Things aren’t always what they seem, and for those of us who love chocolate, the fact that we can eat certain kinds and enjoy them for their health benefits makes this a wonderful surprise. I am talking about dark chocolate, something that has been known for many years to be beneficial to our health, but there are two specific benefits of dark chocolate that I would like to discuss in this article.
One of the things that we are all subject to is the environment that surrounds us, and it is very difficult for it not to affect us negatively. Due to pollution and other problems in the environment, our body constantly needs to eliminate toxins from it. Along with that, we have a constantly occurring internal oxidation problem that releases free radicals into our system whose sole purpose is to destroy us from the inside out on a cellular level. The only way we can combat this effectively is through antioxidants.
Dark chocolate is extremely high in antioxidants, and this is one of the main benefits that stands out the most in people’s minds. Because it’s a good idea for us to eat these antioxidants regularly, including some dark chocolate in your diet can really make a difference in your overall health. Of course, the darker the chocolate, the better, so be sure to opt for chocolate that’s a minimum of 70 percent.
Another benefit of eating this particular food is that it has been shown to lower high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a problem that many of us have to deal with on a regular basis, and it can be extremely difficult to control. In studies, however, the benefits of dark chocolate in reducing hypertension were clearly recognized. Actually, it wasn’t the chocolate itself that was doing it, but plant phenol, specifically cocoa phenol, that was responsible for the drop in high blood pressure.
However, just because there are both of these benefits to eating dark chocolate doesn’t necessarily mean you should allow yourself to lose control over eating it. Although this type of chocolate may have a lower percentage of sugar compared to milk chocolate, it still has sugar. The extra calories you eat, regardless of consumption of this food, can easily outweigh the benefits you receive; It’s certainly a case of too little and often too much of this type of food and you’ll start to actually take in more calories than you need. The concept is similar to drinking red wine, a glass a day can give you many health benefits, but clearly drinking a bottle a day will completely destroy the benefits of consuming small amounts.
Another thing you may want to consider is eating raw cacao nibs. This is a great way to get all of the same benefits, including antioxidant power and high blood pressure reduction, all in one. The best part is that you can get this without the unnecessary sugar that often accompanies the darker fudge you buy off the shelf. On the subject of food, you should make sure you have the right diet recipes for you; otherwise, the benefits of eating controlled amounts of dark chocolate will be greatly outweighed by other unhealthy activities if you don’t have the right diet.