You may not consider chocolate to be a health food, but adding dark chocolate to your diet may benefit your health in many ways. Dark chocolate contains several beneficial compounds that will boost your health. Look for a dark chocolate bar with at 65 percent cocoa, because the higher the cocoa content, the more nutritional advantages you will get. Limit your daily intake to 3 oz. per day or less, because dark chocolate still contains a lot of calories and fat.
Cocoa Content
Chocolate is made from cocoa beans, which in pure form are considered quite healthy. The addition of sugar and oils is what makes chocolate bars an unhealthy part of your diet. Cocoa may reduce your risk of heart disease when consumed on a regular basis. Cocoa beans contain specific flavanols that reduce cell damage associated with heart damage. The same flavanols also help reduce your blood pressure and keep your arteries healthy and strong. Dark chocolate contains more cocoa than milk chocolate, so you will get more of these health benefits if you eat dark chocolate.
Antioxidants
In addition to flavanols, dark chocolate also contains several antioxidants that work to protect your health. One way that these antioxidants keep you healthy is by preventing blood clots and keeping your vascular system working properly. The antioxidants in dark chocolate may also reduce inflammation. Excess inflammation in your body may contribute to an increase risk for heart disease, cancer and other life-threatening health conditions.
Lower in Sugar
If you enjoy eating chocolate on a regular basis, choosing dark chocolate will keep your sugar intake much lower than eating milk or white chocolate. Dark chocolate is not as sweet as other types of chocolate, because manufacturers do not add as much sugar. A diet high in sugar is linked to many dangerous health problems, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Dark chocolate is a low sugar treat or dessert, but limit yourself to no more than 3 ounces per day.
Vitamins and Minerals
Dark chocolate contains small amounts of several vitamins and minerals you need on a daily basis. One bar of dark chocolate supplies about 12 percent of your daily requirements for magnesium, a nutrient critical for heart and muscle health. The same amount of dark chocolate also supplies about 4 percent of your daily potassium needs, another nutrient that supports a healthy heart. Dark chocolate also supplies a small amount of calcium and iron.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Healthy Chocolate: Dream or Reality; Katherine Zeratsky
- "Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies"; Frances Sizer Webb, Ellie Whitney, Frances Sienkiewicz Sizer and Eleanor Noss Whitney; 2008
- All Chocolate: Mineral Rich
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