This Sunday is World Chocolate Day, an auspicious occasion which I personally feel everyone should celebrate because chocolate is healthy.
But….
IT MUST BE DARK CHOCOLATE
There it is. You knew there was a catch….
There has been a lot of research on the benefits of eating dark chocolate and the milk variety just doesn’t match these benefits. Before you give up and go grab yourself a slab of milk chocolate, eating dark chocolate has beneficial effects on inflammation, blood pressure, lipids as well as many other researched benefits:
Improving blood pressure
Stroke prevention (reduces platelets aggregation)
Regulation of blood sugar levels and insulin dependence
Reducing the risk of Type II Diabetes
Reducing inflammation
Slowing ageing
Improving concentration (via blood flow to the brain)
Prevention of PMS
This last one is something you don’t need to tell many women because we already knew. Or rather our clever bodies knew and desired the chocolate to assist in their time of need. One study gave women 20 grams of dark chocolate for 2 weeks before their period and found a highly significant decrease in anxiety symptoms and a statistically significant reduction in fatigue, cramps, bloating, headaches, appetite changes, muscle and joint pains, and problems in concentrations. Be warned though, it wasn’t so great for acne!
Eat chocolate this Sunday and every day. Make sure it is dark chocolate, 70% cocoa (or more) and about 20 grams (or the whole block if you are pre menstrual). Enjoy.
Eliza Nurazizah Fen Tih, and Winny Suwindere., Journal of Medicine and Health, Vol 1 No. 1 (2015) Black Chocolate Consumption Reduces Subjective Symptoms in 18-22 Years Old Females with Premenstrual Syndrome