Dark Chocolate – It Even Helps Lower Blood Sugar! (who’d Have Thought?)

By Author: Riya Parekh
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Dark chocolate is actually good for you! Sweet news for chocoholics like me.

I am a raging chocoholic! I could eat chocolate all day long; chocolate bars, chocolate cake, chocolate ice-cream (preferably chockfull of chocolate chunks), hot chocolate, chocolate soufflé, the list goes on… You get it. However, these days as a responsible grown woman I have learned to limit my chocolate intake, and concentrate on eating the healthier version of chocolate – dark chocolate!
It was a great day for chocoholics when the health pundits told us that dark chocolate was actually good for health. It just sounded too good to be true so I decided to do a little bit of research before going out and buying a boxful of the stuff.
You know what? The health pundits were absolutely correct. Here is what dark chocolate can do for you.

Dark chocolate and blood sugar.
Can you believe it; the antioxidants in dark chocolate can actually help restore normal cell function to better control blood sugar. Cocoa and dark chocolate (the darker the better) contain flavanols which are plant based antioxidants. These flavanols ...
... can help heal unhealthy blood vessels and improve impaired blood circulation which precedes development of diabetes. They can also help improve the cells’ sensitivity to insulin and glucose.
And, dark chocolate has a low glycemic index so it will not cause a spike and crash in your blood sugar levels.
Sweet news all around, right?

Dark chocolate and the heart.
Repeat after me; dark chocolate is good for the heart!
Studies have shown that dark chocolate and cocoa can reduce blood pressure, improve blood circulation, and can prevent plaque formation in your arteries. It has even shown a mild anti-clotting effect, and it can help prevent arteriosclerosis.

Dark chocolate and the brain.
Do you know why you eat chocolate? Apart from the rich, satisfying taste? Very simply put, because it just makes you ‘feel good’! Dark chocolate has over 500 natural compounds, many of which can elevate the mood, and induce a feeling of pure pleasure.
Dark chocolate contains phenylethylamine which releases endorphins in your brain. These endorphins give you a natural high. In fact the brain releases phenylethylamine when you fall in love! Is it a wonder we love chocolate? The ‘falling in love’ experience packaged in a bar?
Dark chocolate contains mild amounts of caffeine, which also elevates mood. And many other ‘feel good’ compounds.

Dark chocolate and nutrition.
Chocolate is made from the cocoa bean which grows on the cacao tree. Therefore dark chocolate contains many plant derived minerals. It is packed with magnesium, iron, copper, potassium and calcium. Calcium in milk chocolate is much higher than in dark chocolate.
Dark chocolate is also abundantly rich in plant based antioxidants. Antioxidants are natural compounds that protect your body and promote good health. Antioxidants protect cell damage from free radicals. Our cells are being attacked by free radicals all the time; generally our body keeps fighting these off by producing natural antioxidants. But many factors like age, environment, and pollution reduce the amount of antioxidants our bodies produce. So, we need to get our antioxidants from food. Dark chocolate is packed with a high amount of antioxidants. The antioxidants in dark chocolate can help improve cardio vascular health, reduce blood pressure, improve circulation, and reduce cholesterol.
Aren’t we lucky?

Before you rush to the store to buy cartons of dark chocolate, here is a tiny downer. Dark chocolate is good only when eaten in moderation. Sigh! There go my dreams of guilt-free chocolate gluttony.
And of course, you should realise that if you do suffer from a heart condition, hypertension, high cholesterol, or high blood sugar, please do not stop taking the meds your doctor has prescribed for you, and count on dark chocolate to completely cure your condition. Who knows, perhaps one day chocolate will be the cure-all. But until then, stick to your meds as well.