There is hardly anyone on this planet who does not love eating chocolates but the number of people who prefer the dark chocolate is comparatively less, because it has a sweet-bitter taste.
The problem is, the tasty, milky and sweet chocolates that we all love are made by adding sugar and milk with dark chocolate, which adds to the sweet taste, reduces the bitter taste of the cacao but at the same time replaces the goodness of cacao for unhealthy sugar and milk solids.
So, while dark chocolate is healthy for the body, the sweet chocolates are not actually that healthy for you and can be a major reason of weight gain.
On the other hand, the dark chocolates, which contain cacao as its primary ingredient and is bitter-sweet in taste is loaded with health friendly flavonoids and another compound named theobromine which can have great impact on the health and mood.
Apart from the above two, cacao also has a bunch of antioxidants. The more cacao a dark chocolate has it will offer that much more health benefits.
So, if you are eating chocolate for its health benefits then it is important that you ensure that the chocolate has at least 80% cacao if not 100%.
This article will provide you with a detailed idea about the great health and nutritional benefits of dark chocolates and why you should start banking more on it,
Dark chocolate boosts brain activities
Being more attentive and prompt in professional and personal life is certainly one of the major goals of every human being and an active brain is the key to that. Studies suggest that dark chocolate can be highly effective to boost the efficiency of the brain.
Cacao has been linked with improved cognitive abilities in adults and can even support better functioning of brain amongst the senior people.
The theobromine content of cacao is often considered as one of the reasons behind the increased mental ability caused due to the consumption of dark chocolates.
The minimum caffeine content of dark chocolate also boosts the brain cells and can be a contributing factor for the enhanced brain activities.
Promotes better heart health
Cardiovascular problems are becoming prominent in every society even amongst the people of younger age. Studies suggest that consuming dark chocolate in specified amount might be effective in reducing the risk of cardiovascular problems and even heart attack.
Consumption of dark chocolate has been linked with reduced levels of blood pressure and the antioxidants of cacao has been found to promote better flexibility of the arteries and veins which can be very helpful to ensure a better cardiovascular health.
The content of dark chocolate is effective to reduce pressure on the heart and hence it should be consumed in particular portions by the heart patients.
Helps in diabetes management
Dark chocolate can be effective for prevention as well as better management of diabetes. It has been found that the flavonoids of dark chocolate promote the nitric oxide coverage that is closely linked with the insulin sensitivity of the body.
Reduced insulin sensitivity is the primary cause of diabetes and the flavonoids present in dark chocolate can be highly effective in preventing Type 2 diabetes by increasing insulin sensitivity in the body.
The ability of the flavonoids of dark chocolate to promote better insulin sensitivity makes it a suggested food item for the people in the pre-diabetic group.
Dark chocolate provides nutrition
Dark chocolate is considered healthy not only because it helps in promoting better health for the different vital internal organs but also because it has remarkable nutritional value.
You might not even imagine that dark chocolate is a storehouse of vital minerals like Iron, Manganese, Copper and Magnesium and the amount of these nutrients in dark chocolate is quite high.
Apart from the above dark chocolate also contains phosphorus, zinc and potassium in trace amounts. Except the minerals, the other nutritional ingredient of cocoa is the fiber content. Cocoa has a decent amount of fiber, which is effective to promote better digestion.
Dark chocolate a readymade mood booster
One of the best health benefits of dark chocolate comes from its mood boosting ability. All of us feel low at times and dark chocolate can come as a real savior when you just cannot afford to be depressed.
Some of the nutrients present in cacao promote the production of neurotransmitters in the brain which promotes a great mood boosting effect. The constituents of cacao also have a calming effect on the mind which can be helpful for relieving stress and to relax.
Consuming dark chocolate in particular portions can be an effective way to fight anxiety, depression and mood swings that often struck all of us.
Dark chocolate for weight management
We are not pointing to the sugary and sweet chocolates here. They will never help you in reducing weight but will only add to your total calorie intake. The dark chocolate on the other hand can actually work as an effective food for weight management.
The mineral and fiber content of cacao present in dark chocolate helps in filling hunger and the ingredients like MUFAs and LDLs present in cacao also promotes better metabolism which naturally increases the calorie burning in the body.
So, for people worried about their increasing weight, dark chocolate can be a real boon coupled with exercise.
Dark chocolate promotes better skin health
You must have heard about those chocolate facials and now we will tell you why dark chocolate is such a popular ingredient for skin care.
Skin aging is one of the most common skin problems faced in today’s world and the high antioxidant and flavonoid content of cacao can be actually the best thing to remove the signs of aging from the skin.
Dark chocolate also helps in regenerating the skin elasticity and can be effective to promote better retention of moisture in the skin.
The ingredients of cacao also helps in protecting the skin from the harmful UV rays of the sun and has a soothing effect on the skin that helps in curing skin conditions, including inflammations and allergies.
