Chocolate is made from plants, which means it contains many health benefits of dark vegetables. These benefits come from flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, which can cause damage that leads to heart disease. Dark chocolate contains large amounts of antioxidants (nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries). Flavonoids also help lower blood pressure through nitric oxide production, and balance certain hormones in the body.
Benefits of Dark Chocolate for Heart Health
Dark chocolate is good for your heart. One small box every day can help keep the heart and cardiovascular system to run well. Two heart health benefits of dark chocolate as follows:
* Lowering Blood Pressure: Studies have shown that consuming a small bar of dark chocolate every day can lower blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure.
* Lowering Cholesterol: Black Chocolate has also been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) by 10 percent.
Other Benefits of Dark Chocolate:
Chocolate also has benefits apart from protecting the heart:
* Having good taste
* Stimulates production of endorphins, which give pleasure
* They contain serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant
* Contains a substance theobromine, caffeine and other stimulants
Is not Chocolate Containing Much Fat?
Here is some good news - some of the fat in chocolate does not affect cholesterol levels. Fat in chocolate consists of 1 / 3 oleic acid, 1 / 3 stearic acid and 1 / 3 palmitic acid
* Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fat is healthy who are also found in olive oil.
* Stearic acid is a saturated fat, but research shows has a neutral effect on cholesterol.
* Palmitic acid is also a saturated fat, one which raises cholesterol and heart disease risk.
That means only one third of the fat in dark chocolate is bad for health.
Tips for Healthy Chocolate
Tip 1 - Balance the Calories:
This information does not mean that has to eat a pound of chocolate per day. Chocolate is still the food, high calorie high fat content. Most studies were performed using no more than 100 grams of dark chocolate per day to gain health benefits.
One bar of dark chocolate has about 400 calories. If you consume half a chocolate bar a day, you have to balance the 200 calories by reducing other food. Reduce sugary foods or snacks and replace them with chocolate to keep the total calories the same.
Tip 2 - Select Chocolate Black:
Dark chocolate has far more antioxidants than milk or white chocolate. Other chocolate still unproven health benefits. Dark chocolate has 65 percent or higher cocoa content.
Tip 3 - Avoid fatty foods:
You should look for pure dark chocolate or dark chocolate with nuts, orange flavor or other flavorings. Avoid anything with caramel or other fillings. This patch only adds sugar and fat which erase many of the benefits gained from eating chocolate.
Benefits of Dark Chocolate for Heart Health
Dark chocolate is good for your heart. One small box every day can help keep the heart and cardiovascular system to run well. Two heart health benefits of dark chocolate as follows:
* Lowering Blood Pressure: Studies have shown that consuming a small bar of dark chocolate every day can lower blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure.
* Lowering Cholesterol: Black Chocolate has also been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) by 10 percent.
Other Benefits of Dark Chocolate:
Chocolate also has benefits apart from protecting the heart:
* Having good taste
* Stimulates production of endorphins, which give pleasure
* They contain serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant
* Contains a substance theobromine, caffeine and other stimulants
Is not Chocolate Containing Much Fat?
Here is some good news - some of the fat in chocolate does not affect cholesterol levels. Fat in chocolate consists of 1 / 3 oleic acid, 1 / 3 stearic acid and 1 / 3 palmitic acid
* Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fat is healthy who are also found in olive oil.
* Stearic acid is a saturated fat, but research shows has a neutral effect on cholesterol.
* Palmitic acid is also a saturated fat, one which raises cholesterol and heart disease risk.
That means only one third of the fat in dark chocolate is bad for health.
Tips for Healthy Chocolate
Tip 1 - Balance the Calories:
This information does not mean that has to eat a pound of chocolate per day. Chocolate is still the food, high calorie high fat content. Most studies were performed using no more than 100 grams of dark chocolate per day to gain health benefits.
One bar of dark chocolate has about 400 calories. If you consume half a chocolate bar a day, you have to balance the 200 calories by reducing other food. Reduce sugary foods or snacks and replace them with chocolate to keep the total calories the same.
Tip 2 - Select Chocolate Black:
Dark chocolate has far more antioxidants than milk or white chocolate. Other chocolate still unproven health benefits. Dark chocolate has 65 percent or higher cocoa content.
Tip 3 - Avoid fatty foods:
You should look for pure dark chocolate or dark chocolate with nuts, orange flavor or other flavorings. Avoid anything with caramel or other fillings. This patch only adds sugar and fat which erase many of the benefits gained from eating chocolate.