If you asked my previous girlfriends if they had the chance, would they have traded me for some chocolate? Well, I don’t want to know the answer to that question…

Chocolate and people’s love for chocolate dates back thousands and thousands of years. The Aztecs between 4-5000 years ago ground cocoa beans and combined them with other ingredients to make drinks and porridges. Even the name ‘cocoa’ comes from the ancient Nahuatl language which means “bitter water”.

Clearly, the use of chocolate has evolved into the modern age, but a standard hot chocolate drink shares similar traits with early drinks.

And just like Miley Cyrus, there are good and bad versions of the same…

GOOD AND BAD TYPES OF CHOCOLATE

There is chocolate that we want to avoid and then there is chocolate that can not only be considered an indulgence but also contains numerous health benefits.

This fine type of chocolate that we are looking at is the dark chocolate containing at least 70% cocoa solids. ideally 85-90% is the variety you want to aim for. Chocolate of this type has a distinctive bitter/rich flavor that after a while feels far superior to sweetened milk chocolate.

WHAT ARE THE HEALTH BENEFITS?

So what health benefits are we seeing from this chocolate? First of all, there is relevant nutrition such as fiber, iron, magnesium, copper, manganese, potassium, zinc and selenium.

The following is probably one of the best reasons to eat dark chocolate; Is high antioxidant content. The measure of antioxidant activity in food is called Oxygen radical absorbance capacity. Basically, research puts some bad free radicals against food to see how the antioxidants in food can ‘disarm’ them.

Some studies have shown that dark chocolate contains higher antioxidant activity, polyphenols, and flavanols than other fruits being tested, including blueberries and acai berries.

Antioxidant-rich foods help our bodies fight free radicals that can cause DNA damage, premature aging, certain cancers, and inflammation.

Dark chocolate has also been observed to slightly lower blood pressure and improve blood flow. It has also been shown to reduce the susceptibility of LDL (bad cholesterol) to oxidative damage and increase good cholesterol (HDL) while improving insulin sensitivity.

Along with all these positive benefits, dark chocolate also has the ability to protect the skin against the sun and improve brain function. Quite a small bean.

MODERATION IS ALWAYS KEY

This, of course, does not mean that you can eat chocolate until it comes out of your ears. Dark chocolate still contains sugars and calories that need to be watched carefully if you’re on a weight loss program and trying to keep your insulin levels low. But the darker the chocolate, the less sugar it contains and some increases in insulin sensitivity as mentioned above can come along with its consumption.

And again we are talking about dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa solids. Most of the chocolate on the market is junk. Milk chocolate, I’m afraid, falls into that category. But if you’re going to start snacking on a few dark chocolate squares here and there, you’ll find yourself almost repelled by overly sugary, unnatural options masquerading as chocolate.

WRAPPING EVERYTHING

I always keep a few bars on hand for their great taste, nutritional benefits, and as a peace offering when I accidentally “ignored” a call because I was busy going through my fantasy football roster.