Benefits of Chocolate are derived from the plants from which these chocolates are made. The dark vegetables donate their health benefits to the chocolate. The substance known as flavonoids present in the plants plays the role of antioxidants. You may have free radicals in your body which cause your aging. They also can cause heart diseases. The antioxidants protect your body from these ill effects. Strawberries contain antioxidants, but chocolate contains 8 times more than the number of antioxidants available in strawberries. Blood pressure can be managed by flavonoids by inducing production of nitric acid and by balancing certain hormones. Therefore, dark chocolate contributes rightly to your heart.
Studies on benefits of chocolate reveal that eating a mini bar of dark chocolate on daily basis can lower blood pressure if it is high. Dark chocolate can reduce the bad cholesterol, also known as the Low Density Lipid (LDL), by 10%. The taste of chocolate is good. It can stimulate the production of endorphin, which causes a feeling of pleasure in the brain. Chocolate has serotonin in it, and so, it can act as an antidepressant. It contains stimulants such as caffeine and theobromine. Chocolate contains some fats too, but they have no impact on your cholesterol. These fats are oleic acid, stearic acid and palmitic acid and each fat is one-third of the total fats in chocolate. Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fat and is good for health. Stearic acid has only a neutral effect on cholesterol even though it is a saturated fat. However, palmitic acid is the down side of chocolate’s properties. It is a saturated fat that can raise the level of cholesterol and hence the risk of heart diseases. This implies that one-third of the fats in dark chocolate only is harmful.
However, to get the most benefits out of chocolate, you should not consume more than 100 grams a day. Remember, chocolate is high in calories. If you happen to eat more than the above limit, you should balance it by cutting out other sweets. More antioxidants are available in dark chocolate than milk chocolate or white chocolate. The latter varieties of chocolates cannot have any health claims due to the above reason. At the same time, dark chocolates also cannot be beneficial if they have fillings such as caramel and nougat. These substances only add sugar and fat to the dark chocolate and hence many benefits of the chocolate can be nullified by them. Some people take chocolates by soaking them in milk, but this is not advisable as absorption of the antioxidants in the chocolate may become difficult.
Chocolates are high in potassium and magnesium, and vitamins B1, B2, D and E are also available in them. Chocolate craving is helpful in preventing binge eating too. Cacao, which is the source of chocolate, contains antibacterial agents. Smell of the chocolate augments theta brain waves and causes relaxation. Phenyl ethylamine in chocolate elevates your mood mildly. A cup of hot chocolate before meals can reduce your appetite. Chocolate is not addictive. You can get a noticeable effect even by eating a small quantity of chocolate.