we are probably looking at the title and thinking there couldn't possibly be any benefit to eating chocolate. Chocolate is so delicious, smooth and creamy. It's been described as one of life's sinful little pleasures. Can anything this wonderful be good for you?
Dieters can keep chocolate in their diets by just working it into their total calorie count. The average chocolate bar is 250 calories.
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In a study by Holland's National Institute of Public Health and Environment, chocolate was found to have four times the antioxidants of green tea. Catechins are powerful antioxidants in the prevention of cancer and heart disease. One hundred milligrams of black tea contain 13.9 milligrams of catechins. The same weight of dark chocolate has 53.5 milligrams of catechins.
Chocolate also provides endorphins, which act like natural opiates in treating chronic pain. Endorphins also bring on a relaxed state of mind, enable more oxygen to reach our inner blood supply and even improve our memory. Seratonin, a neurotransmitter is found in chocolate and works in our body as an anti-depressant.
Other good things to note about chocolate is that chocolate doesn't cause acne or irritate it. It's also known to contain the vitamins B1, B2, D and E as well as the minerals potassium and magnesium.
I know what you're going to say: What about chocolate and tooth decay? No problem. Researchers found that the cocoa butter in chocolate coats the teeth while it's being consumed making it one of the least likely snacks to cause tooth decay.
If you're afraid you might be a chocoholic and won't be able to stop at just one bar or reasonable handful, buy chocolate in smaller personal-sized packs rather than large bars or bags. You can still enjoy chocolate. In fact, now there's more reasons to. Chocolate still has negative affects as well.
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