The Many Health Benefits of Chocolate

Chocolate is a tasty treat that has a surprisingly number of health benefits. Most everyone loves chocolate and can benefit from it's natural health benefits. Chocolate has over 300 chemicals and has been used for lots of different things. Dark chocolate is better for your health than milk chocolate because dark chocolate has antioxidants in it. Antioxidants get rid of free radicals, destructive molecules that cause heart disease and other illnesses. So if you are going to eat chocolate for the health benefits then go with the dark chocolate and do not drink milk with it. Eating milk chocolate and drinking milk with dark chocolate can interfere with the health benefits of dark chocolate.

Antioxidants strengthens your immune system, help prevent stroke, heart disease, and cancer, slows the aging process and the visible signs of aging. Apparently, the darker the chocolate, the higher the antioxidants but don't over do it with chocolate if you are worried about weight gain.

Dark Chocolate Helps Lower Blood Pressure

If you have high blood pressure, you might want to consider eating a little bit of dark chocolate every day. A fellow reader of the book, Best Choices from the People's Pharmacy, says that she eats five little squares of Hershey's dark chocolate every day and her blood pressure numbers have gone down about 15 or 20 points.

Fighting Tooth Decay

Well this is something I never expected to learn about chocolate, fighting tooth decay! Apparently, cacao, which is the main source of cocoa and chocolate, contains antibacterial agents which fight tooth decay. Milk chocolate is high in sugar and causes tooth decay so again, go with the dark chocolate.

A Mild Mood Elevator

Chocolate contains phenyl ethylamine, a mild mood elevator. The smell of chocolate increases theta brain waves which in turns help relax you.

Heart Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

A small bar of chocolate can help keep your heart and cardiovascular system running smooth. Three ways it can keep your heart healthy are lowering your blood pressure, raising good cholesterol, and lowering bad cholesterol.

Other Benefits of Chocolate

Drinking a cup of hot chocolate before a meal may decrease appetite, therefore helping with weight loss.

It has been said that men who eat chocolate live a year longer than men who don't eat chocolate.

Chocolate contains serotinon, which acts as an anti-depressant. No wonder we feel good when we eat chocolate.

Chocolate is also rich in magnesium and phosphorus which is good for strong bones and helps maintain muscle and nerve function.

With all of the good benefits of chocolate, it's a shame that most people think chocolate is bad for us. Dark chocolate is good for us as long as we don't eat too much of it at once. Like I said before, moderation is the key. As long as you eat a bit of dark chocolate every day or a few times a week, you should receive the good benefits of dark chocolate without having to worry too much about weight gain and too much sugar.

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