Good news everyone! So chocolate is officially a superfood.
Chocolate contains high levels of antioxidants, polyphenols, flavanols and theobromine.
Health benefits of chocolate recently have been linked to:
-Lowering blood pressure
-Reducing the risk of heart failure
-Reduce the potential for insulin resistance and diabetes, therefore,
-Sunscreen
-Stress reduction
-Increase blood flow to the brain-potentially increasing alertness and performance of short-term
-Relief from diarrhea
-Easing symptoms of cough
Several studies have been done, particularly in Europe and the United States, to health benefits of chocolate, many with surprisingly positive results. However, you have to question who is financing a part of this research? It would not be the case for large companies such as chocolate manufacturers? A lot of research alone was from Hershey Center for health and nutrition. In no way biased then, right?
It's also worth noting that most of these studies are based on short-term effects and no long-term research.
So, before you reach for the Dairy Milk, let's weigh the evidence ...
Dark chocolate is anti-inflammatory. So it makes sense that helped me in reducing heart problems related such as stroke. However, the other ingredients in our chocolate is normally presented to us with may not be so positive. Standard chocolate bars are loaded with fats, milk, sugar, emulsifiers and other artificial ingredients.
The theobromine found in chocolate has been found to reduce the action of the vagus nerve, which is related to frequent or persistent cough. However, the increased activity of the vagus nerve was found to reduce seizures. In fact, high levels of theobromine can induce epileptic seizures. And dark chocolate contains more than three times the amount of theobromine than milk chocolate-so not everyone.
Interestingly, it is theobromine in chocolate that makes it so toxic to dogs.
Theobromine can be our friend and our enemy. Can help with insulin sensitivity, asthma, dilation of blood vessels and vascular performance. However, there is some evidence that in addition to theobromine consumption during pregnancy can have adverse effects on the developing fetus.
Theobromine has similar effects on the body, so caffeine addiction.
Chocolate is also high in oxalic acid that can inhibit calcium absorption and overall body mineralization. You can also assist in the production of kidney stones. So it should be avoided if you have ever suffered with kidney stones.
It also contains vasoactive amines, which can dilate blood vessels of the brain, stimulating the headaches and migraines, so it should be avoided if you're mentally ill.
A has favorable, the chocolates are rich in magnesium. It would seem that most of "sweet tooth" actually lack magnesium. If you have chocolate cravings, it may be worth experimenting with a detox and chocolate increase magnesium levels with other magnesium rich snacks like avocado, cashews, almonds, seeds or eggs.
I can't really go much further in speaking of chocolate without discussing the other word C most women think of-calories! My personal opinion is that our thoughts around our daily diet should not be about calories per se, should be about the nutrients. However, this does not mean that we should ignore them entirely. And chocolate can be highly caloric than its nutritional value. Less is definitely more. Only 4 chocolate squares per day can add up to 76,000 calories to your annual intake!
So if you still want to enjoy your chocolate. My recommendations would be;
-Try not to let it become a habit-more than an occasional treat
-The benefit is from cocoa in dark chocolate layers then opt for really dark chocolate (70% is a good indicator)
-Avoid highly processed brands such as high levels of heating destroys some of the potential benefits
-Watch out for the other nasty ingredients in bars, it is these ingredients that can really affect the calorific value of the bar
-Try raw