A NUTRITIONAL POWERHOUSE
Cocoa beans (plant pods that are processed to make chocolate)
are filled with biologically active organic compounds that
function as antioxidants, including flavanols, catechins, and
polyphenols. In fact, research has shown that dark chocolate and
cocoa contain more flavanols, polyphenols, and antioxidants than
many fruits, including blueberries and Acai berries. A chocolate
bar containing 70 – 85% cocoa solids yields approximately 11g
of fiber in addition to several of the body’s daily required
minerals, such as 98% of the recommended daily amount of
manganese, 89% of copper, 67% of iron, 58% of magnesium, as
well as significant amounts of potassium, phosphorous, zinc, and
selenium per 3.5oz (100g) serving.
GIVE YOUR MOOD A LIFT
It turns out there may be a natural reason you crave chocolate
when facing stressful times in your life. Swiss researchers
recruited individuals who described themselves as highly stressed
and asked them to consume 1.4oz (40g) of dark chocolate every
day for two weeks. As a result, they found that levels of
participants’ cortisone (a hormone released by the adrenal gland
in response to stress) and catecholamines (high levels in the
blood are associated with stress) had decreased since the
beginning of the study. So the next time you feel stressed out,
consider reaching for a bar of dark chocolate — it could do more
for your health than a box of doughnuts or a pint of ice cream.
CARDIOVASCULAR DEFENSE
The compounds present in dark chocolate protect against the
oxidation of LDL (the bad cholesterol) while increasing HDL (the
good cholesterol), helping to lower the risk of heart disease. A
Swedish study followed 31,000 women for nine years and found
that those who consumed one to two servings of dark chocolate
per week reduced their risk of heart failure by a third. And a
German study in 2012 found that consuming about a square of
dark chocolate a day reduced blood pressure and lowered risk of
stroke and heart attack by 39%. Just 100g of chocolate each day
may help lower your risk for heart disease and stroke.
STAYING SHARP
Flavanols (cocoa is rich in them) have been shown to protect nerve
cells from oxygen-based damage and assist in nerve regeneration,
and there is evidence that they may improve memory and brain
function with long-term intake. Researchers from Columbia
University Medical Center randomly put seniors into high- or low-
flavanol groups. After eight weeks, those who were given the high-
flavanol diets (consumed via a cocoa drink) demonstrated much
better performance on memory tests than those in the low-flavanol
group. In another study, a high-polyphenol cocoa extract was able
to reduce or delay cognitive decline even before symptoms
developed in mice engineered to mimic Alzheimer’s disease.
WEIGHT LOSS
Though you may think that that adding chocolate to your diet might
cause you to pile on the pounds, several studies have shown that
consuming chocolate can actually aid in weight loss. Studies
published in the Archives of Internal Medicine and researchers from
the University of Copenhagen found that not only does dark
chocolate offer a greater feeling of satiety than milk chocolate, but it
also lessens cravings for sweet, salty, and fattening foods. And a
University of California San Diego study found that those who
consumed chocolate more often boasted a lower BMI (body mass
index), even when taking into consideration overall calorie and
saturated fat intake.
CHOOSE WISELY
While chocolate can boost your diet, not every bar will provide the
same effects. The milk in milk chocolate inhibits the body’s ability to
absorb antioxidant-containing polyphenols, while white chocolate
does not actually contain cocoa at all. The best type of chocolate for
your health is dark chocolate — containing as little sugar and as
much cocoa (at least 70%) as you can stand.
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