Staying healthy means eating good nutrients, but it doesn’t mean that you’re doomed to a life of broccoli and salads! A healthy diet still has room for treats — especially treats like chocolate. In fact, dark chocolate contains flavonoids, a type of antioxidant that can help protect your skin from sun damage and control blood pressure.1
Certified diabetes educator Maria Rodriguez said, “In moderation, cocoa in chocolate is a great source of antioxidants that can improve blood flow.”
If you weren’t already celebrating, there’s even more reason to be excited about dark chocolate. In a bar of 70-85% cocoa dark chocolate, you can get iron, potassium, zinc, and fiber, among other nutrients. It has been known to raise HDL cholesterol — that’s the good one — and reduce insulin resistance.
Dark chocolate has even been found to be highly protective against the oxidation of LDL cholesterol — that’s the bad one — in the long term.1 That means that there is much less cause for cholesterol to lodge in your arteries and it lowers the risk of heart disease. In fact, another study revealed that people who eat dark chocolate more than five times per week have a 57% lower risk of coronary heart disease!2
Oh, and did you know that dark chocolate contains caffeine? There’s enough to act as a stimulant, but not enough to keep you awake at night. So, when you dream about the perfect snack, it just might be dark chocolate.
Check out our healthier s’mores recipe to keep the summer vibe strong and make good use of dark chocolate and all its tasty health benefits.2
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