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There is some great news for all those chocolate lovers out there and that is that dark chocolates are good for you. Well, good for your heart at least! It's amazing that there are health benefits from chocolate because we all wanted a reason to be able to eat chocolate and not feel guilty! Things like Hershey cherry cordials may be eaten without feeling guilty just don't eat too many!

There are lots of other dark chocolate selections other than a Hershey's cherry cordial in case you like other flavors. There are dark chocolate bars that are plain, have nuts, cranberries, and even blueberries. You may even find organic dark chocolates made with a variety of other ingredients including red pepper! That's certainly one way to spice up your dark chocolate.

When you eat dark chocolate you won't only be enjoying it but you will also be offering yourself some protection against cardiovascular disease. The reason why there are health benefits from this particular type of chocolate is because of the flavenoids inside. These flavenoids catalyze a reaction in the endothelial cells, cells that line your veins and arteries, to improve function.

The flavenoids, which are basically antioxidants, are also found in a variety of other foods. There are certain fruits, wines, teas, and vegetables that offer up flavenoids that will help you reduce your chances of developing cardiovascular disease. The more flavenoids you eat the lower your chances will be.

In just a short six week study ingesting dark chocolate on a daily basis shows a great increase in endothelial function. This makes researchers believe that if individuals up their intake of flavenoids over a long period of time they will really see amazing benefits in regards to cardiovascular health.

So, if you love chocolate start replacing your milk chocolate with dark chocolate. Not only will you still enjoy the flavor but you will be receiving great benefits that could positively affect your heart health. Remember dark chocolate still has fat and calories so these findings do not give you free reign to eat pounds of chocolate a day. But, the findings so far look positive that dark chocolate may be able to help us in the long run with heart health! Be sure to talk with your doctor before using dark chocolate as a health food so that you can fully understand the implications and what they mean for you.

Caitlina Fuller is a freelance writer. Things like Hershey cherry cordials may be eaten without feeling guilty just don?t eat too many! There are lots of other dark chocolate selections other than a Hershey?s cherry cordial in case you like other flavors. There are dark chocolate bars that are plain, have nuts, cranberries, and even blueberries.

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Sure, we all know the most popular benefits of dark chocolate: sinfully delectable, tantalizingly delicious, and it tastes pretty good.

While those are all great reasons, there are also a few more that would appease even your most health-conscious comrades.

Now, of course, with numerous advertisements endorsing chocolates... it's not rocket science to figure that chocolate is existent in different forms: White chocolate, Milk chocolate, unsweetened chocolate and of course, our topic of discussion: Dark Chocolate.

All these types of chocolate (except dark chocolate) are made using milk, fat and sugar as additives. Most of the chocolates that you find in the supermarkets today are derivatives of the process of solidifying milk chocolate using condensed milk, courtesy of Henri Nestle.

And as much as you love indulging in one of those little bars of fantasy, sooner or later you'll begin to see the effects of having one too many of these little delights which of course contain far too much milk and sugar to earn the "healthy" tag.

Chocolate comes from the cacao tree. And if you didn't know that, perhaps its anglicized derivative, cocoa, would sound more familiar.

Benefits of Dark Chocolate - 5 Facts to Excuse Your Craving!


Scientists have actually discovered that cocoa contains flavonoids. Now if we consume flavonoids, our body will be able to process nitric oxide, which is largely responsible for maintaining healthy blood pressure, resulting in optimum cardiovascular health.
In addition, chocolate is known to relieve you from pain and even boost your energy levels.
Dark chocolate has been shown in several studies to lower LDL, or "bad cholesterol."
This super food also contains serotonin, which is one of nature's anti-depressants and mood-boosters.
Similar to kissing, the dark stuff can even trigger endorphin production, leading to an overall sense of pleasure and relaxation.

The only reason why dark chocolate is considered healthier is because of the greater level of flavonoids present, which is otherwise removed when making milk or white chocolate.

Also, the darker the chocolate, the higher the protein and fiber counts, and the lower the sugar.

Now, another interesting fact about dark chocolates is that they are classified based on a percentage of actual cacao content. In other words, while milk chocolate contains up to 10-20 % cocoa solids, dark chocolate contains levels of 35% to 85% cocoa solids.

To break it down, let's look at these classifications (with the percentage of cocoa solids available):

Sweet Dark Chocolate: 35% - 45%

Semi-sweet chocolate: 40% to 62%

Bitter-sweet chocolate: 60% to 85%

Of the three mentioned above, the last two are normally used in baking cakes, brownies and cookies, not forgetting the 100% cocoa solid, which is also known as unsweetened chocolate and used ONLY for baking purposes. Just a head-up for the adventurous types: 100% dark chocolate is indeed very healthy, but very few can stomach this acquired taste, and it certainly will taste nothing like you would expect from "chocolate."

Now that you know the true benefits of dark chocolate, cocoa your way over to the number one site for free health and nutrition tips at:

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