Dark Chocolate

For many centuries people have known the health benefit of dark chocolate, but it seems as if the information is suddenly taking the world by storm with the incredible antioxidant claims. People often refer to dark chocolate as "bittersweet" chocolate. It contains roughly 70% cocoa solids and has less or no sugar added. Since it has less or no sugar, dark chocolate is far less susceptible to heat than milk chocolate. Some would say milk contaminates the purity of the cacao bean. Perhaps they are right, I won't argue though. The University of Utah and Harvard both have studies to back up the health benefits of certain dark chocolate.

Dark chocolate has amazing ingredient properties and there are several studies which indicate dark chocolate lowers blood pressure and is beneficial for heart disease. Dark chocolate also has been shown to suppress appetite.  One of the most important properties in dark chocolate is flavonoids. Flavonoids provide protective benefits with its potent antioxidant power. Antioxidants help our cells resist damage of all those nasty free radicals roaming around in the body. There is no way to avoid free radicals as they are caused by environment and a major contributor to the way we age.

A flavonoid is a ketone that one can also find in the stems, seeds, and leaves of several plants. These flavonoids are members of a class of antioxidants called polyphenols, which are also found in red wine, tea, and certain fruits and vegetables. It is estimated that dark chocolate contains eight times the levels of polyphenol antioxidants when compared with strawberries.

Dark Chocolate actually contains quite a few different chemicals that are associated with happy emotions. If you ever feel down in the dumps you can eat some chocolate and it can make you feel better, as proven medically. Dark Chocolate also contains cocoa phenols, which lower blood pressure.

In addition, consuming fifty grams of dark chocolate made of at least 70 percent chocolate solids could provide health benefits and supplement your diet with additional iron, potassium, and calcium