Dark chocolate is creamy, sweet, delicious, and healthy for you. It is made from the seed of a cocoa tree and is one of the best sources of antioxidants. We are not talking about the chocolate candy bar full of sugar or pastries, but the quality dark chocolate containing 70-85% cocoa. Despite its great taste, there are at least five chocolate health benefits that you may have missed. Chocolate has many health benefits if you buy the purest form of minimal processing.

Chocolate has to go through a long, complex process before it gets the taste we know. It can have a variety of flavors and some different looks depending on the processing and added ingredients.

• Unsweetened: bitter or baked chocolate is best if used in cooking with added sugar.

• Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened but with an intense chocolate taste – better if used in recipes.

• Dark chocolate: best at 70-85% pure cocoa.

• Bittersweet: only 35% cocoa, dark color, and somewhat bitter.

• Semisweet and milk chocolate are both high in sugar, lots of sweeteners, and less cocoa.

The uses of chocolate are many, but the one with the most benefits is dark chocolate. A 100-gram bar can contain antioxidants and fiber, so a tiny amount is immensely satisfying.

Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate You May Not Know

You probably already know dark chocolate is an excellent source of organic compounds such as antioxidants, flavonols, and polyphenols. These are shown to fight free radicals in the body. You may find the highest level of nutrition in the chocolates. But do you know the dark chocolate health benefits?

• Dark chocolate can help improve your vision. Chocolate enhances blood flow to the brain and retina, which can help improve vision.

• Another benefit less known is the ability to quiet hard-to-stop coughs. Theobromine reduces the vagus nerve in the brain that triggers hard–to-stop cough. And it does not have the narcotic codeine. So there are no side effects of being sleepy and groggy.

• Dark chocolate may protect your skin from the sun. Flavonols can improve blood flow to the skin, increasing skin density and protecting it from sun damage.

• A study showed that eating chocolate two or more times a week lowered the risk of calcification plaque in arteries. There was an enormous reduction in heart disease, and it can reduce blood pressure. Drinking cocoa rich in flavanols boosts the blood flow to the brain and can improve your alertness for up to 3 hours.

• Chocolate can be very nutritious as it contains soluble fiber and minerals. It has 11 grams of fiber, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, and zinc.

Other Proven Chocolate Health Benefits

The feel-good feeling you get from chocolate happens from the release of neurotransmitters and phyllo-chemicals in the body, which elevate your mood. And you might feel a little energized from eating your chocolate bar. That is from the small amounts of caffeine in chocolate. And you can’t discount the great taste of splendid pure chocolate candy.

Sometimes emotional eating might not be the wrong thing. You know what kind of havoc stress puts on your body. Studies show that when anxious people take an ounce and a half of dark chocolate regularly for two weeks, their stress hormone levels are reduced.

Next time you’re under pressure at work, do not feel embarrassed about grabbing a dark chocolate bar from a vending machine or snack truck. It will help you change the effects of stress and give your brain a bump of power when needed.

Those who love a little bit of chocolate now and then are excited to find chocolate health benefits we might have missed. Along with the delicious taste, we can eat a square a day, reduce blood pressure, and lessen the risk of heart attacks. Of course, some things must be done in moderation, so don’t overdo it. Turn your brain and body a boost of chocolate, and you might live a little longer and healthier.

Conclusion:

Of course, these benefits don’t mean you can go out and splurge on chocolate. The fiber content will make you feel full, so you only need a small piece to get satisfied and won’t overindulge. Dark chocolate can also lessen the cravings for sweet, fatty foods. Next time you choose your chocolate, remember the unclear chocolate health benefits.