Categories: Food & Wine

Dark Chocolate – the Best Chocolate for Your Health

I know. It’s a cliche, but what woman doesn’t love chocolate? I know I do, and I especially love dark chocolate. I guess it’s because it’s a little like me, slightly different from anything else you may have encountered in the universe. In a word, unique, or different.

Dark chocolate isn’t just different though. It’s actually good for you. In fact, it’s even better for you than any other chocolate, and it’s better for you than red wine or green tea. The only real disadvantage, compared to the others, is the calories because chocolate is higher in calories.

However, because chocolate is made from plants it does contain many of the same health benefits that vegetables have. Now remember, we’re talking about dark chocolate here, not just any chocolate.
So you’re probably wondering how chocolate could be so good for you. After all, it is a sweet. Well, dark chocolate is different from other chocolates because it contains something others don’t have: polyphenols.

Polyphenols are a form of flavenoid that contains antioxidants. These antioxidants will destroy the free radicals that are in your body. It also produces Nitrous Oxide, which aids your body in reducing blood pressure. These substances also help in balancing out the hormones in your body.

Besides protecting the heart and reducing blood pressure, dark chocolate also tastes good. It will produce those “feel good” chemicals in the brain. One way I do this is to take dark chocolate and break it into pieces. I put it in a plastic bag in the freezer. When I need a piece, I take it out of the bag and place it on my tongue. That way it melts slowly and fills my mouth with the flavor. It only takes a small amount to produce this effect, but as you allow the chocolate to melt in your mouth, it produces feelings of satisfaction.)

It doesn’t take a lot of dark chocolate to give you health benefits either. If you eat about one ounce per day, which would be about 200 – 250 calories, you can produce these benefits, and it provides more antioxidant benefits than even green tea or red wine. The best part is that it tastes delicious, and you can work it into your diet as a snack or after dinner dessert. Just make sure that the cocoa used has at least 65 percent. This way you will get the full benefits of the chocolate. Don’t over do it. A little chocolate goes a long way to shrinking your waistline and improving your health.