I have talked in the past about foods that are good for you such as fruits, vegetables, beans, oats, and others – all foods that do taste good, especially if you know how to prepare them or what to add them to, but still a hassle to prepare and eat for some. But today I am going to talk about another food that is good for you that we ALL love and will be happy to add to our diets – Chocolate!
Now, I must disclose that the health benefits I will be telling you about come from dark chocolate only. Milk chocolate contains very little benefits and white chocolate, which is not really even chocolate at all, contains no benefits. I personally really like dark chocolate and was delighted to learn that eating a few oz – a square or two – a day, is great for your health. If you really do prefer milk or white chocolate – don’t worry, you don’t have to give it up, just be sure to eat it in moderation.
Dark chocolate contains many antioxidants, even more than you would find in fruit, – which we all know are great for the body because they help reduce the risk of cancer and help to prevent some of the signs of aging on your skin. The antioxidants are known as flavonoids which provide great benefits to the heart, lowering blood pressure and your LDL cholesterol levels, and helping to prevent heart disease. Dark chocolate also contains serotonin which helps to boost your mood.
So, choose a good quality dark chocolate containing at least 65% dark cocoa solids and savor a small piece each day. Unfortunately you should not eat any more than that because chocolate is still quite high in calories and contains a lot of sugar. You know you want to help your body and skin look its best – so go pick some up now.