crumb trails

Who doesn’t love chocolate? Me, I so love, love chocolate! I prefer dark over milk, white and other chocolate varieties. The darker and bitter a chocolate is, the more I love munching it.

A regular intake of dark chocolate is healthy and it has been proven in many studies. When eating chocolate remember that its main ingredient, cocoa, is made from plants, therefore it contains health properties found in many vegetables. Opposed to other varieties, dark chocolate has flavonoid, an antioxidant chemical that protects the body from harmful elements that cause early aging and heart diseases. In addition, flavonoids also balance certain hormones in the body.

Generally, dark chocolate is good for the heart. The right amount of intake (a small bar or around 1.6 ounces) everyday can keep the heart and cardio system functioning properly. Heart health benefits include lowering blood pressure and lowering cholesterol level in the body. A small bar of dark chocolate everyday has been proven to lower the blood pressure in people with hypertension. It can also reduce bad cholesterol (LDL or low density lipoprotein) in the body by almost 10 percent. Sweet news, right?

Apart from taking care of the heart, dark chocolate has other advantages. One, it gives one a feeling of happiness because it stimulates the production of endorphin. Two, it lifts ones spirits since it has serotonin, a neurotransmitter that act as anti-depressant. Lastly, chocolate tastes good, who can resist it?

Despite these health benefits chocolate must be taken in moderation. Remember that it still is a high-calorie and high-fat (contains one monosaturated and two saturated) food. As mentioned earlier in this post, only a small bar of dark chocolate is recommended for daily consumption. But if you really, really can’t help it, then you have to cut in your other food intake.

So, happy choco munching, people! Don’t take too many, okay? Go for the dark ones.

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A little side story why I came down to writing a post on dark chocolate:

I’ve had a not so nice week and I’m pissed off with someone at work (still am until now). I know I just have to have a bite of chocolate to calm my nerves. So I went to the grocery store during the weekend and found this new confection from a local producer of chocolate products. I decided to give it a try. I was not in a bit disappointed. Although it didn’t taste as bitter as I would prefer it to be, still it tasted good: smooth, mint, bittersweet, dark!

Try it. Doesn’t even cost much.

Tags: dark chocolate, mint, sweet