{"id":25302,"date":"2017-07-09T01:35:35","date_gmt":"2017-07-08T22:35:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/?p=25302"},"modified":"2017-07-09T01:35:35","modified_gmt":"2017-07-08T22:35:35","slug":"is-chocolate-good-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/is-chocolate-good-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Chocolate Good for You? Here Is What Science Has to Say"},"content":{"rendered":"
There are so many delicious ways to consume chocolate<\/strong>, from ice cream to cake, to the classic chocolate bar. But is chocolate good for you<\/em>?<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a true chocoholic, you know that other flavors like vanilla<\/em> or cookie dough<\/em> just won\u2019t do! Whether we\u2019re talking candy or pudding, chocolate is the only acceptable flavor<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Well, for you chocolate lovers out there, here is some great news. According to science, chocolate is actually good for you<\/strong>, …just not always.<\/em><\/p>\n So a chocolate bar a day keeps the doctor away? <\/em>Well, not quite…<\/p>\n When it comes to the notion of healthy chocolate<\/em>, the truth is mostly held in the darker stuff. This is because what\u2019s healthy is not the chocolate its self, but the flavonoids<\/a>\u00a0found in the cocoa beans.<\/strong> Rather than asking: is chocolate good for you<\/em>…You should be asking: What type of chocolate is good for you.<\/em><\/p>\n The problem with lighter chocolates, such as milk chocolate<\/em>, is the number of flavonoids. Milk chocolate has these healthy flavonoids, but a pretty small amount. Milk chocolate also contains a lot of sugar<\/a>, fats, and calories.<\/p>\n In order to take in a significant amount of healthy flavonoids, you would need to eat A LOT of milk chocolate<\/strong> which would come with a lot of unhealthy sugar and calories. White chocolate is even worse<\/em> as it contains the most sugar and actually no flavonoids at all.<\/p>\n Dark chocolate, on the other hand, contains a high amount of flavonoids<\/strong> and less sugar than most types of chocolate. This means you can consume a beneficial amount of nutrients without having to consume an unhealthy amount of calories. \u2028\u2028So what can these \u201cchocolate<\/em>\u201d flavonoids do for you?<\/p>\n It\u2019s long been said that flavonoids, or the plant chemicals in cocoa bean<\/em>s, are good for your heart and blood pressure. Lately, science has been suggesting that these chemicals are also healthy for your brain<\/a>, specifically your memory.<\/p>\n Frontiers In Nutrition Journal posts a study<\/a>\u00a0stating that people over the age of 40 experienced cognitive improvements when they ate between 500 and 1,000 mg flavonoid-containing cocoa a day.<\/strong> Healthy flavonoid intake can also increase the heart\u2019s ability to distribute blood to the brain.<\/p>\n With so many great benefits, why not eat chocolate more often?<\/p>\n Not only does chocolate contain just any healthy flavonoids, but it also contains antioxidants<\/strong>. Antioxidants are substances that prevent damage to cells due to diseases such as cancer.<\/p>\n This right here is reason enough to indulge in chocolate containing high amounts of cocoa, but guess what… there’s more.<\/p>\n Eating highly cocoa containing chocolate can even reduce your risk of stroke. A Canadian study<\/a> shows that people who eat dark chocolate often are twenty-two percent less likely suffer from a stroke<\/strong>.<\/p>\n If you do suffer from stroke but consume high levels of cacao, you are forty-six percent less likely to have a fatal experience from the stroke. Not only is chocolate good for you, but it just may save your life.<\/p>\n Eating a moderate amount of dark chocolate daily is very good for you<\/strong>. Eating pure cocoa powder is very good for you as there is an even higher concentration of healthy flavonoids than dark chocolate and fewer calories.<\/p>\n You wouldn’t want to eat pure cocoa by its self<\/em> because it is very bitter, however, you can easily add it to other foods or beverages. Try adding some cocoa powder to milk or coffee for a flavorful hint of something special. For a desert on the healthier side,<\/strong> check out this recipe<\/a>\u00a0for cocoa powder no bake cookies.<\/p>\nChocolate can very very healthy for you, but it really depends on what kind.<\/h2>\n
Dark vs lighter chocolate<\/h3>\n
Is chocolate good for you every single day?<\/h3>\n