Is Dark Chocolate Healthy ?

Hey guys!

As I promised you in my "A Full Day Of Eating" post, I will cover up the benefits of dark chocolate. So here you have it, enjoy!

What makes dark chocolate so special? 

The secret of dark chocolate are the cocoa beans. These have abundant phytochemicals that have many health benefits. The proportion of cocoa mass in the strong bittersweet bar is high enough for the benefical plant substances to be effective. In contrast, mild milk chocolate contains predominantly milk and sugar components.

Which active ingredients are contained in dark chocolate?

Secondary plant compounds in cocoa beans are, for example, the polyphenols (= aromatic compunds which contain two or more hydroxyl groups directly attached to an aromatic ring and are counted as secondary phytochemicals.). These cause an expansion of the blood vessels in humans and help to lower high blood pressure or relieve cardiovascular problems. At the same time they provide increased performance becuase the brain is better supplied with blood. 

Another important service for the human body is provided by phytochemicals as antioxidants. These protect the body from free radicals, which are caused for example by UV radiation. The aggressive molecules accelerate the aging process and are linked to the development of diseases. In contrast, the active ingredients in the cocoa bean act as clever "radical scavengers", thus preventing premature aging and diseases. Antioxidants are therefore also used in cosmetic products with anti-aging effects. And they can do even more: in natural medicine, one particularly appreciates their anti-inflammatory effect. Incidentally, the main source of antioxidants in our diet is coffee, not because it contains a lot of it, but because most of us just eat more coffee a day instead of fruit or vegetables.

How much dark chocolate a day?

The good ingredients in cocoa beans have positive impact on our health. On the other hand, the rich cocoa mass has a high fat content, and without enough sugar we would not taste a bar of dark chocolate either. Despite many good ingredients even dark chocolate provides excessive hip weight with excessive consumption. So two or three pieces of chocolate a day are perfectly fine. A healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and plenty of exercise can therefore be sensibly supplemented by a few bits of bittersweet chocolate, but it is not a substitute for vegetables, fruit and sports!

Thanks for reading!

My "A Full Day Of Eating": https://steemit.com/lifestyle/@liifeofo/a-full-day-of-eating