6 Top Reasons why Eating Chocolate is Beneficial for Your Health

This was written with the Life According to Steph audience in mind. Freelance writer, Delicia Warren, is passionate about the environment and the impact humans are having on the world around us. She's an advocate of holistic approaches to life's issues, including alternative medicines, as well as having an interest in helping individuals make small changes to their lifestyles to minimize their carbon footprint.

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Do you have a sweet tooth? Well, I have some good news for you. There’s no need for you to feel guilty the next time you decide to eat chocolate, since eating chocolate can be healthy.  

Chocolate is often considered as a treat and you will be amazed to know that Americans spend up to $10 billion dollars every year on chocolate treats. 

Despite chocolate often being responsible for the increase in one’s weight, there are varied health benefits linked to this mouth-watering treat.

Now, you can finally get to indulge in your preferred snack without having a guilty conscience. However, there’s one catch. It must be dark chocolate, since it possesses a higher percentage of cacao. 

Cacao, which is one of the major ingredients in chocolate, contains active biological phenolic compounds that have been proven to possess some health benefits. This has greatly helped people’s perception of chocolate and has led to a lot of research into how the consumption of chocolate might impact ageing. 

It’s advisable to strike a balance when consuming chocolate. Ideally, you should aim to have just one or two pieces of high quality chocolate such as mozart kugeln.

Top Benefits of Eating Chocolate

Cholesterol

 A study issued in The Journal of Nutrition suggested that the use of chocolate may assist in the reduction of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels, which is often referred to as the ‘bad kind’ of cholesterol. 

Research conducted on chocolate bars (that contained cocoa flavanols and plant sterols to determine the effect they had on cholesterol levels) showed that routine consumption of chocolates that contained these ingredients supported cardiovascular health by regulating one’s blood pressure and lessening cholesterol levels.

Improves One’s Cognitive Function

Research has shown that when elderly people were treated to chocolates that contained specially prepared cocoa extracts (which were high in flavanols) their cognitive ability tended to improve. 

The main problem associated with consuming chocolate is that the percentage of cocoa flavanols tends to be greatly lowered through the addition of milk, eggs, and sugar.

Heart Disease 

The BMJ published research that proposed that consumption of chocolate could reduce dangers relating to heart disease by up to a third. 

According to the author’s observation, increased levels of chocolate consumption resulted in a lessened risk of contracting cardiovascular complications.

Consuming Chocolate May Assist those with Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s is known to cause a dreadful loss in one’s certain mental tasks. Lavado, which is an extract that is contained in cocoa, can assist in the reduction of the damage done to the brain’s nerve pathways, which is often a result of Alzheimer’s disease. 

Reduction of Blood Pressure

Eating chocolate which contains flavanols can help your body produce nitric oxide which is vital to helping your arteries relax. So eating dark chocolate which has the higher amount of flavanols in it can help alleviate pressure within your arteries, so as to improve your blood pressure.

Aids in the Production of Endorphins 

Dark chocolates containing flavanols help in the production of endorphins which can help relieve stress and anxiety – therefore helping to treat mental illnesses.