5 Reasons Why Dark Chocolate is Good for You

Who would have thought? There is some good news for chocolate lovers all over the world. Scientists have discovered that dark chocolate brings a lot of benefits to your health, of course, as long as you have only one small 1.5 ounce bar a day. Find out more about it.

Remember that these benefits come only from dark chocolate with more than 60% of cocoa. Milk and white chocolate do not count, and neither does hot chocolate even if it is made with dark chocolate. Here are five reasons why dark chocolate is good for you.

1. Lowers the Blood Pressure

Chopped dark chocolate closeup

Scientists have discovered that eating one 1.5 ounce dark chocolate bar a day decreases the possibility of developing high blood pressure. It can also lower the blood pressure that is already high. The study has only shown positive results in older people who have had normal blood pressure throughout most of their lives. It should not be taken as prevention of high blood pressure. You need to reduce the daily intake of calories elsewhere in order to introduce 1.5 ounces of dark chocolate into your diet, in order to retain a balance.

2. A Powerful Antioxidant

Doctors from Italy proved that dark chocolate is a very powerful antioxidant. This means that it protects our bodies from harmful free radicals. Of course, we are still talking about one small bar a day.

However, this group of scientists also discovered that milk interferes with all the ingredients of dark chocolate that act as antioxidants. This doesn’t only mean that milk chocolate won’t do the trick, but you also must not wash your dark chocolate down with milk. In fact – always wait a couple of hours after you’ve eaten chocolate if you want to have some milk.

3. Lowers the Cholesterol Levels

Dark chocolate bar

You’ve probably heard how eating sweets will increase your chances of developing high cholesterol. Well, it appears not to be the case when it comes to dark chocolate.

Dark chocolate contains substances called flavonoids. These substances prevent an accumulation of cholesterol in your blood vessels. Again, only one small bar a day, and yes – it should be taken as prevention.

4. Benefits the Heart

Believe it or not, recent studies have shown that dark chocolate is good for your heart. It lowers the blood pressure, improves blood flow and has a mild anti clotting effect. This is a winning combination for the healthy heart. Cocoa has shown to have the same effect. However, all of these benefits disappear as soon as you start eating too much chocolate, so keep it under control.

5. It Makes You Happy

Beautiful african woman holding and eating a huge dark chocolate bar

 

This is something we’ve all heard about – eating chocolate makes you happy. Chocolate induces production of a very powerful hormone called serotonin. This hormone is directly responsible for how you feel. The more serotonin your body produces the happier you are. Now you know why chocolate has been the comfort food of choice for millions of ladies throughout centuries.

So, to conclude, dark chocolate is very good for you but as long as you eat it in reasonable amounts. Do not take too much of it, because not only that you will annul all of its benefits, you might also cause harm to your body.

About the author

Sarah

I’m a free spirit who likes to travel, cook and fly. Licensed paraglider pilot, I spend all my spare time flying. In the meantime, I like to share my recipes and travel experiences.

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