This picture is either going to have you going to your cupboards to make this right now, going into a sugar coma just from the looks of things, or looking for ways to make this by any means. As for me, I'll take option one and two. YES please! This really is simple to make and VERY yummy! Be warned-this will definitely help you with your chocolate consumption!!!
Here is an article I read the other day about health benefits of chocolate-especially dark chocolate!
http://authoritynutrition.com/7-health-benefits-dark-chocolate/
For those of you who don't like to web search, here's the article:
7 Proven Health Benefits of
Dark Chocolate
By Kris Gunnars
Made from the seed of the cocoa tree, it is one of the
best sources of antioxidants on the planet.
Studies show that dark chocolate (not the sugary crap)
can improve health and lower the risk of heart disease.
1. Dark Chocolate is Very
Nutritious
If you buy quality dark chocolate with a high cocoa
content, then it is actually quite nutritious.
It contains a decent amount of soluble fiber and is
loaded with minerals.
A 100 gram bar of dark chocolate with 70-85% cocoa
contains (1):
11 grams of fiber.
67% of the RDA for Iron.
58% of the RDA for Magnesium.
89% of the RDA for Copper.
98% of the RDA for Manganese.
It also has plenty of potassium, phosphorus, zinc and
selenium.
Of course, 100 grams (3.5 ounces) is a fairly large
amount and not something you should be consuming daily. All these nutrients
also come with 600 calories and moderate amounts of sugar.
For this reason, dark chocolate is best consumed in
moderation.
The fatty acid profile of cocoa and dark chocolate is
excellent. The fats are mostly saturated and monounsaturated, with small
amounts of polyunsaturates.
It also contains stimulants like caffeine and
theobromine, but is unlikely to keep you awake at night as the amount of
caffeine is very small compared to coffee.
Bottom Line:
Quality dark chocolate is rich in Fiber, Iron, Magnesium, Copper, Manganese and
a few other minerals.
2. Dark Chocolate is a
Powerful Source of Antioxidants
Have you ever heard of a measure called ORAC?
ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. It is
a measure of the antioxidant activity of foods.
Basically, researchers pit a bunch of free radicals (bad)
against a sample of food and see how well the antioxidants in the food can
“disarm” them.
The biological relevance of this metric is questioned,
because it’s done in a test tube and may not have the same effect in the body.
However, I think it is worth mentioning that raw,
unprocessed cocoa beans are among the highest scoring foods that have been
tested.
Dark chocolate is loaded with organic compounds that are
biologically active and function as antioxidants. These include polyphenols,
flavanols, catechins, among others.
One study showed that cocoa and dark chocolate contained
more antioxidant activity, polyphenols and flavanols than other fruits they
tested, which included blueberries and Acai berries (2).
Bottom Line: Cocoa
and dark chocolate have a wide variety of powerful antioxidants, way more than
most other foods.
3. Dark Chocolate May
Improve Blood Flow and Lower Blood Pressure
The flavanols in dark chocolate can stimulate the
endothelium, the lining of arteries, to produce Nitric Oxide (NO), which is a
gas (3).
One of the functions of NO is to send signals to the
arteries to relax, which lowers resistance to blood flow and therefore reduces
blood pressure.
There are many controlled trials showing that cocoa and
dark chocolate can improve blood flow and lower blood pressure, but the effects
are usually mild (4, 5, 6, 7).
However, there is also one study in people with elevated
blood pressure that showed no effect, so take all this with a grain of salt
(8).
Bottom Line: The
bioactive compounds in cocoa can improve blood flow in the arteries and cause a
small but statistically significant decrease in blood pressure.
4. Dark Chocolate Raises HDL
and Protects LDL Against Oxidation
Consuming dark chocolate can improve several important
risk factors for heart disease.
In a controlled trial, cocoa powder was found to
significantly decrease oxidized LDL cholesterol in men.
It also increased HDL and lowered total LDL in men with
elevated cholesterol (9).
Oxidized LDL means that the LDL (“bad” cholesterol) has
reacted with free radicals.
This makes the LDL particle itself reactive and capable
of damaging other tissues… such as the lining of the arteries in your heart.
It makes perfect sense that cocoa lowers oxidized LDL. It
contains an abundance of powerful antioxidants that do make it into the
bloodstream and protect lipoproteins against oxidative damage (10, 11, 12, 13).
Dark chocolate can also reduce insulin resistance, which
is another common risk factor for many diseases like heart disease and diabetes
(14, 15).
Bottom Line: Dark
chocolate improves several important risk factors for disease. It lowers the
susceptibility of LDL to oxidative damage while increasing HDL and improving
insulin sensitivity.
5. Dark Chocolate May Lower
The Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
The compounds in dark chocolate appear to be highly
protective against the oxidation of LDL.
In the long term, this should cause much less cholesterol
to lodge in the arteries and we should see a lower risk of heart disease over
the long term.
It turns out that we have several long-term observational
studies that show a fairly drastic improvement.
In a study of 470 elderly men, cocoa was found to reduce
the risk of cardiovascular death by a whopping 50% over a 15 year period (16).
Another study revealed that eating chocolate 2 or more
times per week lowered the risk of having calcified plaque in the arteries by
32%. Eating chocolate less frequently had no effect (17).
Yet another study showed that chocolate 5+ times per week
lowered the risk of cardiovascular disease by 57% (18).
Of course, these 3 studies are so-called observational
studies that cannot prove that it was the chocolate that caused the reduction
in risk.
However, given that we have a biological mechanism (lower
blood pressure and oxidized LDL) then I find it plausible that regular
consumption of dark chocolate can in fact reduce the risk of heart disease.
Bottom Line:
Observational studies show a drastic reduction in heart disease risk for the
people who consume the most chocolate.
6. Dark Chocolate May
Protect Your Skin Against The Sun
The bioactive compounds in dark chocolate may also be
great for your skin.
The flavonols can protect against sun-induced damage,
improve blood flow to the skin and increase skin density and hydration (19).
The minimal erythemal dose (MED) is the minimum amount of
UVB rays required to cause redness in the skin, 24 hours after exposure.
In one study of 30 people, the MED more than doubled
after consuming dark chocolate high in flavanols for 12 weeks (20).
If you’re planning on a beach vacation, consider loading
up on dark chocolate in the prior weeks and months.
Bottom Line:
Studies show that the flavanols from cocoa can improve blood flow to the skin
and protect it against sun-induced damage.
7. Dark Chocolate May
Improve Brain Function
The good news isn’t over yet. Dark chocolate may also
improve the function of the brain.
One study of healthy volunteers showed that 5 days of
consuming high-flavanol cocoa improved blood flow to the brain (21).
Cocoa may also significantly improve cognitive function
in elderly people with mental impairment. It also improves verbal fluency and
several risk factors for disease (22).
Cocoa also contains stimulant substances like caffeine
and theobromine, which may be a key reason cocoa can improve brain function in
the short term (23).
Take Home Message
There is considerable evidence that cocoa can provide
powerful health benefits, being especially protective against cardiovascular
disease.
But of course, this doesn’t mean people should go all out
and consume lots of chocolate every day. It is still loaded with calories and
easy to overeat on. Maybe have a square or two after dinner and try to really
savor them.
Be aware that a lot of the chocolate on the market is
crap. You need to choose quality stuff… organic, dark chocolate with 70% or
higher cocoa content.
Dark chocolates often contain some sugar, but the amounts
are usually small and the darker the chocolate, the less sugar it will contain.
