutrients important for energy and mood stability. This includes the following:
· Magnesium
· Copper
· Iron
· Manganese
· Phosphorus
· Selenium
· Zinc
Of these nutrients, magnesium, copper, iron, and manganese have the highest concentrations in dark chocolate, with an average content of 16%, 25%, 19%, and 27%, respectively. You don’t need to eat much to gain these mood and energy boosts, either, with as little as one ounce providing the necessary nutrients.
Guilt-Free Chocolate Eating
One of the major ways in which dark chocolate can help your body is promoting heart health. It contains plant phenols that can work to lower mildly high blood pressure as long as the additional calories are allotted for and less food is eaten in other areas.
Chocolate has been connected to happiness for centuries, but this link was recently proven to have scientific merit. Dark chocolate contains one of the chemicals that is released in your brain when you’re happy, phenylethylamine, as well as anandamide, a neurotransmitter and fatty acid that helps relieve anxiety and create a sense of calm. Eating it really can make you happier, in other words, adding it to your diet might be a good way to keep your mood high.
We’ve explained why you should consider eating dark chocolate, but exactly how much should you eat? The recommended dose is generally one to two ounces, but not as a replacement to another healthy snack. You should keep the foods that provide your body with the nutrients it needs to thrive in place but simply consume less of them to make up for the extra calories you get from the chocolate.
Celebrate Easter
Including a reasonable amount of dark chocolate in your everyday diet is a good way to keep your heart and mind healthy while still feeling as though you are eating a treat. You can even combine other healthy foods with the chocolate by melting the bar and dipping banana slices, fresh strawberries, or apple slices in it. You might also consider adding it to your oatmeal in the morning, something that can be done with either the bar or with cocoa powder.
Consider adding dark chocolate to your daily routine in small amounts to help keep your heart running smoothly, because dark chocolate contains such high levels of flavonoids, the antioxidants that help protect tissue and cells from the damage caused by free radicals, it is an excellent way to lower your risk of developing certain conditions.
Free radicals are tied to a weakening of cells can be the result of a poor diet, stress, or simply the aging process, although the origin is somewhat less important than their impact upon your health. However you eat it, dark chocolate health benefits are very real and can affect the way you feel in a great way.
Here are some supplements that will help you maintain heart health and control blood sugar levels.
Blood Sugar Pro™ 180 Capsules by Profound Products – Qi Supplements
Suprefort A-1 - 20 Capsules – Qi Supplements
Nature’s Marvels – Pancreas Bioregulator with Suprefort 20 Caps – Qi Supplements
Cardiovascular System Peptide Bundle - A-3 Ventfort A-14 Chelochart A- – Qi Supplements
