Yes, you can call me crazy, but I’m not really into Chocolate, Why? I do not know, I’m just not really into it. But since I became a runner about 10 years ago or so, I have learned about all the good things and benefits that chocolate has, dark chocolate specifically. I will share a few with you today.
What is Chocolate? It is a food, made from roasted cocoa beans. It was called “food of the Gods’” by the Central American Mayan Indians. Then the Aztecs introduced cocoa to the Spaniards and that’s how it got to Europe and now we have chocolate everywhere.
Let’s just name some of the benefits we can get from it:
Dark Chocolate has a high cocoa content, is very nutritious, loaded with minerals like Iron, Magnesium, Copper, Manganese, plenty of Potassium, Zinc and Selenium, and fiber.
It is a powerful source of antioxidants – I was reading that cocoa and dark chocolate contained more antioxidant activity than fruits like blueberries and acai berries, and that is a lot. Even the fatty acid of cocoa and dark chocolate are good for you, because the fats are mostly saturated and monounsaturated, so in English chocolate is full of good fat. It also has some stimulants, but not enough to keep you awake, ok?
Dark Chocolate may help you improve blood flow and lower your blood pressure, good right? My dad who is a cardiologist was explaining to me how chocolate helps here, and for what I understood chocolate sends a signal to the arteries to relax, and that lowers the resistance to blood flow and therefore reduces blood pressure, phew I’m so happy I didn’t study medicine! However, take what I just told you with a grain of salt, the effects of eating chocolate to improve blood pressure are mild. You should consult a Doctor if you suspect or in fact suffer from high blood pressure.
Dark Chocolate is good for your Heart, remember when I told you it is full of good fat? Well that helps to lower the cholesterol. In the long term this can help your arteries to lodge less cholesterol and your heart will thank you for that.
Dark Chocolate may protect your skin against the sun as well. Wait, what? Chocolate we have a date ha! It has to do with the blood flow again, and the compound of mineral that dark chocolate has. All of them can protect against the sun damage.
I know what you are all saying… I have to reconsider my relationship with Dark Chocolate right? And you are right. Have a piece of chocolate today, remember moderation is the key to everything.
Hayley says
I love chocolate, especially dark chocolate and all of its healthy benefits. i didn’t know that it protected my skin from the sun, though! More dark chocolate for me! Thanks for sharing this awesome post.
Christie says
Yes Hayley! Amazing, isn’t it? Thanks for stopping by 🙂