Five Fun Reasons To Eat Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate was first made 4,000 years before Christ in Central America. The Mayans drank it and included it in their rituals as a sacred drink. There are many reasons to eat dark chocolate, but do you know about these five?
The cultivation and domestication of the cocoa plant, from which dark chocolate and other varieties are extracted, became very important. Thus, over time, it was rebuilt because of its spiritual, medical, political, and economic character.
In this article, we present 5 amazing and remarkable reasons to eat dark chocolate every day. This nutritious, irresistible and delicious food is a natural remedy for some ailments. In addition to being a good antioxidant, it also improves cardiovascular health and regulates the intestines.
Dark chocolate and cocoa
To begin with, we need to clarify that in this article we are only referring to the benefits of dark chocolate. This food has medicinal properties thanks to its high content of cocoa, which is the healing component of this product. That is why we discard milk chocolate and other less healthy varieties.
We recommend eating dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa. We can also use pure cocoa to make all kinds of drinks and recipes. This way we will avoid other more harmful ingredients like milk fat or sugar.
We recommend that you read: Dark chocolate: How healthy it is
That is why you should eat dark chocolate
1. A powerful antioxidant
The bitter chocolate is made with seeds of the cocoa tree. This has even more antioxidant capacity than fruit.
The seeds of cocoa plants and chocolate contain a large accumulation of polyphenols, which are natural antioxidants. Not in vain, cocoa seeds are called a superfood because of its nutritional composition.
It should be noted that in the case of boiled chocolate, when heated, it loses some of its nutrients. This processing method causes it to lose some of its antioxidant capacity.
When chocolate has a high content of cocoa, in addition to a gastronomic delight, it is also a means of preventing aging.
2. Improves cardiovascular health
If you often eat dark chocolate, it helps us prevent the most common cardiovascular disorders: cholesterol, hypertension and type 2 diabetes. However, other forms of chocolate cause the opposite effect in our body.
In this way, dark chocolate helps us control blood pressure and prevents diseases that affect our veins and heart. Thanks to an active substance it contains, called flavonocin, cocoa improves the circulatory system in the same way as many medicines.
3. Regulates the intestines
The soluble fiber contained in dark chocolate benefits our gut and helps control cholesterol levels. 10% of its content is fiber, which also provides an almost immediate satiating effect. Therefore, remove the chocolate desire to eat.
Since fiber is not broken down in the body and it passes through the intestine intact, it helps to cleanse the digestive tract as it passes through it. Therefore, eating dark chocolate can prevent constipation and irritable bowel syndrome as its fiber acts as an intestinal cleanser.
4. Soothing cough
Dark chocolate contains a substance called theobromine, which acts on the vagus nerve and reduces its activity. This nerve has, among other things, functions controlling cough attacks.
As unlikely as it may seem, consuming a few grams of dark chocolate a day helps relieve cough.
In this sense, we can resort to a soothing hot chocolate drink when we suffer from flu or cold symptoms. However, we recommend avoiding milk as this can increase mucus and worsen our condition.
See also: 5 best teas to treat an irritating cough
5. It brings us happiness
Why do so many people have to eat chocolate and feel great happiness doing so? Why can we become addicted to it? Because by eating this food , our brain produces endorphins. These hormones promote the feelings of joy and happiness.
These 5 big reasons are sufficient reasons so you do not suppress the temptation to eat dark chocolate. Just remember to choose a rich cocoa, of good quality and consume it in small quantities daily.
Eat it guilt-free, because now you know it’s very healthy!
