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13 Apr 2015

Health Benefits of Chocolate

Chocolate is a guilty pleasure for many people, however there is now plenty of evidence to suggest chocolate is a health food that can improve mood, reduce appetite and boost heart health.

The healthful benefits of chocolate are attributed to its main ingredient, cocoa. The cocoa bean is rich in fibre, magnesium, potassium, zinc, iron, selenium and healthy saturated and monounsaturated fats.

The ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scale calculates the antioxidant capacity of certain foods, and dark chocolate measures highly on the ORAC scale. It contains antioxidant compounds such as polyphenols, flavanols and catechins.

Free radicals are formed during normal body metabolism, but modern life has substantially increased our exposure from environmental pollution, junk food, burnt food and smoking. Antioxidants help to protect the body from any damage done by free radicals and if we do not have access to enough antioxidants it can result is damaged arteries, oxidized cholesterol, among other things.

Many observational studies have shown consuming these compounds in dark chocolate may prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol and therefore reduce heart disease risk.

One study showed that dark chocolate may suppress appetite by increasing satiety (feeling full after a meal), and reduce cravings for sweet food. The study compares those who ate milk chocolate to those who ate dark chocolate and the dark chocolate group actually had a decrease in appetite and consumed less calories.

Chocolate is well known for making us feel good and this is linked to the neurotransmitter anandamide. This compound blocks feelings of sadness and pain and boosts mood and it is contained in cocoa. Dark chocolate is also known to reduce circulating levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Bear in mind that most of the chocolate available is very poor quality and loaded with sugar and dairy.

Sugar is addictive and this is likely to lead to overconsumption and weight gain. It is important to make sure you are eating chocolate with an 80% or higher cocoa content. You can also make your own raw dark chocolate using cocoa powder, cocoa butter, honey and coconut oil. The health benefits of dark chocolate are at their best if you eat 1 or 2 blocks a few times per week.

 

Sources
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/10/14/chocolate-benefits.aspx
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3302125/#!po=22.7273
http://authoritynutrition.com/7-health-benefits-dark-chocolate/