Dark Chocolate Health Benefits
As a bride-to-be, you need to take care of your health and have a healthy diet and lifestyle.Now that winter is here, people tend to crave chocolate more than any other season, and if you are a chocoholic but you’re worried that chocolate will ruin your diet, you’re wrong. Chocolate is one of the healthiest ingredients to add to your diet, especially if it’s dark chocolate.
- Tip: Look for chocolate products that contain 70% cocoa to get all the benefits.
- Tip: Try to steer clear from white chocolate, as it has a lot of sugar and butter. The rule is: The darker the chocolate, the better.
Lower your risk of heart failure: In a 9 year Swedish study of more than 31,000 women, those who ate 1-2 servings of dark chocolate each week cut their risk of heart failure by as much as a third. And Germany this year found that about a square of dark chocolate a day lowered blood pressure and reduced the risk of heart attacks and strokes by 39%.
Reduce blood pressure: An Australian study showed that eating chocolate high in healthy antioxidants reduced the blood pressure-raising effects of exercise on overweight individuals.
Lose weight: Dark chocolate can actually help you lose weight! It lessens cravings for sweet, salty and fatty foods.
Reduce Stress: According to Swiss scientists, when someone very anxious eats an ounce and a half of dark chocolate every day for two weeks, their stress hormone levels are significantly reduced and the metabolic effects of stress are partially mitigated.
Prevent diabetes: An Italian study showed a drop of insulin resistance by nearly half in people who ate dark chocolate everyday. Researcher Claudio Ferri, M.D., a professor at the University of L'Aquila in Italy says: "Flavonoids increase nitric oxide production and that helps control insulin sensitivity."
Chocolate has endless benefits, and we only shared a few, so all you chocoholics out there… celebrate with a piece of dark chocolate!
More articles on chocolate:
Make Your Own Chocolate Bubble Bath
DIY Chocolate and Vanilla Lip Balm
