Why is Dark Chocolate healthy?

A lot of people think that eating chocolate is useless, it will only bring extra calories and extra unwanted kilograms!

Other people think that eating chocolate is forbidden when trying to follow a diet. Diet and chocolate can’t work together!!

BUT!

Chocolate is delicious and smooth…

Can finally something really tasty be good for you??? 😀

Chocolate is made from plants, and more specifically from the seeds of a plant called Theobroma cacao, which means it has most of the health benefits of dark green leafy vegetables.

Benefits come from flavonoids, pigments found in plants that act as antioxidants to help reduce damage to your body.

Chocolate contains  fat due to the cocoa powder, but it also contains high level of catechins, chemicals that lower the risk of heart disease.

In a study by Holland’s National Institute of Public Health and Environment, chocolate was found to have four times the antioxidants of green tea. Catechins are powerful antioxidants in the prevention of cancer and heart disease. 

100 mg of green tea contain 13.9 milligrams of catechins. 

100 mg of dark chocolate has 53.5 milligrams of catechins.

 

What Else??

– The smell of chocolate may increase the brain waves, resulting in relaxation and stress relieve.
 – Chocolate contains phenyl ethylamine, a mood elevator.
–  The cocoa butter in chocolate contains oleic acid, a mono-unsaturated fat which may raise good cholesterol, HDL.
–  Drinking a cup of hot chocolate before meals may reduce appetite.

 – The carbohydrates in chocolate raise serotonin levels in the brain, resulting in a sense of well-being and happiness.

Don’t forget I am talking about dark chocolate bars, so don’t mix it with chocolate milk.

Dark chocolate contains more cacao and less sugar than milk chocolate. 

Moderation is the key!

Chocolate is good for you, but don’t just binge on it!

It is still a calorie- dense food, it will cause an increase in weight if you eat too much, and might cause acne problems if you are sensitive to it.

You have to read the lablel  and watch out the  total daily energy expenditure, and the total daily calorie intake.

 

One medium bar a day is excellent..:)