Things You Should Know About Chocolate

 

Chocolates that contain at least 70% cocoa are the best ones you can choose, taking into account the higher the cocoa content, the more nutrients you can get. Your chocolate is also better non- or lightly alkalized or non-dutched. Milk and white chocolate are sooo good, but they don’t have as much healthy flavanols as dark chocolate does.

If you’re not crazy about dark chocolate, don’t worry. They say it’s an acquired taste, and you can learn it by gradually increasing percentage of cocoa in the chocolates that you have. Truth be told, there are milk chocolates with 50 percent cocoa or more available these days.

Portion control is the way to go. Studies have shown that as few as 30 calories of flavanol-rich dark chocolate can lower the blood pressure. Nevertheless, indulging yourself once in a while is not so bad. A 500-calorie indulgence amounts to only about a two-ounce weight gain, and you can sweat that out in the gym any day.

No, don’t confuse chocolate with an aphrodisiac. Sorry chocoholic boys, but science has still not proven that chocolate can increase the libido of your female partner. Don’t go sending here boxes of chocolate and expect something in return!

However, cocoa can be considered as a fountain of youth in its own right, since it is proven to keep skin young. Cocoa beans come with antioxidants that can combat free radicals, which are known to bring about skin damage. When cocoa beans are made into chocolate bars, they can lose a sizable amount of antioxidants. That being said, have it in liquid form and drink cocoa instead!

Furthermore, chocolate is beneficial to the heart, given that a study had shown that specific substances in chocolate cold lessen LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) and an increase the HDL cholesterol (the good kind).

Also, chocolate is not evil for the teeth. As a matter of fact, chocolate can help prevent cavities and plaque build-up on the teeth. A sugar-laden chocolate is a different story, though.