Chocolate for your health!

The common misconception is that chocolate is full of sugar and bad for your health and waist line. I say misconception because good quality dark chocolate is definitely not “bad” for you and happens to have a myriad of very real health benefits. Although chocolate is everywhere and has been easily accessible for a long, long time, Americans are just discovering what most of Europe has known for a quite a while…Chocolate is good for your health.

Now some of you may say that the hype of chocolate being a health food is a fabrication that the big chocolate companies came up with to promote their cause. While I can’t say that I blame them for good marketing, and they have funded some of these studies, there is no denying that some of their claims are legitimate.

Dark chocolate contains high levels of flavanoids, polyphenols and antioxidants which ultimately promote cardiovascular health. Chocolate’s antioxidant properties push stress levels down and also help fight any foreign bodies that can cause illness.

It is also not a myth that consuming chocolate makes people happy. The chocolate bean contains phenyl ethylamine – the same chemical that is released in your brain when you fall in love; leading to that increase in the pounding of your heart, butterflies in your stomach and all the rest of those feelings that make the beginning of a relationship so exciting. This chemical reaction that goes on in your brain when you consume chocolate triggers the release endorphins. Endorphins give you a feeling of elation and contentment, which, by the way, helps lower one’s blood pressure.