There are many different kinds of delicious chocolate, but I'm here to talk about dark chocolate. For those who love the other kinds, I'm about to win you over, no worries. I am a vegan living in the United States so my chocolate options are a bit skewed. However, for my internationals out there I know you're spoiled with a lot more dairy-free chocolate options, I should know, travel bug and all.
To clarify further — dairy-free chocolate is good for you. On the other hand, dark chocolate is actually healthy for you. Typically, I consume dark chocolate at least once a month during a time I need that antioxidant boost during that extra special lady time. I will explain more about the health benefits, let this be a learning lesson for us all!
1. High concentration of antioxidants
Dark chocolates contain polyphenol, flavonol, and other types of antioxidants.
If you take a look at the figure of the antioxidant capacity compared to other foods with antioxidants - dark chocolate has the highest antioxidant capacity (be sure to look at the grams).
Antioxidants prevent human aging and is also beneficial to heart disease and diabetes patients particularly. - Stanford
2. Protects from free radicals
The many antioxidants help eliminate any free radicals in your body thereby protecting your body from any damage.
3. Glowing skin
The bioactive compounds in dark chocolate helps improve blood flow to the superficial layers of our skin, which can help improve its texture and help nourish the skin against sun damage.
4. Improves heart health
Dark chocolate improves blood flow from the heart and to the heart due to the flavonol because it reduces blood thickness.
5. High in nutrients
The figure from a study on dark chocolate shows that it has a resourceful abundance in nutrients such as iron, magnesium, copper, manganese, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and selenium. It even has a large amount of fiber for a healthy gut!
6. Maintains Cholesterol
The polyphenols in dark chocolate helps regulate cholesterol levels.
7. Improves mood
Dark chocolate contains theobromine which helps regulate energy levels. Dark chocolate also helps increase serotonin levels by the way it interacts with your neurotransmitters. Serotonin helps release endorphins, which are happy chemicals.
8. Stress Debunker
Similar to the way dark chocolate improves your mood — you can't be stressed if you're happy! Also by the way dark chocolate regulates energy levels by theobromine, it helps reduce stress levels.
9. Improves brain function
As stated before, the flavonol improves blood flow throughout the body. This means that by consuming dark chocolate, it can increase the blood flow to your brain, thereby improving brain function with better focus and memory recollection.
10. Prevents asthma attacks
The theophylline, theobromine, and caffeine content of the dark chocolate all work together to alleviate bronchial constriction.
11. Cough suppressant
While the many beneficial nutrients are involved with preventing an asthma attack, they also prevent coughing because the bronchi are more relaxed.
The benefits are endless! Be sure to moderate your dark chocolate intake and always stay aware to what your body is trying to tell you. Stay well everyone!
