I was sitting on my couch the other night in front of the TV eating a bar of my favorite chocolate - a peanut butter Twix and I was really feeling guilty because of this. I am not normally a couch potato and here I was stuffing my face with one of my favorite foods and then I remembered hearing that chocolate could actually be good for you - Made me feel better so I thought that I would look into this.
Color me surprised when I hit Google and did some research because dark chocolate especially is even better for you than I thought if eaten sensibly and in a small amount. So here are the top 5 reasons why we should be eating chocolate for health reasons - YUM!
Top 4 Benefits Of Eating Chocolate
1 - Contains Antioxidants
The main ingredient of chocolate is cocoa which in itself contains healthy natural chemicals such as Flavonoids which is a natural antioxidant which battles the free radicals in our bodies by protecting various cells from oxidizing. To give you a better idea, beans, apples and apricots also contain the natural flavonoids.
2 - Lowered Blood Pressure
Studies done around the world conclude that if you eat a good quality dark chocolate in small doses and on a regular basis with a combination of other healthy foods it can actually reduce your blood pressure rate which can only be good news for your heart and body.
3- Lowered cholesterol levels
Eating dark chocolate in a moderated amount can reduce our cholesterol levels by up to 10 percent - Amazing. Again this is due to the presence of Flavonoids which are also found in red wine, another cholesterol reducing part of a healthy diet.
4- A Natural Anti Depressant
You know this one - That is why when we feel down we reach for a bar of chocolate - It's natural for us but what we don`'t know is that chocolate contains serotonin which is a happy feel good chemical that gives us a feeling of pleasure.
Now I know why chocolate makes me feel good when I am feeling down. It is not just the taste and guilty pleasure but all those good things going on in our bodies that make us crave more like a good cup of fresh caffeine. I also love my coffee.
So if you are feeling guilty or over indulgent by having the occasional piece of chocolate keep in mind that it reduces heart disease.
1 comments:
When I'm sad, I used to eat chocolates. And it's really effective in removing your depression. After I read your blog about this topic, I think I must buy and eat more chocolates since I discovered that we can get lots of benefits from it!
Wellness Philippines
Post a Comment