Don't shy away from eating a little dark chocolate a day. Its health benefits are astounding and it can naturally lift your mood and improve sleep.
Chocolate has a long history of use in the Americas, the Aztecs, Incas and Mayans harvested the beans from the cacao tree and dried, roasted and ground them down into cocoa powder. They used the powder to make thick beverages which were consumed for their medicinal benefits. These three cultures used cocoa powder to provide a boost to energy, enhance vitality and to increase blood circulation. Columbus and other explorers brought cocoa beans back to Europe where they were ground and mixed with butter and sugar to make an edible chocolate. Over the centuries, Belgium and Switzerland became the most famous for their chocolate products. There are three main types of chocolate available today. These include dark, milk and white chocolate. Dark chocolate typically contains 50 percent cocoa powder. Cooking chocolate can contain as much as 80 percent cocoa powder. Milk chocolate has far less cocoa powder and has much more sugar and fats from milk products. White chocolate often contains no cocoa powder and is mainly made from sugar and dairy products. This article discusses the nutrient properties of dark chocolate, its many health benefits and associated side effects.
The Nutritional Properties of Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is a rich source of the minerals iron, magnesium, manganese and copper. It usually contains over 50 percent of saturated fats. Alarm bells may ring when you hear saturated fats; however one of these fats is stearic acid which neutralizes the bad cholesterol content of the other saturated fats. It also is a rich source of monounsaturated fats which are considered healthy. Additionally it is a rich source of caffeine. Other nutritional properties include flavanols which are phytochemicals and are powerful antioxidants. The main flavanol is epicatechin which is also found in tea and red wine. Cheap, sweet, highly refined dark chocolate products often remove much of the flavanols so it is better to buy less refined and processed chocolates that tend to be less sweet. Flavanols impart a strong, pungent flavor to the dark chocolate.
The Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate
- Powerful Antioxidant
Dark chocolate contains more antioxidants than fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants help rid the body of free radicals. Free radicals are the by products of metabolism and cause the oxidization of healthy tissues. This causes inflammation which is the precursor of many serious disease processes including heart disease and cancer. Eating a small amount of dark chocolate a day can help lower your risk of these diseases.
- Lowers Bad Cholesterol Blood Levels
Being a rich source of stearic acid and monounsaturated fats, dark chocolate can help lower the levels of bad cholesterol in the blood. Bad cholesterol in the blood causes the build up of fatty plaques on the walls of arteries. Initially this causes high blood pressure because the heart has to work so much harder to pump blood through these clogged up arteries. Eventually these fatty plaques can occlude the flow of blood which causes heart attack and or stroke. Eating one to two ounces of dark chocolate a week can help lower blood pressure and lower bad cholesterol levels in the blood.
- Treatment for Diabetes
A recent study revealed that eating three and a half ounces of dark chocolate a day in people who have type 2 diabetes increased the amount of insulin released by the pancreas. Insulin is required to stabilize blood sugar levels. Eating dark chocolate causes the release of nitric oxide in the body which stimulates the release of insulin from the pancreas. More clinical trials need to be performed to confirm these results.
- Stimulates Blood Circulation
Dark chocolate helps to widen arteries and make platelets, a component of the blood needed for blood clotting, less sticky. These two benefits help to stimulate healthy blood flow which lowers the risk of heart attack and or stroke.
- Weight Management
Chocolate has been linked to obesity due to its high calorie and high fat content. A study compared people who ate dark chocolate to a group who ate milk chocolate. It found that those who ate dark chocolate were satisfied for longer and had less cravings for other foods. There was a 15 percent calorie decrease in those who ate dark chocolate compared to the milk chocolate group per day. Therefore dark chocolate may have a role in helping to manage weight by suppressing appetite. The bitter taste of dark chocolate is thought to be the reason for reducing appetite and is also thought to slow digestion.
- Stimulates Serotonin Release from the Brain
Serotonin is a feel good hormone that is released from the brain after eating dark chocolate. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps to regulate sleep, mood, appetite and has other health benefiting roles in the body.
Side Effects of Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate consumption can cause headaches and migraines in some individuals. A substance called tyramine in dark chocolate is thought to be responsible. It can also cause kidney stones and is not recommended for people who have a history of kidney stones. Chocolate is also high in calories and can cause weight gain if too much is eaten regularly. Dark chocolate is also a rich source of caffeine which is a stimulant. It can cause anxiety, sleep disturbances, irritability, gastrointestinal disturbances and difficulty concentrating. It can also cause an allergic reaction in those people who are sensitive to it.
In conclusion, dark chocolate is packed with health benefits and you only need to eat a little each day to benefit. It is recommended to eat one ounce of dark chocolate a day and no more than seven ounces a week. Look for dark chocolate products that have over 60 percent cocoa powder and bitter sweet varieties which are known to be less refined and processed. Avoid bars that have added nuts, sugar and or caramel as they increase the calorie content. The Aztecs called their cocoa drink, “the divine drink of the gods” and even back then, their instincts about cacao beans were right.
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