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We all prefer a little chocolate now and then because it’s too hard to refuse any chocolaty offer. Yes! The addiction and love for chocolate especially dark chocolate have crossed the age-bar and became popular in all countries. Unlike its origin cocoa, it is bitter, but still people prefer to include it in their diet for its unlimited health benefits. So we are going to discuss some excellent information and amazing health benefits of dark chocolates. Just Stay with us for a sweet journey with dark chocolate.
Different Types of Chocolates-
Being a food product which has cocoa as one of the primary ingredients, chocolates can be of various types—
- Milk chocolate.
- Dark chocolate.
- Unsweetened chocolate.
- Bittersweet chocolate.
- Cocoa.
- Ground chocolate.
- Baking chocolate.
- Covertures.
- Ruby chocolate.
- Organic chocolate.
- Raw chocolate.
What is Dark Chocolate?
Usually, we divide chocolate into three categories: White chocolate, milk chocolate, and dark chocolate. Though there is a standard identification mark to symbolize dark chocolate, it roughly contains 70% to 90% of cocoa solids. So we can say that dark chocolate or black chocolate contains a higher level of cocoa and cocoa butter instead of milk. It is also known as plain chocolate. There are some varieties of dark chocolates that contain milk, and it has a lower level of sugar. It can be eaten as a chocolate bar, but it has a wide variety of uses in cooking. After yielding the crop, the cocoa beans follow a fermentation process and then dried. Afterwards, the dried beans pass through the high heat to form dark chocolate and that typical flavour.
A dark chocolate bar contains a higher level of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins and so they have been counted among the energy giving, and beneficial foodstuffs for health.
Health Benefits of Dark Chocolates-
Dark chocolate is a healthy form of chocolate which is stuffed with rich nutrients. So if you are fond of consuming dark chocolates, dark chocolate is the right choice for you. Each bite of dark chocolate will give you the smooth feelings of melted cocoa and undoubtedly some benefits for your health. Let us have a look—
1. Rejuvenate skin and hair health:
Due to the presence of high percentage of antioxidant, dark chocolate has the potential to combat free radicals. Free radicals are uncharged molecules that can damage cells, and thus they cause damage to body cell. Therefore it hosts various diseases and makes hair and skin look dull and aged. So, one of the contributions of dark chocolate is its power to rejuvenate overall health along with skin and hair. The antioxidants, vitamins and phytochemicals join together to include it along with a high antioxidant food.
2. Helps In Weight loss management:
From A conventional viewpoint, anything that is related to chocolate is not advisable for weight loss. But here is a strange fact that dark chocolate can play a helpful role in achieving your fitness goals. Consuming dark chocolate may be useful to your weight loss management. As due to nutrition level of dark chocolate it has been reorganized as a superfood, it fills up our stomach with a small bite. Hence it reduces craving for food by producing the anti-hunger hormone. So you can easily replace the cappuccino coloured milk varieties with a dark square piece of sweet with the typical mellow flavour which will check your appetite. Also, the flavanol content of dark chocolate helps to burn fat. Moreover, it boosts up our energy level and improves your endurance level to put in more time for an intense workout.
3. Lower blood sugar:
Dark chocolate has a lower percentage of carbohydrate and high amount of cocoa solids. Researchers reveal that intake of dark chocolate increases the nitric oxide level that aids the blood vessels open up and it also controls the insulin level for its low sugar content. So by consuming a moderate quantity of dark chocolate, you can both meet your craving for sweet and blood sugar as well.
4. Prevent heart disease:
It is really good news for chocolate lovers that a small square piece of dark chocolate can lower hypertension and prove to be heart healthy. Among many beneficial nutrients, it also has flavinoids which act as a guard for the heart by protecting it from cardiovascular diseases. Other than milk chocolate, its catechine content is high, which is a disease-fighting antioxidant and protect the arteries to build up plaque and thus protect the heart.
