Once seen as a decadent indulgence, chocolate is now viewed as a substance that can improve your health. Not just any chocolate will have positive effects, however. Some chocolate candy won't do much more than contribute to weight gain and problems with blood sugar. Choose the right chocolate candy, and your health is likely to benefit.
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is gaining a reputation for contributing to good health and for excellent reasons. Chocolate can have more antioxidants than tea or wine, making it a top choice for getting these cancer-preventing nutrients. Dark chocolate can help decrease blood pressure, increase the flexibility of arteries and help to prevent blood clots. The fat in chocolate won't raise your cholesterol, either. In fact, the oleic acid in chocolate can lower LDL, the "bad" cholesterol.
Milk Chocolate
While the chocolate in milk chocolate has the same benefits as the chocolate in a dark chocolate bar, you won't likely receive them. Milk chocolate is chocolate that has been diluted with milk and a significant amount of sugar until it is less than 30 percent cocoa. Since eating sugar can be detrimental to health, do not rely on milk chocolate to reap the benefits that chocolate has to offer. Keep in mind that the fat in any chocolate bar can contribute to weight gain -- a reason to consume chocolate wisely.
Other Chocolate Candies
Chocolate that is combined with caramel, cookie pieces and other types of sweets does not contribute to good health. This sort of chocolate candy is replete with refined carbohydrates, which contribute to a variety of health conditions. Obesity, type 2 diabetes and bodily inflammation are often the consequences of a diet rich is refined carbohydrates. When selecting chocolate candy, avoid any with added ingredients other than dried fruit or nuts.
Healthy Choices
To get the most health benefits from eating chocolate candy, choose the darkest chocolate that is palatable to you. Start with chocolate bars that contain at least 60 percent cocoa mass and work your way up until you are eating candy with a higher concentration of chocolate. The more cocoa mass that a chocolate bar provides, the lower the sugar content will be, minimizing any ill effects that could be caused by sugar consumption. One bar of dark chocolate a week is enough to reap the benefits -- eat too much chocolate candy and you might gain weight, regardless of how healthy it is otherwise.
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