Chocolate is made from the seed of cocoa tree. It is considered and proved by science to be one of the best sources of powerful antioxidants on earth. Many studies have shown some real health benefits of this delicious food. We’re talking about the dark one, not the one loaded with sugar, milk and other elements.
Chocolate is an incredibly popular product that millions of people include in their daily intake. This comfort food seems to appear in almost every area of our life. When in a romantic occasion, different celebrations, and even when we feel hurt, chocolate seems to be the most reliable source for our soul.
But, the big question is still on the game; is chocolate healthy? Should we include it in our daily food intake or has science overestimated it? Well, you already know, since we’re asking these entire questions you might have, we have already found the answers to them so you can once and for all learn the truth.
Our finding?
Chocolate, or better say, dark chocolate, is a healthy and smart choice to be made by all of us! Good news for chocoholic out there who have been struggling for years to find some good excuses to eat chocolate.
Dark chocolate is loaded in antioxidants
Dark chocolate is a powerful source of organic active elements which function as antioxidants. Some of them are: catechins, flavanols, polyphenols etc. Some studies have also concluded that dark chocolate contains more antioxidants than many fruits out there. More specifically, the researchers found that the flavanol content in the cocoa powder is higher than in almost any other fruit (30.1 milligrams per gram). Also, there is been found that, the amount of antioxidants dark chocolate contains, is higher than in any other veggie or fruit expect pomegranate. So, eating a dark chocolate bar means you’re loading yourself with powerful antioxidants which work against many dangerous diseases like cancers etc.
Dark chocolate has many nutritional values
When choosing to buy a good, dark chocolate, with high contents of cocoa, then you should also know you’re buying a very nutritious product. Only 100 grams of dark chocolate, with over 65% of cocoa, contains more than 10 gram of fiber, 98% of the RDA for Mangenese, 89% of the RDA of Copper, more than 55% of the RDA for Magnesium and almost 70% of the RDA for Iron.
All these nutritional values are very important to our health, but, you still should not consume this amount of chocolate daily. Sometimes, is better to take a day off because after all, 100 gr of dark chocolate is loaded in more than 500 calories and sugar.
It improves blood flow and manages the blood pressure
The reason why dark chocolate improves our blood flow is because of the high content of flavanols. They stimulate the endothelium which is the lining of our arteries and make it produce Nitric Oxide (a gas). When our arteries properly function, it is because this Nitric Oxide sends some signals by making our arteries to relax. This process is translated to a lower blood pressure.
Dark chocolate protects us from heart disease
Flavanols found in dark chocolate, seem to have a very positive effect in our cardiovascular system. It improves the blood flow to the heart and also, lowers the risk of strokes. Getting into more details, the compounds fund in chocolate appears to strongly protect our system from the oxidation of LDL. It means the cholesterol level drops by making our arteries properly transport the blood without lodging. In a study was also found that people who included dark chocolate in their daily routine, had a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular death. Specifically, by 50 percent compared with the ones who didn’t prefer including chocolate into their diet.
Dark chocolate Improves brain and cognitive function
Did you know that dark chocolate is considered to be one of the foods to boost our memory and focus process? Consuming high-flavanol cocoa, the blood flow in our brain increases by over 15 percent. It can also improve cognitive function especially in people over their 60s. Dark chocolate contains some powerful stimulants substances. For example; theobromine and caffeine which play an important part when improving the brain’s function in the short and middle term.
