When it comes to food that make us happy, chocolate ranks high on our lists—and deservedly so. There’s just something so satisfying the moment our lips meet that first bite, and relish in its rich and velvety taste. If you love chocolate and wish you could eat it every day, science says you can! Because chocolate, specifically dark chocolate, has numerous health benefits.
From boosting mood and cognition, aiding in heart health, improving skin health, to lowering the risk of diabetes, dark chocolate definitely sets the bar high.
What is dark chocolate?
Chocolate, be it in candy, syrup, sandwich spread, ice cream form, or any of its various permutations, is found everywhere! It is ubiquitous, and readily available to anyone who has access to a grocery or a convenience store. But this popular snack actually has a long history behind it.
Chocolate’s roots date back to 2000 BC, when the Mayans from Central America first roasted and brewed the cacao seeds, and mixed it with chillies, water and commeal, calling it the “drink of the gods.”
Today, chocolate is manufactured in assembly lines in various factories around the world, fictional Willy Wonka’s included. It’s made from the seeds of the cocoa plant (theobroma cacao) that are extracted, fermented, dried, and roasted into what we know as cacao beans. The meat of the beans are separated from the nibs, and are further refined to produce “cocoa solids.”
Dark chocolate is what emerges when they blend together 50-90% cocoa solids, cocoa butter and sugar. Quality dark chocolate should have no added milk solids, but there are instances when they get “contaminated” with traces of milk in the factory, the Nutrition Source of Harvard warns.
The more cocoa solids and less sugar dark chocolate contains, the more bitter it will taste. Depending on the percentage of its cocoa solids, dark chocolate is classified as bittersweet, semisweet, and sweet dark chocolate.
However you prefer you dark chocolate, one fact remains: those cocoa solids hold a host of health benefits, and it’s all thanks to the plant chemicals called “flavanols.”
Why is dark chocolate healthy?
Flavanols holds the key to why we can now eat more dark chocolate without feeling guilty about it. Why don’t you go ahead and open a bar of chocolate, as you read on to find out what flavanols can do for your health.
It’s good for your heart
According to Everyday Health, one of the biggest benefits researchers found is the role dark chocolate plays in heart health. Flavanols help protect the heart from cardiovascular diseases, and reduce the risk of stroke.
Here’s a study to help you wrap around your mind this amazing chocolate tidbit. Here, they found that eating dark chocolate once a week reduced by the risk of heart disease by 8%.
Further, there are studies that show flavanols help produce a chemical called nitric oxide, known to cause blood vessels to relax and blood pressure to lower down.
It reduces risk of diabetes
As a sweet treat, and a favorite guilty pleasure, it seems rather contrary to learn that eating dark chocolate can help prevent diabetes. But hear this out first: a 2017 study published in the Journal of Community and Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives found that flavanols in the cocoa plant may mitigate insulin resistance by improving endothelial function, altering glucose metabolism, and reducing oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is said to be the main culprit to insulin resistance.
If these studies are to be believed, this means eating a moderate amount of dark chocolate can help protect you from diabetes. Managing your sweet tooth? No worries, have some dark chocolate if you need a sweet treat every now and then.
It may benefit your brain (improve cognition, prevent memory loss, and improve mood)
Chocolate makes us happy not only because it’s delicious. Science says it triggers the production of endorphins, the chemicals in the brain that creates a feeling of pleasure, and provides stress relief.
That’s what makes chocolate a popular snack for students reviewing for an exam, an office worker crunching a deadline, or for couples reigniting romance.
Flavanols, according to Everyday Health, or the powerful plant compounds in cacao beans — tend to accumulate in areas of the brain responsible for memory, cognition, and mood functions.
It can lower cholesterol
Dark chocolate contains good cholesterol called oleic acid, a heart-healthy fat also found in olive oil.
In a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the researchers found that consuming almonds and dark chocolate helped lower the cholesterol of 31 overweight and obese adults in just one month.
However, since cocoa butter is high in saturated fat, this means chocolate should be eaten sparingly.
It’s good for immune health
Thinking of ways to restore the balance in your gut? Then try eating dark chocolate in modern amounts. The flavanols act as prebiotics, a type of fiber that increases the growth of good or friendly bacteria in the gut. With healthy metabolism, the risk for inflammation is reduced, and as a result, immune health fares better.
It’s good for your skin and hair
Not only will eating dark chocolate make you feel good, it will help you look good too! Rich in antioxidants, dark chocolate can protect you, including your skin and hair, from free radical damage.
A quick glance at dark chocolate’s Nutritional Facts will reveal that it contains manganese, along with copper, iron, magnesium, and zinc. In case you don’t know, manganese supports the production of collagen, which plays a major role in strengthening and moisturizing the skin. The next time you encounter those chocolate body and facial scrubs at the mall, you might want to take a second look.
Conclusion
Dark chocolate indeed ticks of all the right boxes. It has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and free-radical scavenging health properties that make every bite of the rich and velvety treat so much more enjoyable and rewarding.
Now that you know of its numerous health benefits, you can stop feeling guilty, every time you get one of those intense cravings. Here are fun and creative ways you can enjoy dark chocolate, beyond the usual candy bar.
Fun Ways to Eat Dark Chocolate
Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa
On a chilly winter’s night, only a comforting hot cup of cocoa will do. We take it using a ready-to-drink hot chocolate drink is easier, but because that was highly-processed, and contains a lot of sugar, you will miss on the health benefits. The solution? Make a cup from scratch instead.
Check out this recipe by allrecipes. By using 85% dark chocolate, and combining that with milk, sugar, some cream, and cinnamon, you get to control the sugar content, and enjoy an intense semi-sweet brew.
Dark Chocolate Dip, Fruits, and More
If you love entertaining, or looking to stay in with a loved one and watch movies for the night, here’s the perfect snack, and it goes well with wine too!
Check out this recipe by Taza Chocolate, where a simple ganache-style dip is paired with fruits like strawberries, bananas or apples. For a flavor balance, add something salty like crunchy pretzels. If you dare, add some potato chips or corn chips. No one will judge, and they go surprisingly well with dark chocolate dip.
Healthy and Energizing Trail Mix
Protein-packed and full of goodies, a trail mix is probably everyone’s favorite brain food. Dark chocolate will provide the much-needed endorphins in the mix. Don’t forget to add in something crunchy or salty, like nuts (and don’t forget the almonds!), dried fruits, and you’re good to go.
Chocolate-Covered Frozen Banana and Peanut Butter Bites
Bananas, chocolate and peanut butter, need we say more? No need to make it fancy. Simply spread some peanut butter between two banana slices, dip into melted dark chocolate ganache, and cool it for an hour in the fridge. Follow this recipe.
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