5. Cheer up stressful Mind:
Mood swing can cause severe stress in mind which is equally harmful to health. When we feel stressed our cortisol level gets higher, and as a result, it increase hunger, and we cannot control the limit of consumption of food. So it has been noticed in many cases that during a stressful period of mind people gain extra weight. Only a few things can cheer up a melancholic mind, one of which is dark chocolate. Commonly every chocolate lover knows the joy and happiness of eating the favourite chocolate, and if we are talking about dark chocolate, anyone can fell that happiness without feeling any hesitation as it is beneficial for health. The ingredient of dark chocolate helps in producing endorphin hormone which stimulates the brain cells and makes us feel relaxed.
6. Manage Cholesterol:
Usually individuals with high cholesterol avoid chocolate but according to scientific researches, consuming dark chocolate could be proved fruitful in regulating the cholesterol level in blood. The cocoa butter in dark chocolate has a right amount of oleic acid, which is a menstruated fat that keeps heart healthy. Beside this dark chocolate has stearic acid and palmitic acid. Both are saturated fat, but fortunately stearic acid shows neutral action in controlling cholesterol level, where as palmitic acid occupies a very small portion of the total fat content of dark chocolate. Therefore, moderate consumption of dark chocolates inhibits bad cholesterol and control the balance of lipid profile.
7. Prevent cancer:
Owing to antioxidant properties dark chocolate contains polyphenol that plays a significant role in destroying free radicals. Therefore, the concept of cancer prevention has been constructed as consumption of dark chocolates may damage the cancerous cell and prevent further progress. Experimental scientific evidence shows that cocoa in dark chocolate can lower the risk of getting cancer in many ways that include it stops cell damage, lower inflammation and inhibits cancerous cell to spread in the adjacent area.
8. Muscle protection and brain function:
Dark chocolate is full of protein, and thus it provides strong muscles especially in the growing age. It has flavinoids that works as an anti-inflammatory agent, and this is one of the vital reason to include it into our diet. If our body gets inflammation, it causes a physical problem that relates muscles, heart, diabetes and cancer. Also, inflammation affects the hormones that control metabolism. A health drink made of dark chocolate or a small piece of dark chocolate can prevent the cell damage and also it is helpful to repair tissues after a tough workout. Beside this dark chocolate upgrade our brain function and eyesight by improving blood flow to the brain cells.
9. Helps To Stay Beautiful:
Staying beautiful does not mean you have to follow a strict chocolate-free diet for the rest of your life. You can indulge your taste buds with a small portion of dark chocolate and yet you will get amazing beauty benefits. We usually eat chocolate for a sweet taste and to meet hunger, but dark chocolate is also helpful to get a lustrous hair and soft and supple skin tone. It has beneficial antioxidant properties that protect our skin from premature ageing and dull look. Also, it works as a detoxifier that releases the harmful toxin which is the main reason that our skin loses its glow. For hair, it works with the same properties and enhances hair volume. It also helps to reduce scalp infection with its anti-inflammatory properties.
10. Provides Vitamins and Minerals:
Besides antioxidants and other nutrients, dark chocolate also has vitamins like A, B1, C, D, and E, and minerals like copper, magnesium, potassium, iron etc. in concentrated form. The iron content helps to treat iron deficiency and improves blood haemoglobin. Dark chocolate is a great source of iron. 100 gm of dark chocolate contains 8mg iron. Minerals like magnesium help to manage type 2 diabetes and potassium and copper manage cardiovascular health. Also, the high level of magnesium aids in calcium absorption and reduce menstrual cramps. During pregnancy, magnesium helps to alleviate morning sickness and vomiting tendency, and so consumption of dark chocolate proves rewarding in case of a pregnant woman.
To conclude, what can be more satisfying than getting so much health benefits from mouth-watering dark chocolate? It deserves the status of a super food from every aspect and an easy way out to fill up our stomach during a busy schedule. Only you have to choose the right quantity as overindulging may cause allergies and other health problems, but the moderate amount can be proved fruitful for your health and beauty if you go for the right product. We hope you will think twice before you say, “NO”, to Dark chocolates in future.
