Great News: Chocolate is Good For You!
By Orla, July 12, 2013
Hundreds of women all over the country just sighed in relief when they read that title. Well, it’s true. No need to banish chocolate to your “only for bad days” secret stash that you promised you wouldn’t touch anymore.
It’s perfectly healthy to eat and here’s the reasons why:
- Chocolate has antibiotic properties
- It has anti-platelets
- It raises GOOD cholesterol and lowers bad cholesterol
- It can prevent damage to your DNA that can cause tumors
- It can slow down the rapid growth of abnormal cells that make up tumors
However, there is a catch.
You have to eat the right type of chocolate. Meaning those chocolate bars with the puffs, crisps, caramels and so on probably aren’t going to do any of the above. Higher quality chocolate that contains high levels of cocoa, i.e. darker chocolate, will give you all the health benefits, and the delicious taste.
Another benefit of eating high quality chocolate with great cocoa levels is that your body will not crave as much chocolate when eating it, than when eating cheaper chocolate – and as we all know, everything in moderation.
This is because lower quality chocolate has sugars, additives, and fillers that create cravings leaving you wanting more, whereas higher quality chocolate will leave you satisfied, without the need to eat more.
And lastly, chocolate with high cocoa levels are better for your heart because cocoa butter’s saturated fats are:
- 1/3 healthy monosaturated fats that we’re supposed to eat
- 1/3 streic acid, which your liver converts to oleic acid, another healthy monosaturated fat
So we can all relax and reach for some indulgent chocolate, as long as it’s high in cocoa that is. Bon apetit!
