Great news for chocolate lovers – eating a moderate amount could seriously boost your health.
Now, before you get too excited, it’s worth pointing out we’re talking about dark chocolate here, not milk or white varieties. Those are great for a treat every now and again, but sadly they have very little nutritious content.
Dark chocolate on the other hand, comes with a huge amount of benefits. The higher the cocoa content, the more benefits it provides. Here we’ll look at just some of the benefits of dark chocolate.
1. It contains a high level of antioxidants
Dark chocolate contains so many antioxidants, it’s placed into the same category as super foods such as blueberries and pomegranates, for its health benefits.
2. It can potentially lower your BMI
Could it really be possible to lose weight eating chocolate? Studies have shown that eating dark chocolate in moderation can help to lower your BMI.
One particular study which was published in the Journal Internal Medicine, those who consumed dark chocolate twice a week and exercised for approximately 3.5 times a week, had the lowest BMI of all study participants.
3. It’s packed full of nutrients
If you’re looking to add plenty of nutrients into your daily diet, dark chocolate can help. In just 100g, dark chocolate with a 70% to 80% cocoa content contains:
- 98% of your Manganese RDA
- 67% of your Iron RDA
- 89% of your Copper RDA
- 58% of your Magnesium RDA
- 11g fiber
It’s also got plenty of zinc, potassium, selenium and phosphorus.
4. Protects against free radicals
Want to prevent the early signs of aging? The antioxidant content in dark chocolate helps to fight off free radicals, reducing the damage caused to the body.
The main antioxidants known to fight free radicals contained in dark chocolate are polyphenols and flavonoids. It has an even higher content of these than tea and wine. So, if you want to hold on to your youth, you may want to start eating moderate amounts of dark chocolate now.
5. It increases brain function
If you’ve got an important meeting or you simply need to feel more alert, eating dark chocolate will help. It provides a short bust of energy, lasting for up to three hours.
It’s the flavonoids in the chocolate which help to dilate the blood vessels, in turn enabling oxygen to flow more freely throughout the body. This is what makes you feel much more awake.
Overall, the benefits of dark chocolate have been widely recorded and there’s numerous studies which back them up. So, if you needed any other reason to eat chocolate a few times a week, the above benefits give you plenty!
