Dark Chocolate Benefits & why you should eat it.
Just think for a second, what is the most craved food in the world? I’ll wait…Did you think that it was pizza, pasta, ice cream, etc? It’s a no! The most craved food is Chocolate! Everyone loves some type of chocolate, we can’t get enough of it. But we automatically think that chocolate is bad for us. But do you know about dark chocolate? No? well in this article, I’m going to show you the health benefits Dark chocolate has, and why you need to add it to your diet. you ready? Lets go!
BENIFITS ON THE BRAIN & BODY:
Let’s first start with the Brain. Dark chocolate is a stimulation food, meaning that it has the properties to activate some parts of the brain. once you consume just one piece of dark chocolate, it begins activating the Frontal Lobe. Aka the the decision maker/reward system of the brain. This means dark chocolate helps you feel good and have positive energy throw-out your day!
Now, I’m going to list things that Dark chocolate can benefit for us.
- Can help prevent Heart disease
- Lowers Inflammation
- Balances your blood sugar
- Makes you feel good
- Sensation of feeling in “Love”
- Nourishes the body
- Increases blood supply to the brain
- Lowers Stress
- Improves working memory and focus by 20%
- Powerful source of Antioxidants
- May protect skin from the sun
- May prevent Depression
- May help prevent strokes
- Control Coughing
- Help in pregnancy/Fetal growth
Now you may be thinking “Wow!” right? How can some chocolate have that much to benefit from? Well, let me tell you!
Chocolate comes from a plant called Cacao. This particular plant consists of high levels of minerals and Antioxidants. Unlike Milk chocolate, dark chocolate contains several compounds that possess antioxidants properties such as flavanols and polyphenols. These antioxidants neutralize free radicals and prevent oxidative stress, which none of us need!
Oxidative stress refers to the damage that excessive amounts of free radicals can easily inflict on the cells and tissues in the body. Now, Oxidative stress is linked to the aging process and other things like:
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Parkinson’s
- Alzheimer's
- Cancer
- Various eye diseases
Now, let’s talk about Blood pressure.
Previously stated, we found out that Dark chocolate can help benefit a lot of things, including blood pressure! How it helps is that the Flavanols in the chocolate stimulate the nitric oxide production in our body. Nitric oxide causes blood vessels to dilate or widen, which improves blood flow and drops blood pressure.
A 2015 study was taken on the consumption of dark chocolate, among 60 individuals with type 2 diabetes. The researchers found out that people who ate 25g of dark chocolate daily for 8 weeks had significantly lower blood pressure., than those who consumed white chocolate.
As also stated, dark chocolate can reduce inflammation in the body. Another study in 2018 was done, and these researchers have found that eating 30g of 84% dark chocolate each day for 8 weeks. Significantly reduced inflammatory biomarkers in people with type 2 diabetes.
Now, onto the nutritional info:
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) a 101g bar of dark chocolate with 70%-85% cocoa provides the following:
- 604 Calories
- 7.87g of Protein
- 43.06 of Fat
- 46.36g of dietary Fiber
- 24.23g of sugar
- 12.02mg of Iron
- 230mg of Magnesium
- 3.34mg of Zinc
How much should we eat? Well, chocolate manufacturers don’t have to report the flavanol content of their products. It’s actually difficult to know how much a person should eat to maximize the chocolates health benefits. Studies show, that 20g-30g of dark chocolate per day can be beneficial for you. Now, remember that dark chocolate with a higher percentage of cacao contains less sugar but more fat. More cacao means more Flavanols, so it’s best to choose dark chocolate that includes at least 70% of cacao solids.
The daily nutrition values as follows if you eat half a cup of cocoa (a bit much I know)
- Riboflavin 6%
- Niacin 4%
- Calcium 5%
- Iron 33%
- Magnesium 53%
- Phosphorus 30%
- Zinc 40%
- Copper 80%
- Manganese 83%
- Omega-6 fatty acids 378mg
- Caffeine 99mg
- Theobromine 880mg
You made it to the end of the article! Now that you know more about dark chocolate, I hope that next time you have a craving for chocolate. Grab the Dark option instead of the Milk option. Thank me later!
