More often than not, we here at Bestie seem to concern ourselves
with telling you all the reasons why you should avoid your favourite foods.
Telling people why their go-to snacks are secretly
unhealthy isn’t often met with a warm reception, and honestly?
We get it.
Nobody wants to be told-- or even reminded--
that what they enjoy eating is actually bad for their health.
Today, however, we thought we’d flip the script and give you some reasons why something typically
referred to as “junk food” might be slightly more healthy than people give it credit for.
Specifically, we’d like to share with you some of the potential health
benefits you can expect from eating a moderate amount of dark chocolate.
Before we start, it would sweeten the deal if
you subscribed to Bestie and rang the notification bell.
That way, you can be sure to never miss an update on our daily videos and content.
Rich In Nutrients
Now, we’re not saying that you should start chowing down on dark chocolate for every meal,
Everything in moderation, after all.
That being said, high-quality dark chocolate comes packed
with a surprising amount of nutritional value thanks to its high cocoa content.
In a single 100 gram serving of quality dark chocolate,
you can expect to find 11 grams of soluble fiber,
as well as more than half of your recommended daily intake for iron, magnesium and manganese.
To a lesser extent, dark chocolate is also a viable source of other
nutrients such as potassium, selenium, phosphorus and zinc.
Finally, dark chocolate is also a fairly excellent source of
fatty acids, primarily consisting of saturated and monounsaturated fats.
Of course, as we previously mentioned, dark chocolate is still far from being
considered a superfood, and 100 grams is a pretty huge serving size when you
consider that calories and sugar intake are still something to be mindful of as well.
To make sure you’re getting the most out of the chocolate you’re eating,
make sure it’s at least somewhere between 70 to 85 percent cocoa in its composition.
High In Antioxidants
The activity and quantity of beneficial
antioxidants in food is measured by the “oxygen radical absorbance capacity” or ORAC scale.
The absorbance capacity of foods is tested by food researchers observing
the effects of free radicals against a sample of these foods in order to
see how effectively the antioxidants in the food repel and absorb these free radicals.
As it turns out, dark chocolate is an abundant source of antioxidants,
giving it a relatively high ranking on this particular scale.
These antioxidants include organic compounds such as polyphenols, flavanols and catechins.
May Help Improve Blood Pressure
In addition to protecting your body’s cells from oxidative stress brought about by free radicals,
the flavanol content of dark chocolate is also effective when it comes to
stimulating the linings of your body’s arteries, also known as the endothelium.
When stimulated in this way, the endothelium produces nitric oxide, which, among other things,
performs an important function within your body by causing your arteries to relax,
thus lowering blood pressure by lowering the resistance to blood flow.
According to a number of studies, such as one published in The American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition, cocoa and dark chocolate have been shown to be highly effective when it
comes to reducing blood pressure and improving the quality of blood flow.
May Help Your Cholesterol
Cholesterol is typically sorted into two varieties: HDL and LDL cholesterol,
often referred to as “good” and “bad” cholesterol respectively.
There is also oxidized LDL cholesterol,
which is “bad” cholesterol which has also reacted with free radicals.
According to a controlled research study published in the Journal of Nutrition, it
was observed that cocoa powder was able to significantly decrease levels of oxidized LDL
cholesterol in male individuals, while also increasing the amount of HDL cholesterol.
In another study, also published by the Journal of Nutrition, dark chocolate may
also help to lower your body’s resistance to the hormone insulin, which can potentially
lessen your risk of developing heart disease or diabetes. But more on that in our next point:
May Reduce Risk of Heart Disease
By lowering and protecting your body against the oxidation of LDL cholesterol by free radicals,
dark chocolate may help to prevent built up levels of the cholesterol from blocking your arteries,
which in turn can help in order to reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
One study into the effects of nutrition and heart disease used 470 elderly male participants;
the result was that the addition of cocoa to these men’s diets over a period of 15 years was
found to reduce the risk of heart disease-related death by an incredibly huge margin of 50 percent!
Another study yielded even more positive results, with results indicating that eating dark chocolate
more than 5 times per week decreased the overall risk of heart disease by a whopping 57 percent!
These are observational studies, however, so these findings can’t be considered entirely conclusive.
May Protect Against Sunburn
The benefits of dark chocolate aren’t only relegated to the inside of your body;
turns out your external organs can benefit from cocoa as well.
Specifically, we’re talking about your skin.
Research has made the claim
that the flavonol content of dark chocolate can benefit your skin in a variety of ways,
such as improving blood flow to the skin, increasing skin density,
allowing for better skin hydration, and yes, even protecting your skin against damage from the sun.
This is believed to be because the compounds found within dark chocolate increase the
threshold for your minimal erythemal dose, or MED, which is the minimum amount of UVB rays
that are required to cause your skin to turn red 24 hours after exposure.
If you’re planning on having lots of fun in the sun this summer,
snacking on a bit of dark chocolate might not be a bad idea.
May Help Your Brain
In addition to everything else we’ve already mentioned,
it’s been theorized that dark chocolate may also play a role in improving overall brain function.
In the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, a study was published which seemed to indicate
that cocoa with a high flavanol content was able to facilitate improved blood flow to the brain,
with results appearing after as little as five days.
Similar studies have also indicated that moderate
amounts of cocoa may also help to improve cognitive function,
verbal fluency and decrease the risk of diseases which affect your brain as well.
You see?
It’s not all doom and gloom here at Bestie after all.
While dark chocolate might not be something you should be eating all day, every day,
sensible amounts of this quote-unquote “junk food”
may be able to bring about some unexpected benefits to your health.
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