Good For You Chocolate

February 10, 2020
|In Featured Posts, Zola Blog
|By Zola
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Can chocolate possibly be good for you?
YES. A resounding yes.

Here’s what you have to remember, though:

  • You need to eat GOOD Chocolate. That means DARK chocolate that is 72% cacao or higher. Good news is the number is front and center now on many packaged chocolate bars.
  • You need to eat it in moderation. You don’t buy one of those big bars and chow it down. You must limit yourself to 3 oz or less per day. That might be as little as 3 of those little squares. So eat it slowly and enjoy it.

Here are a host of medically-backed reasons to enjoy chocolate:

  1. It’s good for your heart and your circulation. The latest research suggests that eating chocolate helps keep your arteries flexible. That helps you keep from clogging your arteries.
  2. Eating chocolate helps your brain function. Eating chocolate in moderation is shown to help you keep your brain functioning at a higher level all the way into old age.
  3. Cocoa can help you reduce your cholesterol. It helps reduce “BAD” cholesterol (LDL) and can help raise levels of “GOOD” cholesterol (HDL).
  4. Did you know chocolate can help protect your skin against sun damage? Yep. That doesn’t mean skip the sunscreen and just eat chocolate. You’ll still need the sunscreen but every little bit helps when you want to keep the wrinkles at bay.
  5. Neuroscientist Will Clower says if you melt a small square of chocolate on your tongue 20 minutes before you eat, it triggers your “I’m full” hormone and you’re less likely then to overeat. If you’re on a diet I would not count on that but it’s a nice theory.
  6. A study from Finland suggests that expectant mothers experience less stress if they eat a little chocolate and that their babies smiled more. How cute.
  7. Chocolate contains phenylethlamine (PEA) which is the same chemical that your brain creates when you feel like you’re falling in love. See, chocolate really can be an aphrodisiac!

Buy only the best chocolate. Eat it in moderation and enjoy the benefits.

Cheers,

Chocolate Dipped Pears

Who needs candy apples?