Looking for a great way to sneak in a treat without feeling guilty? Check out the incredible benefits of dark chocolate!
Chocolate is made in a range of different ways and served up in just as many products. Derived from cocoa and mixed with fat as well as finely powdered sugar to create these delightful treat. There…. I said it, the S word. Sugar. I know, I know. It is a dirty word in the health community, now that we have aired that out lets move passed it for a moment and take a look at dark chocolate which is primarily cocoa. Lets be honest, the darker you go the more it starts to taste like paper. I like 80% because i have a sweet tooth. But if you want to go 95% to reduce exposure to sugar that might work for you.
DIFFERENCE OF MILK CHOCOLATE TO DARK CHOCOLATE
The obvious is the milk. One has it and the other either doesn’t or has drastically less. The more notable is the cocoa content. Milk chocolate generally has 20-25% cocoa and traditionally more sugar content. So the desired benefit ingredient is drastically reduced while the negative sugar runs ramped. Though dark chocolate should only be consumed in moderation or lightly to maintain health benefits without the weight gain.
NUTRITION CONTENT OF 100 GRAM BAR OF DARK CHOCOLATE
- 11 grams of fiber
- 67% of the RDA for Iron
- 58% of the RDA for Magnesium
- 89% of the RDA for Copper
- 98% of the RDA for Manganese
- has plenty of Zing, Potassium, Phosphorus and Selenium
As I mentioned earlier about moderation, 100 gram bar is a little much to be putting away in one sitting so take a square at most two off the bar and enjoy.
BENEFITS OF COCOA
- Dark Chocolate is an outstanding source of antioxidants: ORAC which stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacit or the measure of antioxidants in food has given unprocessed cocoa beans one of the highest scoring they have tested. Being that dark chocolate is biologically active and functional it has more antioxidant activity than fruits tested in the same system.
- Dark Chocolate can improve blood flow as well as lower blood pressure: Nitric Oxide is a gas that functions in our bodies by sending signals to the arteries to relax. This can be stimulated by the flavanols in dark chocolate.
- Dark chocolate raises HDL the good cholesterol: This is wonderful news as HDL lowers LDL (the bad cholesterol) that causes heart disease. It also can reduce insulin resistance which is another common factor in heart disease and diabetes. You heard that right, dark chocolate can reduce diabetes.
- Dark chocolate can protect your skin against the sun: Flavonols can protect against sun induced damage with the improved blood flow mentioned earlier to the skin with in turn increases the skins density and hydration. I don’t see anyone putting this as an ingredient in sun block soon, but it sure does help consuming it.
- Dark chocolate can improve the function of your brain: With all that improved blood flow going around as a result of dark chocolate the brain benefits as well. This has been shown in studies to significantly improve cognitive function in the elderly and mentally impaired. We work so hard on our bodies we have to keep the captain of the ship, the brain, tip top as well.
I hope you found this article on Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate helpful.
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