Health Benefits Of Chocolate

Chocolate is seen as one of those guilty pleasures – sneak a bit when no one is looking to avoid criticisms about how bad it is for you, it is fattening, its full of sugar and everything else you don’t want to hear as your tastebuds are singing with the forbidden flavour.

Good News – chocolate can actually be good for you.  Made from plants, dark chocolate contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables.  Flavonoids act as antioxidants, which protects the body from ageing and dark chocolate has nearly eight times the number of antioxidants found in strawberries.  Flavonoids help relax blood pressure and also balances certain hormones in the body.

Dark chocolate offers the most health benefits, and a small chocolate bar a day can help keep your heart and cardiovascular system running well.  As well as lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, it contains serotonin which acts as an anti-depressant, stimulates endorphin production which gives a feeling of pleasure, and contains theobromine, caffeine and other substances which are stimulants.  High in potassium and magnesium, chocolate also contains several vitamins, including B1, B2, D and E.  Of course, when it comes to the benefits of chocolate, easily at the top of the list is the great taste.

Only one third of the fat in dark chocolate is considered bad fat, and that is palmitic acid, a saturated fat which raises cholesterol and heart disease risk.  Two thirds of the fat is good fat;  one third is oleic acid is a healthy monosaturated fat that is also found in olive oil, and another third is stearic acid, a saturated fat but one research shows it actually has a neutral effect on cholesterol.

Some common myths about the dangers of eating too much chocolate are slowly being corrected as we learn more about the health benefits, and one is that chocolate does not cause or make acne worse as previously suggested.  It also does not rot your teeth as once thought;  while cocoa and chocolate contain sugars, they also have properties that work against sugar’s tendency to produce the oral bacteria that eventually leads to dental decay.

Equally, some chocolate can still have a negative on your health under some circumstances, so before you go and eat an entire family block guilt free, there are some things to remember.  Consume chocolate, as with everything else in life, in moderation.  Stick with only a small amount of dark chocolate per day and reap all its benefits.  Dark chocolate has far more antioxidants than milk or white chocolate, and is easily the healthier choice.  Avoid anything with caramel, nougat or other fillings – these fillings are just adding sugar and fat which erase many of the benefits you get from eating chocolate.