Eating a daily dose of chocolate not only provides a delectable treat, but remarkable health benefits as well, especially if you consume dark chocolate. Both the Cleveland Clinic and American Society for Nutrition extol the virtues of adding chocolate to your diet to provide heart healthy and stress reducing benefits. The next time you opt for a sweet treat, you can choose a piece of dark chocolate with the confidence of knowing that you're doing your body a favor.
Antioxidant Protection
Dark chocolate carries a high-amount of antioxidants which protects your cells from damage by free radicals. These antioxidants, known as flavonoids and flavanols, can also reduce the "stickiness" of blood platelets, which can clump together and form stroke- and heart attack-causing clots, reports the Cleveland Clinic. Lower antioxidant levels put you at risk for higher cholesterol levels and increases your chances of developing heart disease.
The higher the amount of cocoa -- a good level is 70 percent and above -- the higher the antioxidant content in your dark chocolate. Many dark chocolate products on the market list the cocoa content on the label. You should know that the higher the cocoa content, the lower the sugar content, which can make the chocolate taste bitter. Experiment with different cocoa percentages to find the dark chocolate most palatable to you.
Stress Reduction
Savoring the velvety smooth richness of dark chocolate on your tongue kicks in your "feel good" hormones, known as endorphins. When your endorphins race through your bloodstream, your stress level drops and triggers reduction of your blood pressure. The longer you savor the moment of chocolate consumption, the longer the anti-stress response lasts. Taking these few moments everyday, once a day, can reduce your overall stress level over time as your body becomes conditioned by the very thought of chocolate, and it elicits a relaxation response, suggests Phyllis A. Balch in her book, "Prescriptions for Nutritional Healing."
Antidepressant Effects
In addition to raising your endorphin levels which elevate your mood, dark chocolate also increases serotonin production and acts as an antidepressant, states Balch. Since the chocolate also contains caffeine and sugar, it can boost you out of fatigued feelings associated with depression. Knowing that you are treating yourself to something healthy and delicious might give you an added boost to your self-esteem.
Cholesterol Neutrality
Although dark chocolate contains fat, the Cleveland Clinic reports that two out of the three fatty acids in chocolate either lower or have a neutral effect on your cholesterol level. Oleic acid, the same fatty acid as in olive oil, lowers bad, or LDL, cholesterol. Stearic acid has no effect of raising or lowering, so only palmitic acid can raise your cholesterol.