It seems almost too good to be true that eating dark chocolate might be good for you. Often considered off-limits for those who monitor calorie consumption and seek to only eat wholesome healthy foods, dark chocolate apparently can now be part of a healthy diet plan.
Healthy Ingredients
Dark chocolate has a more bitter flavor than milk chocolate because it undergoes less processing. In addition to cacao, or cocoa, beans, minerals and fiber, dark chocolate contains varying amounts of sugar, depending on the type of chocolate. Chocolate also contains caffeine and often soy lecithin. The flavonoids in the cocoa bean, used to make the chocolate, act as antioxidants, which offer health benefits. Some dark chocolate bars contain nuts or pieces of dried fruit. Look for chocolate that has a minimum of 70 percent cocoa content.
Heart Disease
Eating a piece of dark chocolate might reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke, according to a 2010 study published in the "European Heart Journal." The participants who ate about 7.5 g per day experienced lower blood pressure and lower rates of heart disease than the participants who ate just 1.7 g per day. The higher percentage of flavonoids in the dark chocolate as opposed to the amount in milk chocolate might be responsible for the positive impact on heart disease and stroke. Adjust your daily caloric consumption downward slightly to offset the extra calories in a square of dark chocolate.
Blood Cholesterol Levels
If you have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, eating dark chocolate might help lower your blood cholesterol levels. A 2010 meta-analysis published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" analyzed eight previous studies on dark chocolate consumption and plasma lipids. The study found that in participants with risk factors for cardiovascular disease, eating dark chocolate significantly reduced LDL cholesterol levels and slightly lowered overall cholesterol. Lowering your LDL cholesterol might reduce your risk of developing heart-related diseases.
Brain Benefits
Increasing blood flow to the brain might help with memory and learning ability. At the 2007 meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, researchers presented evidence showing that participants who consumed a special formulation of a cocoa beverage enhanced with flavonols experienced greater blood flow to the gray matter of their brains for up to three hours after consumption. Greater blood flow might help aging adults with brain function, as well as temporarily improve brain function in individuals who might be feeling the effects of too little sleep or fatigue.
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