Chocolate’s lengthy history is believed to go all the way back to 1900 B.C. This is when the Aztec civilization believed that cacao seeds (cocoa) were a gift of Quetzalcoatl, the god of wisdom. They used the seeds to prepare a bitter, frothy beverage that also included spices, wine or corn puree.
It was in 1847 that a British chocolate company (J.S. Fry & Sons) created the first solid edible chocolate bar from three ingredients: cocoa butter, cocoa powder and sugar. Huge names like Cadbury, Mars, and Hershey came into the picture in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The love of chocolate has only continued to grow over the years.
Most people divide chocolate into three categories: white chocolate, milk chocolate, and dark chocolate. Dark chocolate typically contains between 60 to 99 percent cocoa solids. Dark chocolate is also called semisweet chocolate while extra dark chocolate is often considered the same as bittersweet, although the ratio of cocoa butter to solids may vary between the varieties.
The average American consumes roughly 12 pounds of chocolate each year, and over $75 billion is spent annually worldwide on chocolate. In moderation (one ounce or less per day), dark chocolate with at least a 70 percent cocoa content has been shown to improve many common and chronic health problems:
1.
Cuts down risks for heart disease – Eating dark chocolate
a few times a week should cause much less cholesterol to lodge in the
arteries and you should see a lower risk of heart disease over the long
term. There are studies that revealed that eating chocolate 2 or more
times per week greatly lowered the risk of having calcified plaque in the
arteries. Eating chocolate less frequently had no effect. Regular consumption
of dark chocolate can in fact reduce the risk of heart disease.
2.
Helps brain function – Cocoa may also
significantly improve cognitive function in elderly people with mental
impairment. It also improves verbal fluency and several risk factors for
disease. Cocoa also contains stimulant substances like caffeine and
theobromine, which may be a key reason cocoa, can improve brain function in the
short term.
3.
Improve blood flow – Antioxidants in
dark chocolate stimulate the lining of the arteries creating a gas, which sends
a signal to the arteries causing them to relax, enabling blood to flow easier.
Having the blood flowing smoothly, it gets to all the body parts delivering the
nutrients and oxygen with no complications.
4.
Lowers blood pressure – Those same
antioxidants that help improve the blood flow are the ones that also decrease
its resistance, and consequently ease the blood pressure in small amounts
against the arteries. Even though it releases the pressure just a little bit in
time that is a big benefit for your heart. High blood pressure is always linked
to heart diseases. So lowering it little by little is a huge help to eliminate
risks.
5.
Prevent diabetes – Dark chocolate
reduces insulin resistance. In a small Italian study, participants who ate
a candy bar’s worth of dark chocolate once a day for 15 days saw their
potential for insulin resistance drop by nearly half. The flavonoids, which are
the antioxidants in dark chocolate, create a gas called nitric oxide that helps
control insulin sensitivity.
6.
Promotes weight loss – Researchers from the
University of Copenhagen found that dark chocolate is far more filling,
offering more of a feeling of satiety than its lighter-colored sibling. That
is, dark chocolate lessens cravings for sweet, salty, and fatty foods. So if
indulging in a bit of healthy dark chocolate should not only make it easy for
you to stick to the small portion recommended for optimal health, but it should
make it easier for you to stick to your diet in general.
7.
Protects against sun –The flavonoids can
protect against sun-induced damage, improve blood flow to the skin, and
increase skin density and hydration. If you are out in the sun, dark chocolate
can reduce your possibilities of getting sun burned or just help not to burn
your skin as much. If you were to get sun burned, it can help you heal quicker.
8.
Raises good cholesterol and lowers bad
cholesterol – The compounds in dark
chocolate appear to be highly protective against the oxidation of LDL
cholesterol, the bad cholesterol. It lowers the chances of LDL to get oxidized.
When LDL oxidizes, it has reacted to free radicals, which makes the particle
reactive and capable to damage other tissues.
9.
Reduces stress –If you are one of
those chocolate lovers, you know that feeling of happiness and guilt when you
put in your mouth that piece of flavorful candy. Now imagine that same
feeling, but without the guilt. You can achieve that with dark chocolate
because now you know that it is better for your health and has much more
benefits than regular or milk chocolate. People that ate dark chocolate showed
a decreased amount of stress hormone levels.
10.
Rich in nutrients – Chocolate with a high
content of cocoa is loaded with nutrients including a soluble fiber while
also rich in iron, magnesium, copper, manganese, and potassium. Dark chocolate
contains a slight amount of mono- and polyunsaturated fats – good fats – which
are shown to reduce cholesterol
levels
and decrease the risk of heart disease.
“Chocolate comes from cocoa, which comes
from a tree. That makes it a plant. Therefore, chocolate counts as salad.” (Bill
Murray)[i]
[i] Sources used:
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