Has chocolate replaced an apple a day? There can be a new golden ticket to your health but one that doesn’t involve touring a creepy factory with orange creatures running around. And I’m not talking about Snooki even though Jersey Shore has been off the air for years. What are the health benefits that come from chocolate and what type of chocolate are we talking about here?
No More Candy Bars
When we are talking about chocolate and potential health benefits we are not referring to chocolate bars that you may find at the checkout line in a grocery or convenience store but true dark chocolate. This type of chocolate is a night and day difference to it’s “chocolate-like” counterparts.
Dark chocolate of at least 70% cacao is what you’re looking for here and ideally 90%. If you’ve eaten Hershey bars your whole life it can be quite an adjustment as dark chocolate has a deeper, richer and more bitter taste. When you start eating this regularly though you develop the taste for it and will not return to sugar filled candy bars.
When you start eating dark chocolate you can look to start providing yourself with some great health benefits. Here are 5 things that come from eating dark chocolate.
1. Dark Chocolate Has A Very High Mineral Content
When you consume dark chocolate you are getting natural amounts of:
- Fiber
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Copper
- Manganese
- Potassium
- Zinc
- Selenium Gomez..
2. Dark Chocolate Can Lower Blood Pressure
Studies out of Germany took 18 weeks to observe otherwise healthy individuals that had higher than optimal blood pressure. When small portions of dark chocolate were added into the diet it was seen efficiently reduce their blood pressure.
3. Dark Chocolate Can Help Manage & Lower Blood Sugar
This tends to surprise people because when you think of chocolate you tend to think of sugar. In the case of dark chocolate, there is some sugar but it is primarily made of fat. Dark chocolate, however, is made up of the good fats like oleic acid which is what you find in olive oil. The higher fat content is what helps keep the glycemic index low which helps in keeping blood sugar low. The polyphenols in dark chocolate, among their many benefits, are believed to promote vascular health and glucose control.
4. Dark Chocolate Is High In Antioxidants
This to me is the best selling point on it. A quick lesson on antioxidants; they help prevent free radical damage in the body and free radicals are what are formed when oxygen interacts with certain molecules. Cell oxidation can roughly be compared to when things rust. Antioxidants then are what help prevent damage from cell oxidation which includes premature aging, DNA damage and certain types of cancer. Researchers in Italy found that the antioxidant content in dark chocolate would help combat the negative of effects of free radical damage in the body.
5. Dark Chocolate Can Help Prevent Cardiovascular Disease
The antioxidant power shines through again through the form of those great polyphenols but also flavonoids. You might be thinking flavonoids are the love child between Flavor Flav and The Noid from Dominos, but they are thought to have heart protecting effects.
Research out of Australia showed that small daily dark chocolate consumption could potentially avert 70 non-fatal, and 15 fatal cardiovascular events per 10,000 people treated over 10 years.
Wrapping It Up
So does this mean you can start eating dark chocolate by the shovel full? Well, you’ll need to slow down your horses there fella. Dark chocolate still contains a lot of calories due to that high fat content but the advantage is it only takes a few squares to help satisfy that sugar and chocolate craving.
If you notice with the studies they all mention SMALL amounts of dark chocolate that produced results. But having a square (or two) a day is a great way to get a treat that is also going to be providing you some tremendous health benefits.
If you’re new to dark chocolate start off easy with a 50% cacao version and start working your way up. When you get up to 90% lower grades which once might have seemed too bitter will not seem to become overly sweet.
And as far as those milk chocolate candy bars, you’ll never want to see them again.
Just like Snooki..
