Happy New Year! As we enter into 2016, many people are determined to get healthy as part of a New Year’s Resolution! Incorporate chocolate into your plan to get healthy, and you will start to see the benefits. Take it from the experts: chocolate is good for your health and is worth keeping in your diet.
Which Chocolate is Healthy?
The nutritional value of chocolate is more noticeable in the purer forms of chocolate, especially dark chocolate. A candy bar does not hurt every now and then, but the chocolate with the most nutrition is the dark chocolate with a high cacao percentage around 70-85%.
When are you looking for good chocolate to add to your New Year’s health kick, it is best to look for chocolate that has a cacao percentage above 60%. The higher the cacao level, the more the nutritional benefits! A higher cacao level also indicates that the chocolate will taste more bitter than milk chocolate.
Dark Chocolate Health Benefits
Chocolate can actually protect your sun against skin damage. Chocolate has antioxidants! The amount of flavonoids, a specific type of antioxidant, in chocolate can be five times higher than the amount found in an apple!
For pregnant women, those chocolate cravings can actually help prevent complications of pregnancy like preeclampsia. Studies have shown pregnant women who consume chocolate each week have a much lower risk of preeclampsia.
Chocolate And Your Brain
Just like exercising, eating chocolate releases endorphins. Endorphins are hormones released into the brain that affect your mood. Looking for a pick me up? Take a bite or two of some delicious dark chocolate and let the magic happen!
The tasty treat can also improve brain function! The theobromine and caffeine in the chocolate act as stimulants that can increase the blood flow to improve brain function. If you have a slump in the middle of the day, consider keeping some good chocolate by your desk for a midday pick-me-up.
Chocolate for Heart Health
Chocolate can lower your cholesterol. Ditch the bran cereal, and instead you can use your chocoholic craving for good! Dark chocolate can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease. Chocolate has a lot of soluble fiber and minerals.
Everything in Moderation
They key to having healthy chocolate is to limit your portions. To all of our beloved chocoholics, quality is more important than quantity. Indulge in a few bites of really good chocolate to experience the health benefits instead of eating an entire box of chocolate candy.
Dorinda’s Chocolates
If you simply cannot resist the chocolate urge, sign up for our Chocolate of the Month Club at Dorinda’s Chocolates in order to have a steady supply of chocolate at all times! Explore our dark chocolate options to get the most benefits from chocolate.
Try some of our classic truffles through our website from the comfort of your own home, or stop by one of our many locations! Dorinda’s Chocolates now has stores in Reno on the Riverwalk and the Rancharrah Village.
