Dark Chocolate For Your Heart

Eating chocolates is almost loved and enjoyed by all of us. But as we grow older and more health conscious, we curb the desire of eating chocolate thinking that it is bad for our health. It is true that most of the common chocolates will do no good for your heart. But an exception to this is dark chocolate.

Dark chocolate has been proved to be heart friendly. If you eat dark chocolate that contains at least 65% cacao, you can reap its benefits. But take care to eat it in limited quantity i.e. eat it in moderation. If you want to get its benefits just eat 100 grams of it in a day.

Now let us understand why dark chocolates are beneficial for the health of our heart. A good quality dark chocolate that has greater cocoa count is packed with antioxidants and flavonoids. The risk of cell damage as we grow older is reduced by these antioxidants. They reduce and prevent the arteries from clogging and becoming stiff. If arteries are clogged then chances of stroke is increased.

Dark chocolates mainly contain three types of fats viz. Oleic acid, Stearic acid and Palmitic acid. Two of these fats i.e. Stearic acid and Oleic acid are the good ones. Oleic acid is the monounsaturated fat that is found in vegetable oil and Stearic acid has neither positive nor negative effect on our heart. Palmitic acid is saturated fat and increases cholesterol.

Researches show that Oleic acid contained in dark chocolates is the same fats that are found in the olive oil. Researchers believe that Oleic acids raise the levels of good cholesterol. If you consume dark chocolate regularly in small amount, it may lower your high blood pressure. Low density lipoprotein (LDL) i.e. bad cholesterol can be reduced by consuming dark chocolates, by ten percent.

The flavonoids found in the dark chocolates are the ones which are found in tea, red wine, fruits and vegetables. These flavonoids are beneficial for your cardiovascular health. Apart from providing benefits to your heart, dark chocolate also provides you other several benefits. It is high in other nutrient contents like calcium, iron, riboflavin, copper, magnesium, potassium, serotonin and protein. All these nutrients are of vital importance for our body and good health. Dark chocolate lowers the blood sugar level, boosts our mood and also helps in smooth blood flow.