DARK CHOCOLATES ARE GOOD FOR HEALTH

 

I bet you have been told otherwise at every stage of your life. When you were a child you were told that it causes cavities in your teeth and when you grew up they told you that chocolates are rich in calories and will only add to your girth; but all that is changing now, and thank God for that!

 

Around 1 billion people in the world like chocolate and more than half of them favor chocolate over other sweets. For most of these people, chocolate is a guilty pleasure that should only be reserved for the rare special occasion. This may soon change, as it turns out that compared to other sweets, chocolate may actually have the upper hand due to its beneficial effects on heart health and the cardiovascular system. Not only is chocolate, and dark chocolate in particular, full of beneficial nutrients in comparison to other sweets, it also contains much less sugar.

 

Choose the right chocolate

 

Chocolate gets all of its health benefits from the cocoa bean. In order to turn raw cocoa beans into chocolate, they are first fermented, dried, and roasted. After several steps of processing, cocoa butter and cocoa powder are derived from the cocoa beans - the two main ingredients of chocolate. Cocoa powder contains the highest concentration of beneficial plant substances, hence, the more of it chocolate contains, the healthier it is. Dark chocolate consists of 50-90% cocoa powder, some cocoa butter, and sugar. Milk chocolate, on the other hand, consists of just 10-50% cocoa powder, cocoa butter, milk, and sugar according to Harvard. Compared to dark chocolate, milk chocolate contains a lot more sugar and much less cocoa powder. Therefore, dark chocolate will be more beneficial for one’s health.

 

Beneficial effects of Dark Chocolate

1. Dark chocolate has high concentrations of magnesium, iron, potassium, and copper. Magnesium helps prevent high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and other heart diseases, while iron protects against anemia.

2. It contains chemical compounds called flavanols which are antioxidants. These stimulate the lining of arteries to produce a gas called nitric oxide. This gas sends signals to the blood vessels to relax, which lowers resistance to blood flow and in turn, this helps reduce blood pressure. Lower blood flow reduces your chance of blood clots forming and prevents arteriosclerosis, the hardening of arteries.

3. Antioxidants in dark chocolate are capable to prevent and repair cell damage, which is how they are capable of reducing one’s risk of developing heart disease. These flavonoid antioxidants are capable of lowering blood pressure in people suffering from hypertension. One specific subgroup of flavonoids called flavanols are found in especially high concentrations in dark chocolate, and they are notably recognized to benefit heart health. According to a 2017 study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, foods high in flavanols like dark chocolate, almonds, and cocoa are capable of lowering one’s risk of coronary artery disease

4. It lowers the LDL cholesterol or “bad” cholesterol, which is dangerous when oxidized. This can inflame your arteries, and promote heart attack or stroke risk. Dark chocolate contains powerful antioxidants which protect against oxidative damage. Dark chocolate has also been shown to increase HDL, the “good” cholesterol.

 

5. Dark chocolate can also be good for your skin’s health. Flavonoids in dark chocolate increase skin density, hydration, and improve the blood flow to your skin. 

 

6. Dark chocolate contains theobromine, which eliminates bacteria and hardens tooth enamel. If you practice good dental hygiene, dark chocolate can actually lower your risk of getting cavities.

 

7. Theobromine is also a mild stimulant and does wonders for suppressing coughs. This chemical compound blocks the sensory nerves from activity and this stops the cough reflex. Unlike codeine, the active ingredient in most cough syrups, dark chocolate doesn’t have that drowsy side effect.

 

8. Dark chocolate can keep you looking young because it’s packed with antioxidants, which fight toxins and free radicals in your body that cause damage to skin cells. 

 

9. Flavonols, polyphenols and proanthocyanidins are antioxidants present in dark chocolate that help slow the growth of cancer cells. Pentamer, another compound that naturally occurs in cocoa, can deactivate proteins that encourage cancer cells to continually divide.

 

10. Dark chocolate stimulates your body’s production of endorphins and serotonin, hormones that cause you to feel pleasure and happiness. Dark chocolate is also filled with phenylethylamine, the same chemical produced in your brain when you fall in love. So now you know why falling in love with chocolate is so easy and why you crave for it when you feel low and bad. 

11. Dark chocolate helps people cope with stressful situations and feel the effects of stress less. Researchers found that people who ate dark chocolate regularly had lower levels of stress hormones, cortisol, and epinephrine, circulating in their blood.

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There is no recommended amount of chocolate you should be eating every day, as even dark chocolate can be quite high in calories. Therefore, simply play it by ear and enjoy a bit of chocolate when you’re craving something sweet. Just make sure that the amount of chocolate you eat won’t exceed your daily caloric needs. For even greater benefits for the heart and blood pressure, nutritionists recommend also including other flavonol- and flavonoid-rich foods in your diet, such as almonds, pistachios, green tea, grapes, berries, scallions, and lettuce and quite a few of these come studded in a bar of dark chocolate too!

 

So there you are, I just saved you from depriving yourself of one of the greatest pleasures of life!