The time has finally come! We no longer have to feel guilty about eating chocolate. It’s easy to associate chocolate with being unhealthy, sugary and bad for you. But did you know that incorporating some dark chocolate into your diet can actually benefit you? Yes, it’s true!
Check out these 5 benefits of dark chocolate:
1. Prevents heart disease
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While there are several benefits of eating dark chocolate, the idea that it prevents heart disease is one of the most popular benefits. Dark chocolate is believed to prevent heart disease because the cocoa bean is enriched with a nutrient called flavonoids. This nutrient helps repair damage and is also found in many fruits and vegetables. The antioxidants found in this nutrient have the ability to help the cells in the body resist damage.
2. Lowers blood pressure
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The benefits of eating dark chocolate are kind of like a domino effect. If eating dark chocolate helps prevent heart disease than it also has benefits for the cardiovascular system as a whole. It has been documented that there is a compound in dark chocolate that is called prostacyclin. This compound helps the opening and loosening of arteries and blood vessels, helping the blood flow through more freely, therefore lowering blood pressure.
3. Improves memory loss
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While our heart and cardiovascular system are incredibly important, our brain function is also just as important. There have been studies recently that show how eating dark chocolate can actually improve brain function and memory loss. As we know, dark chocolate contains an antioxidant called flavanol. By consuming this antioxidant, it can actually improve the function of the brain that is responsible for memory loss.
4. Reduces appetite
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A lot of people think eating chocolate is bad for you if you are trying to be health conscious but that’s actually not the case. It isn’t bad to indulge in your sweet tooth every once in a while and actually indulging in some dark chocolate will actually help reduce your appetite and curb your sweet tooth cravings. Dark chocolate is known to contain more cocoa than sugar, making it have a more bitter taste. There are a variety of different types of dark chocolate, you can buy a very bitter dark chocolate, or you can go for one that is sweeter. The more bitter the chocolate is, the more likely it is to slow down your hunger cravings.
5. Fights aging
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Often times, as we get older, we see visible signs of aging on our face or body. If there is one thing that this article has taught you, it’s that dark chocolate is full of antioxidants. As we know, antioxidants are crucial for the skin and have the ability to reduce inflammation in the skin. Dark chocolate can also increase the moisture in your skin, leaving your face looking and feeling younger.