Things Everyone Should Know About Dark Chocolate
Contrary to our common thinking, consumption of chocolates can possibly improve cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure and the risk for diabetes. It may sound contradictory but it is true according to Harvard researchers. This study involved a review of 24 studies and 1,106 participants. And the said health benefits are due to the chocolate’s content called flavonoids which are of highest levels in the dark variants.
Dark chocolate is now established to be good for your health, since it has ingredients that can lower your blood pressure, considering you don’t abuse it.
Chocolate has a legion of diehard fanatics because of its flavor, but only a few dig the dark version. As much as I hate to admit it, dark chocolate is still a close second to chocolate varieties like milk chocolate or even the widely loved chocolate candy bars that have many other added ingredients like rice and peanuts to its mixture.
The bittersweet delight that comes with dark chocolate is yummier than it’s given credit for. The taste and the mouthfeel it gives is so intense. People who love it just can’t get enough of it. Some people can’t stand the strong taste, though. But who am I to judge them? Different folks different strokes, right?
Whichever type of chocolate you prefer, the most important thing to take into consideration is the quality of the ingredients. You can always stick with the most popular brands and well known quality brands, but you can also try out hole in the wall versions. You never know when you can find a treasure.
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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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Enjoying Dark Chocolate
Want something to balance the savory taste of your meal? Go for dark chocolate. Even a little amount can do the trick, that’s why it’s the go-to dessert of a lot of chocoholics who want a healthy lifestyle.
Savor dark chocolate by doing some or all of these:
1. Make it you workday treat!
In the middle of a particularly demanding day, take a break, and much on some dark chocolate. It will melt away stress as it melts in your mouth.
2. Make it a staple in your relaxing ritual.
“Me time” is not complete without your heartwarming comfort food. Cap off the experience with some dark chocolate in hand.
3. Bring it to family dinner and game night.
Sharing some dark chocolate with the ones closest to your heart can work magic. Pass around a few pieces after the home cooked meal you all just devoured.
4. It’s perfect for a wine-tasting party.
Host a wine tasting party and entertain friends in a casual setting. Get a wide array of wine along with different kinds of cheese, fruits and dark chocolates to bring out different notes in each one.
5. Toss in some chocolate on your next brunch with your girl friends.
Catch up with your girls over brunch. Talk about anything and everything under the sun. It’s even better when done in your house, with your homemade dishes to boot. End the meal with a few bites of dark chocolate.
How do you enjoy your dark chocolate?
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Dark Chocolate Proven To Enhance Mood
A recent study done in Australia shows that dark chocolate can boost one’s mood via giving calmness and a sense of contentment. How is that even possible? It all lies in the polyphenols that cocoa is packed with.
Naturally, polyphenols are abundant in plants and almost always included in the human diet. These compounds are known to decrease oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is linked to a lot of diseases. More to these, polyphenols allegedky have outstanding psychological effects.
“Anecdotally, chocolate is often linked to mood enhancement,” Matthew Pase, a PhD candidate at the University of Swineburne in Melbourne and lead author of the study, claims. “This clinical trial is perhaps the first to scientifically demonstrate the positive effects of cocoa polyphenols on mood.”
This study was based on a randomized study which involved 72 healthy men and women aged 40-65 years. Each participant was given a dark chocolate drink mix standardized to have either 500mg of cocoa polyphenols, 250mg of cocoa polyphenols or none.
These people were then given the drink mixes in the same packaging for the investigators and participants to be unaware of which treatment they were being provided with. They drank their assigned drink once a day for 30 consecutive days.
30 days following this, those who got the high dose concentration of cocoa polyphenols said they had much more calmness and contentedness than the one who got either of the other drink mixes.
The researchers didn’t come up with any evidence that cocoa polyphenols hugely enhanced cognitive performance, though. Only participants who ingested the highest amount of polyphenols reported any remarkable or drastic positive effects. Those who were given a moderate amount (250 mg a day) claimed to have no dramatic effects.
Everybody gets stressed out at one point or another. It’s typical because of our job, but it could be for other personal reasons, too. Chocolate never fails to help some people. How about you? How do you take all the stress away?
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Chocolate Diet
Chocolate has always been contradictory to weight loss. However, new trends in dieting include chocolate, but it’s not what you think. You can’t just eat any kind of chocolate you put your hands on.
Basically, there are three types of chocolate, namely dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. The dark variant is considered as the healthiest type as it has the highest cocoa content. Cocoa is known for its antioxidants which provide tons of nutritional benefits.
Antioxidants play a big part in protecting the cells from damage, and new studies even show that it prevents certain diseases, particularly ones that affect the heart. They are also known to help fight the damaging effects of free radicals. So yes, cocoa, because of its antioxidant effects, can be a healthy addition to a weight loss plan.
Some diets require you to get rid of sweets altogether, but that abrupt change can lead to a dieting downfall. Most women crave chocolates but want to go on diets, so they deprive themselves of their cravings, which usually makes them break down and end up with unsuccessful diet plans.
While on a chocolate diet, make sure you consume other low-calorie but filling foods. Eat a lot of vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, among many others, as they contain minimum amount of calories. They have very high fiber contents which can help you feel full for longer periods of time. Not only that, they also aid in proper digestion. If you exercise a lot or have an active lifestyle, you may need additional calories. But never ever go on crash diets! Ever.
Keep your body hydrated at all times. Drink water all throughout the day. There are diets that require you to eliminate coffee from your diet as it induces cravings. However, there are people who just can’t live without caffeine in their systems. Just be moderate in your consumption.
Being on a chocolate diet still entails healthy eating and drinking plenty of water, just like any healthy diet programs. You don’t just get to be at your ideal weight, you also get to satisfy your sweet tooth cravings.
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Shortage in Chocolate
Mind-bogglingly, there is currently a worldwide scarcity of cocoa beans. And this might be the rationale behind the total increase of the price of chocolate in the future, as what experts have assumed.
Chocolate manufacturers are thinking of various useful approaches that can aid in this problem like increasing the amount of nuts, fillers, or any other ingredients so as to bulk out chocolate candies.
This demand is supposedly cause by the rise in the popularity of cocoa in China, the ongoing spread of awareness about the several nutritional advantages of chocolate, and the steady and growing demand for dark chocolate.
According to the editor of trade publication Kennedy’s Confection, Angus Kennedy, the alarming shortage was the main topic in a recent industry summit. In addition, he stated that chocolate makers may go for chocolate flavor substitutes that ‘don’t melt in your mouth’.
It has been foreseen last year that there is gonna be a scarcity in ‘certified’ cocoa or ethically farmed beans, as there has been problems nowadays about accessibility of non-certified beans. ‘Now we are saying it doesn’t matter what you call it – there’s not enough.’ said Kennedy.
Cocoa bean experts are assuming that there is gonna be an intense shortage over the next eight years. Truth be told, they claimed that we will be around a million ton short. A huge–sized farm should be cultivated to meet all the demands.
Lately, chocolate eaters have been raving about dark chocolate and all its health advantages like lowering blood pressure and its link to the prevention of certain heart diseases. Chocolate makers have been encouraging this trend as dark chocolate is a profitable item.
What we must do now is savor chocolate as much as we possibly can and hope for the best to come!
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