The Saga About Chocolate: Is It Healthy Or Unhealthy?

There's a story in everything. Important ones and informative ones, and this is an informative one. Chocolate! Milk chocolate, brown chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate - what is the difference? Chocolate is healthy, but when we say chocolate we mean the real stuff, not the brown Freddo the frog type, or that creamy milky one. It has to have certain ingredients including pure organic cocoa. Cocoa beans and cocoa powder are sugar-free, have a high source of magnesium, zinc, iron, calcium, potassium as well as many vitamins and a high level of antioxidants.rnGreat benefits are derived as such because good chocolate comes from plants and therefore has many of the health benefits like from dark vegetables. These benefits also come from flavonoids which act as antioxidant to protect the body from illness. Cocoa dark chocolate: This chocolate should have no less than a minimum of 70 percent cocoa. The recommended dose of dark chocolate is up to 50 grams per person per day. This is not to say, we should eat it every day or over indulge, but it has lots of benefits and should be therefore included in our diet.rn50 gr of dark or black chocolate has fewer calories than four average size sweet biscuits; it also has low caffeine content. Dark chocolate is able to produce endorphin, which lifts your mood and may well be one of the best antidepressant found in our food chain. It consists of relaxing substances that can reduce stress and through its very high chemical content also can prevent cancer. Medicine for the heart: Because of the different good chemicals in dark chocolate it is known for its anti-heart disease benefits. It helps to normalize blood fats such as cholesterol and converts dangerous cholesterol to the good HDL cholesterol. Another advantage is it decreases blood-stickiness, similar to a low dose aspirin and therefore can help with blood pressure. According to studies, regular consumption of dark chocolate can give your heart the health benefits to keep your cardiovascular system running well. Other benefits of dark chocolate! Most of us will agree that it tastes good. Containing theobromine, caffeine and other substances it stimulates endorphin production which gives a feeling of pleasure. Some of the fats in dark chocolate do not impact on cholesterol. The fats are oleic acid which is mono unsaturated fat also found in olive oil. To get all the benefits of chocolate make sure you choose the "Dark-Black" one. Flavoring such as orange peel or nuts are OK. However, avoid anything with caramel, nougat or other fillings. These fillings would just add sugars and other fats which erase many of the benefits you will get eating dark chocolate. Research has shown not to wash chocolate down with milk. This would prevent the antioxidants being absorbed by your body. Having the right information gives us the option to replace bad food with good nutritional food.rnTherefore it is important to be vigilant when it comes to food choices. Exploring the health benefits of any food is crucial to maintain a healthy diet. Education has evolved over the years to become an arguable effective way to gain knowledge and to be able to take control of your health. Your chances of success in your health will increase dramatically by following a lesson plan and getting the right information. As we know that not all chocolates are bad for our health, the same applies to many other foods. It is a matter of what to choose and to know where the culprits are hidden and how to avoid them. It’s the power of knowing what to do, what to take, yet it’s the single most important ingredient to your health.rnNo matter how small the changes are, it is another step in the right direction to better health.