Health Lifestyle Health lifestyle is good for you!
Keeping its sugar and fat content aside, dark chocolate is regarded as one of the most health-rewarding food items. Health benefits of eating low sugar dark chocolate are very high in comparison to that of other comfort foods.
What makes dark chocolate so healthy?
It is rich in anti-oxidants.
It contains theobromine.
It has a high content of vitamins and minerals like Potassium, Magnesium, Iron, Copper, Manganese, Zinc, Selenium etc.
It contains stimulants like caffeine in an appropriate amount.
It contains flavanols.
How does dark chocolate benefit our body?
Replacing your regular chocolate bar with a bar of dark chocolate can bring about a categorical change in your health condition:
Dark Chocolate Health Benefits #1: Dark chocolate keeps your heart healthy
Moderate consumption of dark chocolate prevents arteriosclerosis (stiffening and hardening of arteries). Anti-oxidants in the dark chocolate eliminate free radicals in our body thus preventing various heart ailments. Oxidised LDL cholesterol (Bad cholesterol) leads to higher heart risks and dark chocolate helps in reducing LDL. It also increases HDL (good) cholesterol level in our body. As a result, less cholesterol gets collected in arteries. Eating dark chocolate 3-4 times per week prevents calcification in the arteries by approximately 30%.
Dark Chocolate Health Benefits #2: Regulates blood flow and keeps blood pressure under control
It keeps your blood pressure under check by regulating your blood flow and preventing blood clots. The cocoa phenols present in dark chocolate helps in lowering blood pressure. It increases the level of a healthy compound called epicatechin in our body.
Dark Chocolate Health Benefits #3: Improves insulin sensitivity
Consuming 90-100 gram of dark chocolate in around 10 days improves insulin sensitivity of the body. Insulin resistance particularly causes type 2-diabetes Mellitus and coronary artery diseases. Dark chocolate decreases LDL (bad cholesterol) level in our body which thus prevents the occurrence of such diseases.
Dark Chocolate Health Benefits #4: Increases blood flow to the brain
Consumption of dark chocolate improves brain functioning. Higher the content of flavanols, better the blood flow in the brain. It thus has a relaxing and soothing effect on our mind.As we grow old, different forms of brain impairments are observed. Dark chocolate helps in diminishing these ageing effects.
It aids verbal fluency and cognitive functioning of the brain in elderly people. The stimulants like caffeine and theobromine present in dark chocolate improve brain functioning in the short run.
Dark Chocolate Health Benefits #5: Elevates skin condition
The bioactive compounds like flavanols present in dark chocolate augment hydration of skin. It also helps in reducing the effects of sun exposure by increasing the amount of blood flow to the skin. Better blood circulation in the skin boosts its glow.
Consumption of dark chocolates 3-5 times a week for a few months raises the level of minimum erythemal dose (the minimum UVB light which causes redness of skin after sun exposure). Thus, it not only reduces sun-induced damage but also improves immunity of skin towards sun exposure.
So grab a bar of dark chocolate and gobble it up! Dark chocolate health benefits have made low sugar dark chocolate very popular among health conscious people.
By Crazy Lila
