Chocolate Day 2022: It wouldn’t be wrong to say that chocolate is one of the oldest luxuries of mankind. Sourced from cocoa beans, chocolate was initially considered an exotic food for the elites. However, now it has become the most common sweet worldwide which is enjoyed by people across all age groups.
But chocolate did not just remain to be sweet as with time, it evolved into a symbol of love and affection. Earlier meant for the rich, chocolate retained its reputation even after getting widely popular and became the go-to gift for people.
Apart from the gestures of love and warmth that chocolate carries with it, it also has several health benefits. So on this chocolate day, let’s know what chocolate has to offer for our health.
Loaded with antioxidants
Chocolates have an abundance of antioxidants and experts believe that it has more antioxidants than most foods. Due to this, chocolate can directly influence the insulin resistance of the body and in turn, reduce the risk of diabetes significantly. It must be noted that darker chocolate is said to have more antioxidants than ones which are loaded with sugar.
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Controls cholesterol
Experts claim that chocolate is an effective cholesterol-lowering food that lowers the levels of bad cholesterol in the body. Moreover, cocoa butter contains monounsaturated fat like olive oil and helps raise the levels of good cholesterol. It also helps in relaxing the blood vessels in the body and in controlling blood pressure.
Lights up mood
It might not be that surprising that chocolates lead to a happy mood. However, it is not because of its scrumptious taste but the nutrients present in it. It can regulate some feel-good hormones in our body like dopamine and serotonin. Thus, eating a little amount of chocolate regularly can help you stay cheerful.
Energy booster
The best thing about chocolate is that it can be consumed in many ways, from chocolate milk to cookies, adding chocolate to something enhances the taste of the food. But chocolate can also serve as the best pre-workout and post-workout snack for you. Chocolate milk after an intense workout can help your muscles in recovering while taking dark chocolate before the workout can provide you with the required energy.
Cognitive ability
Chocolate is also believed to be effective in improving the memory function of the brain. The flavonoids present in chocolate help in enhancing the processing speed, attention and working memory of the brain. This is because the nutrient tends to supply more blood to the part of the brain which is responsible for forming memories.