Lower Stress with Dark Chocolate
A tiny amount of chocolate every day will help you deal with stressful moments. However you should stay away from other sweet treats or snacks. Snack alternatives like dried fruit or fruit and nut combinations will provide you with sufficient energy that you need to help you keep stress at work or the stress of personal relationships in check.
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Chocolate’s Dark Side
During the medieval times, Christianity and chocolates didn’t mix. The Catholic Church used to bracket together chocolate and heretical behavior like blasphemy and even witchcraft. Does it even make sense? Read on.
I bet if you’re the type who digs medieval anything or maybe you’ve heard it at school at a certain point in your student life, you probably know about ‘Inquisition’. Never heard? Well then, let me shed some light on you about this dreadful thing. The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis (inquiry on heretical perversity), gives a picture of the heavy-handedness of religion during that certain time, persecution, and prejudice. It was the fight against heresy by the Roman Catholic Church.
You may be wondering by now what exactly it is about chocolate that connects such a morbid even to our beloved chocolate. For starters, even downing a chocolaty beverage while in a particular event can be included in heretical behaviors. Truth be told and as morose as it may seem, there were even stories told in which Charles II, King of Spain, supposedly drank chocolate while observing Inquisition victims being slain.
Document and papers about Inquisition even acknowledged some actions of chocolate merchants that are involved in anti-Christian behavior, chocolate was even utilized in seduction and witchcraft. Those documents also showed how people went on betraying one another either by choice or by force.
A lot of individuals during those tough times were laid blame on for using chocolate in “non-Christian” acts. Some chocolatiers were even denounced for being observant Jews.
Thankfully, nowadays, chocolate is tantamount to anything cheery, joyful, and festive. It was quite a transition and a very disheartening story to hear. But it’s a thing of the past. All we can do now is be grateful that we can enjoy chocolate freely!
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Chocolate Can Prevent Heart Disease?
A recent study revealed that individuals who consume chocolate on a regular basis may not only be satisfying their sweet tooth craving, but also lowering their chance of having certain diseases namely cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and stroke by 37%, 31% and 29%, respectively.
A link has been found between eating chocolate and prevention of heart disease, but the study is too premature to jump into conclusions. The said experiment included intake of dark and milk chocolate and included chocolate candies and drinks.
Previous studies have already associated chocolate with the reduction of heart risk since cocoa is known to have positive antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on the heart. But in this new study, it appears that people who regularly eat chocolate pretty much reduce their risk by one-third. It is not accurate though how much health benefits chocolate has to offer.
According to World Health Organization, heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death across the world. Metabolic syndrome, together with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, affect approximately one fifth of the adult population around the world.
Nevertheless, you can prevent yourself from having these deadly conditions by means of lifestyle modification such as diet and exercise. Also, chocolate can contribute to avoiding these diseases. We just need to know more details about its precise benefits to the health.
Most chocolates that you can find in the market are loaded with sugar and fat, which can only cause you to gain weight, and can also lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, and certain heart diseases. Further knowledge should be studies need to know ways of reducing these harmful elements in chocolates yet still maintain its delectable taste.
Yet again, don’t go devouring chocolate because of this! For the nth time, moderation is key.
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Is Dark Chocolate Healthy?
Chocolate has never failed to entertain people. Aside from its beyond pleasant taste, it can enhance one’s mood due to its nutritional contents. However, chocolate is not always healthy. When its processing takes too long, it is bound to lose its flavonoids which have antioxidant qualities that help fight free radicals that can cause certain types of illnesses.
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Flavonoids In Chocolate Are Good For The Health
Cacao is known to contain a certain substance called Flavonoids, specifically Flavanols. These are chemicals usually see in plant-based foods and they are famous for their nutritional value. There are over 4,000 flavonoids and they are typically found in fruits, vegetables and beverages such as rea, coffee, beer, wine and fruit drinks. Why certainly, it is found in chocolates as well!
When we consume flavonoid-containing foods, it follows that we get the benefits of antioxidants in it which can combat body cell damage. Moreover, research suggests that flavonoids have benefits to the vascular health like lowering blood pressure and improving blood flow to the brain and heart so the blood platelets become less viscous. Therefore, it keeps cholesterol from gathering in and blocking blood vessels. It also retards the immune responses that may cause arteries to clog.
Eating a tiny piece of dark chocolate per day can give you health benefits over time. Why dark chocolates, you may ask. We know that there are different types of chocolate. Dark chocolates contain the highest amount of cocoa compared to other variants such as milk and white chocolates which pretty much means dark chocolate holds more flavonoids than the other two. Since processing chocolate oftentimes wipes out the flavonoids in chocolates, chocolate companies have been learning techniques to make dark chocolate keep its flavonoids up to 95%.
Health experts suggest that flavonoid-rich foods are better than dietary supplements that contain high amounts of flavonoids. So, go ahead and get your piece of chocolate! Yes, besides being mouthwatering and luscious, chocolates are in fact healthy!
However, just because it’s healthy and can give you health benefits doesn’t mean you have to devour 5 bars in one sitting. Remember, too much of something is bad. Moderation is always key. Eat a little at a time and wait for the nutritional payback over time.
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