Dark chocolate isn’t just a sweet treat. Believe it or not, these chocolates are packed with nutrients that boost your overall health. Made from seeds of cocoa tree, it’s actually among the optimal source of antioxidants. According to studies, dark chocolate is capable of lowering risks of cardiovascular diseases by improving health. So don’t wonder why there are lots of pastry chefs and other hobbyists who are taking advantage of their best double oven gas range to bake and make pastries with dark chocolates as their main ingredient.
The Remarkable Benefits
As mentioned, there are plenty of benefits that you can enjoy from eating dark chocolates. Some of these benefits are discussed below:
Nutrients
If you purchase dark chocolate that has high contents of cocoa, then it is going to be so nutritious. This contains sufficient amount of soluble fiber and at the same time, packed with essential minerals. As a matter of fact, consuming a 100g bar of this chocolate that has 70 to 85 percent cocoa can give you the following:
- 11 grams of fiber
- 58% of the RDI for magnesium
- 67% of the RDI for iron
- 89% of the RDI for copper
- 98% of the RDI for manganese
On top of that, has decent amount of phosphorus, selenium, zinc and potassium.
Obviously, 100g is a big amount and something that should not be consumed in one sitting or in a daily basis. You should therefore practice moderation when eating one.
Great Source of Antioxidants
ORAC is an abbreviation for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. This is measuring the activity of antioxidant in the food. Truth is, dark chocolate contains tons of organic compounds that function as antioxidants and biologically active similar to flavanols, catechins, polyphenols and the likes.
In a study, it showed that dark chocolate and cocoa had greater activities of antioxidant, flavanols and polyphenols compared to other fruits like acai berries and blueberries.
Lowers Blood Pressure and Improve Blood Circulation
We already know that dark chocolate contains flavanol. This is capable of stimulating endothelium or the lining of the arteries that is producing nitric oxide. One important function it has is sending signals to our arteries to relax which then lowers resistance to blood circulation which eventually lowers blood pressure.