Written By Sara Prodanos (@sara.prooo). Sara is a Personal Trainer and Physical & Health Educator that is passionate about building strength from the inside out and doing things that make you feel good!
Are you one of those people who thinks that everything tastes better when it’s covered in chocolate? You are not alone! From fondue to chocolate-covered fruits to solid chocolate, it’s hard to deny the temptations to eat everything in sight. Chocolate is the dessert of love, and as it turns out, our heart loves it too! So if you feel bad about eating chocolate — don’t! Here is why chocolate is an excellent addition to your diet and why you shouldn’t feel bad about eating it!
Firstly, let’s set the record straight — not ALL chocolate is beneficial for your health. Unfortunately, sweet, creamy milk and white chocolate bars are full of sugar, fats, and dairy ingredients. But don’t worry — dark chocolate is where it’s at! Dark chocolate is loaded with nutrients that can positively affect your health. Made from the seed of the cacao tree; it is one of the best sources of antioxidants on the planet — let me repeat — ON THE PLANET! Dark chocolate contains anywhere from 50-90% cocoa solids, cocoa butter, and sugar; Milk chocolate contains only 10-50% of cocoa solids and butter, while the rest is milk and sugar, crazy, right?! So if you LOVE chocolate and want to eat more of it, make sure you are eating the darkest you can find (at least 70% cocoa)!
Are you craving chocolate yet? So are we!
Let’s get a bit “sciency” for a second. Cocoa contains a type of plant nutrient called flavanols. Flavonols can be found in many foods and beverages like tea, red wine, blueberries, apples, pears, cherries, and peanuts, but they are particularly abundant in cacao beans (made to use chocolate). The more cocoa powder, the darker the chocolate — the more health benefits! Chocolate-obsessed scientists have been studying the health benefits of dark chocolate for decades. They found that it may be beneficial to our heart health and help improve brain function, and may lead to healthier-looking skin! Overall, flavanols have been shown to help lower blood pressure, help improve blood flow to the brain and heart, help with insulin resistance, help prevent blood clots, and help fight cell damage (2). But how much is too much?
It is important to note that even dark chocolate is high in calories (150-170 calories/ounce), and adding it to your diet can contribute to weight gain if eaten in excess. We don’t recommend eating an entire dark chocolate bar every day, but if you’d like to add some dark chocolate shavings to your oats, yogurt, or a few squares to the side of a fruit platter — go nuts! (1) And if you don’t know how much to add, Revive Superfoods has added a bit of chocolatey goodness into our recipes. We use a mix of cocoa, cacao nibs and vegan chocolate chips in our oats and smoothies for all of your chocolate cravings. Try any one of these smoothies for your daily dose of chocolate that you crave and need: Coffee & Cacao, Banana & Chocolate, Mint & Chocolate and Blueberry & Cacao.
REFERENCES:
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