Chocolate can play a role in your health, both good and bad. While including chocolate in your diet can trigger weight gain and allergies, it can also provide benefits. Cacao beans, the beans from which chocolate is made, offer a variety of healthy perks for your body. Whether eaten as raw beans, in nib form or after it's made into chocolate, the cacao bean may have healing powers.
Fights Anemia
Your body needs 8 to 18 g of iron each day to adequately manufacture blood cells. According to Medline Plus, this important nutrient exists in every cell of your body and affects your body's ability to deliver oxygen to all its parts. A deficiency of iron in your body may lead to anemia, a condition marked by severe fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive problems and cold extremities. MayoClinic.com indicates that your physician may recommend iron supplements or surgery to reverse anemia, but your dietary choices can influence anemia as well -- cacao beans contain a high level of iron, according to Natural News. One 28-g serving of cacao beans provides approximately 314 percent of the recommended daily intake of iron. Even eating cacao after it's transformed into chocolate offers you the benefits of iron; Get Fit Nutrition reports that 50 g of dark chocolate contains 1.75 mg of iron.
Improves Skin
Your skin is your largest organ, and keeping your skin healthy can keep you looking younger as you age. Research published in the April 2006 issue of the Hungarian journal Orvosi Hetilap notes that antioxidants can play a role in defending your skin against damage from ultraviolet-related free radicals, compounds that damage skin cells. High On Health reports that cacao beans contain more antioxidants than any other food, making this bean an important part of your diet for skin health. Cacao processed into chocolate retains its antioxidant properties as well -- evidence published in the October 2008 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry confirms that cocoa powder falls into the top 10 percent of foods that contain flavanol antioxidants.
Increases Happiness
When you find yourself down in the dumps, eat a cacao bean or a piece of chocolate. Natural News reports that cacao beans contain phenylethylamine and anandamide. Your body produces phenylethylamine naturally when you get excited or fall in love; eating foods with this compound causes your heart rate to quicken and mimics the feelings of happiness associated with the actions that create it in your body. Anandamide impacts your blood pressure and blood glucose levels, and your body produces this compound when you feel good. Eating foods with anandamide improves your mood and can even treat depression.
References
- The Mountain City Elementary Corner: How Chocolate Is Made
- Natural News: Nutritional Authority David Wolfe Discusses Metabolism and Chocolate
- GetFit Nutrition: Iron -- The Basics
- PubMed: The Role of Free Radicals in the UV-Induced Skin Damage
- Journal of Agriculture and Chemistry: Impact of Alkalization on the Antioxidant and Flavanol Content of Commercial Cocoa Powders
- High on Health: Learn Why Raw Cacao Beans Are One Of The Most Amazing Superfoods You Could Ever Eat
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