Chocolate can actually be good for you, as there are many health benefits of dark chocolate aside from just making your taste buds happy! I know, very hard to believe but what can give chocolates a bad rap is the added preservatives and extra sugar. Throughout the history of chocolate, it has been proven that chocolate has antioxidant properties that aid your health. The benefits of chocolate don’t just stop there, chocolate has also been shown to help mental health as well!
What are the Benefits Of Chocolate?
- Antioxidant Properties of Chocolate
Chocolate is rich in antioxidant properties, which are made to protect your body’s cells. These properties extend from the cocoa beans that have flavanols, which studies have shown that they support the heart and brain. Therefore, the higher the cocoa percentage is the better! And we make sure to have quality cacao as our main ingredient.
Another benefit of chocolate antioxidants is that it has been shown to help lower blood pressure. Amazing isn’t it? The impact of cocoa on blood pressure has been studied fairly extensively and has been shown that cocoa is able to lower blood pressure in healthy as well as at-risk individuals.
Another amazing benefit of chocolate antioxidants is to your skin. The antioxidants in chocolate help to repair the damage done to your skin by free radicals and even limit the production of free radicals that can damage skin cells. There are many studies and data that have clearly shown that the cocoa components have important antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and photoprotective functions on the skin.
- Boost Your Focus And Energy Levels
How is it that tasty and addictive chocolate can actually boost your focus? Easy, the flavanol-rich chocolate also improves your brain’s cognitive functions! According to studies, dark chocolate boosts blood flow to key areas of the brain for two to three hours. This is another of the many great health benefits of dark chocolate!The even better thing is that flavanols aren’t only found in cacao but in other substances such as red wine, green tea, and blueberries. We have chocolate bars that include some of these amazing ingredients! Our matcha green tea dark chocolate bar would be perfect to have during a study session.
- Diabetes Prevention
Dark chocolate contains polyphenols, which improve insulin sensitivity, or how well insulin works in the body. There have been various studies and tests showing that those who had dark chocolate at least once a week had a lower prevalence of diabetes and were at lower risk for diabetes four to five years later. And those who have diabetes, benefited from lower blood pressure and decreased fasting blood sugar.
- Chocolate Makes You Happy
Yes, chocolate is delicious and can turn a frown upside down, but it can also cause a chemical reaction within your body. Cacao beans are packed with phytochemicals. Phytochemicals stimulate the release of dopamine from the brain, which in return creates a feeling of pleasure and motivation. When phytochemicals are combined with dopamine it can also act as an antidepressant! There are also many studies supporting the claim, along with several beneficial actions on the brain.
No wonder we all love taking a bite of our favorite dark chocolate bars, however, it is also important to consume chocolates in moderation. Many chocolates are also filled with artificial sweeteners and preservatives that can cancel out the chocolate's health benefits. This isn’t the case with Vosges Haut Chocolat. We only source the finest ingredients Mother Nature and our farmer and artisan partners have to offer. Our dark chocolate bars are made with 67%, 72%, 80%, or 100% pure cacao. The rest of the ingredients are all-natural and sourced ethically.
