1. Healthier Skin
Eating antioxidant-rich chocolate leads to skin that’s smoother, less dried out, and more resistant to sunburn.
2. Healthier Teeth
It’s the sugar in chocolate candies that rots your teeth—cocoa actually protects them. Cocoa bean husks contain antibacterial compounds that inhibit the formation of plaque and biofilms where cavity-causing bacteria can thrive.
3. Reduced Cravings and Weight Gain
Cocoa is rich in fiber and protein; a standard-size dark chocolate bar contains 4 grams and 8 to 9 grams, respectively, of each, and a tablespoon of cocoa powder contains 4 grams and 1 gram of each.
4. A Healthier Heart
Chocolate is often debunked because it contains cocoa butter, which is high in saturated fat. But it turns out that like other forms of saturated fat, such as coconut oil, cocoa butter could actually be good for you. One-third of the fat in cocoa butter is stearic acid, which your liver converts to a healthy monounsaturated fat called oleic acid. Oleic acid actually lowers levels of bad (LDL) cholesterol and boosts levels of good (HDL). Also, the multiple anti-inflammatory compounds in cocoa help fight vascular inflammation, improve flexibility in blood vessels thereby reducing your blood pressure, and keep platelets from sticking together and clogging up your artery walls.
5. Sharper Focus
Chocolate can boost blood circulation to the brain, which can improve your ability to focus.
6. Less Anxiety
Stress prompts your body to produce cortisol, which has an added downside of triggering the accumulation of the abdominal, or visceral, fat that builds up around your organs and can contribute to depression, along with heart disease and stroke. Yet a 2009 study found that people who ate 40 grams (about an ounce) of chocolate every day for two weeks saw decreases in levels of cortisol in their systems compared to its levels at the start of the study.
7. A More Effective Workout
Chocolate has been shown to boost your pre-exercise energy levels, allowing you to power through a hard sweat session, and cut down on post-workout soreness.
Eating antioxidant-rich chocolate leads to skin that’s smoother, less dried out, and more resistant to sunburn.
2. Healthier Teeth
It’s the sugar in chocolate candies that rots your teeth—cocoa actually protects them. Cocoa bean husks contain antibacterial compounds that inhibit the formation of plaque and biofilms where cavity-causing bacteria can thrive.
3. Reduced Cravings and Weight Gain
Cocoa is rich in fiber and protein; a standard-size dark chocolate bar contains 4 grams and 8 to 9 grams, respectively, of each, and a tablespoon of cocoa powder contains 4 grams and 1 gram of each.
4. A Healthier Heart
Chocolate is often debunked because it contains cocoa butter, which is high in saturated fat. But it turns out that like other forms of saturated fat, such as coconut oil, cocoa butter could actually be good for you. One-third of the fat in cocoa butter is stearic acid, which your liver converts to a healthy monounsaturated fat called oleic acid. Oleic acid actually lowers levels of bad (LDL) cholesterol and boosts levels of good (HDL). Also, the multiple anti-inflammatory compounds in cocoa help fight vascular inflammation, improve flexibility in blood vessels thereby reducing your blood pressure, and keep platelets from sticking together and clogging up your artery walls.
5. Sharper Focus
Chocolate can boost blood circulation to the brain, which can improve your ability to focus.
6. Less Anxiety
Stress prompts your body to produce cortisol, which has an added downside of triggering the accumulation of the abdominal, or visceral, fat that builds up around your organs and can contribute to depression, along with heart disease and stroke. Yet a 2009 study found that people who ate 40 grams (about an ounce) of chocolate every day for two weeks saw decreases in levels of cortisol in their systems compared to its levels at the start of the study.
7. A More Effective Workout
Chocolate has been shown to boost your pre-exercise energy levels, allowing you to power through a hard sweat session, and cut down on post-workout soreness.