Health Benefits of Chocolate
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Who doesn’t love chocolate, this small guilty pleasure that fills our heart and body with joy? Still, everyone will tell you that chocolate is bad for your health, not to mention for your silhouette. What if we tell you that they’re wrong and that this product comes with numerous health benefits? Would you believe us? If not, let us invite you in the world of healthy chocolate.
To begin with, chocolate is made of cacao that contains theobromine and flavonoids known for their disease-killing effects. On the other hand, the butter, sugar and milk added to make the chocolate sweeter are not that healthy. So, what’s the secret? The secret to your health is to consume only products that contain 70% cacao or more. Eat up to 7 ounces of dark chocolate and you can take advantage of the following benefits.
It’s Good for Your Health
Various studies have proven that chocolate comes with numerous cardiovascular benefits. People consuming dark chocolate 2 times per week can diminish their risk of heart disease and failure by 1/3. At the same time, a square of the same chocolate taken daily can reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack by 39% and it also lowers the blood pressure. These benefits are due to the antioxidants found in the chocolate.
Weight Loss
No, we’re not mocking at you. Chocolate is indeed beneficial in weight loss diets when consumed in moderation. The secret is that dark chocolate is filling and provides you a feeling of satiety, diminishing the cravings for unhealthy foods. Consume a bit of dark chocolate every day or every 2 days and you’ll be able to stay away from junk food.
Prevents Diabetes
This sounds ironical, doesn’t it? Well, not really, when we’re talking about dark chocolate that has small amounts of sugar and it’s not that sweet. Those who eat small amounts of dark chocolate every day can lower their insulin resistance by 50%. This is also due to the flavonoids that promote the production of nitric oxide that controls the insulin sensitivity.
Stress Reduction
We already know that chocolate makes us happier. Also, numerous people call on chocolate when times get tough and they might be doing the right thing. The studies have shown that when anxious individuals consume dark chocolate (no more than 1½ ounce) daily they can reduce the stress hormone levels, diminishing the negative effects of stress for your organism.
Cough Treatment
A recent study has shown that chocolate has the same effects as codeine, meaning that it can suppress the activity of the vagus nerve in the brain and reduces inflammation. The researchers said that people can effectively replace codeine with chocolate because it makes people feel less dull and sleepy and it has a much better taste.
Diarrhea Relief
It seems that people have been using cocoa to treat diarrhea since the 16th century. The scientists have also shown that the flavonoids from the cocoa are helpful for the small intestine by regulating their fluid secretion and thus stopping diarrhea.
