As a kid, you might have got a lot of advice from your elders regarding the disadvantages of eating too much dark chocolate. Was all of it right? Yes and No. The type of candies and chocolates that you have stuffed your stomach with have several ill-impacts on your health and those impacts include ill dental health, diabetes and cholesterol problems. But if you love to eat chocolate and can’t resist having a bite every now and then, you can still have them without affecting your health. The only thing you have to take out from your chocolate is milk or any other substance used in milk chocolate.
Yes! I am talking about dark chocolate. The first thing that you need to do to keep the love between you and your chocolate intact is shifting from traditional chocolate to dark chocolate. Unlike traditional chocolate, dark chocolate is beneficial for your health. There are several benefits of consuming dark chocolate. On the contrary, dark chocolates are packed with nutrients and leave a sweet impact on your lives despite tasting a little bitter. I’m going to give you 8 reasons to eat dark chocolates frequently or even daily.
Improved Cognition, Prevention of Memory Loss
Various studies by nutrition experts across the world have proved that chocolate consumption leads to stimulation of neural activity in parts of the brain that are responsible for pleasure and reward. This stimulation helps in killing stress and enhancing the mood. In short, consumption of dark chocolate is helpful in keeping you happy. Dark chocolate has high levels of flavonoids. They help in improving learning capacity and getting a strong memory.
Reducing the Risk of Diabetes
‘Chocolate is helpful in fighting diabetes’. This appears to be a statement from a parallel world in the first thought. However, studies have proved that dark chocolate is not only helpful in fighting diabetes but also improves blood sugar levels. The presence of cocoa in dark chocolate helps the body in the better metabolization of glucose. The flavonoids in dark chocolate not only reduce oxidative stress but also improve your body’s sensitivity towards insulin.
Prevention of Heart Disease
Your eating habits are one of the biggest reasons behind increased cases of heart-related ailments in adults. But the consumption of dark chocolate can reduce the risk significantly. Several studies have proved that people eating dark chocolate more than five times a week have 57 per cent less risk of getting affected by heart diseases. Flavonoids in dark chocolate help in reducing heart diseases significantly.
Dark Chocolate Also Aids Weight Loss
Eating too much sweets can lead to unhealthy weight gain. However, dark chocolates help in losing weight. Eating dark chocolate after a meal sends a signal to the brain telling it that you are full. This prevents you from overeating and prevents you from putting on too much weight. What you need to keep in mind that too much of anything is harmful and eating too much dark chocolate is not good either.
Dark Chocolates Are Helpful in Fighting Cancer
Cancer is one of the most deadly diseases and thousands of people lose their lives due to the disease. Dark chocolate consumption can prevent certain types of cancer from growing. The antioxidant properties protect the cells from getting damaged. Studies have proved that people who consume dark chocolate regularly have fewer chances of developing cancer.
Also Read, The Impact of Fast Foods On India
Good Skin
Everyone wants good skin and people spend a lot on purchasing artificial cosmetics for their skin. But most of them ignore the importance of a good diet. Including dark chocolate in your diet helps you in getting good skin. Dark chocolates are full of vitamins and minerals like copper, iron and magnesium that promote the production of collagen and make your skin look clear, young and healthy.
Tasty Anti-Ageing Food
Despite a bitter-sweet taste, dark chocolates are very tasty and have several health-friendly properties. Dark Chocolates are stuffed with nutrients like fibre, antioxidants, potassium, calcium, copper and magnesium. Most of the dark chocolates contain cocoa that is grown without chemical fertilizers and pesticides. All these properties make dark chocolate a really healthy and nutritious food.
Fighting Bad Cholesterol
With the busy schedule that people have these days, it is almost impossible to keep a check on the nutritional values of the food that we eat on a daily basis. This gives birth to problems like bad cholesterol. Dark chocolate consumption not only fights bad cholesterol but also boosts good cholesterol levels. Dark chocolates containing almonds and rich amounts of cocoa are particularly helpful in fighting bad cholesterol.