Chocolate can reduce asthma symptoms? Yes, and that’s not all:

From reducing blood pressure and asthma symptoms to reducing  tooth decay, there are more benefits of chocolate than ever.

Chocolate spoon
Chocolate can be great for you.

Studies on chocolate seem to be released every week, and the more studies there are, the more positives about chocolate there seem to be.

The good stuff, what’s in chocolate and why it’s so good for us

Cocoa beans are packed with flavanoids which are natural anti-oxidants. Epicatechin is a particularly good one at removing free radicals which intern may help ward off cardiovascular disease. However, when heated, these are often removed as they can have a bitter taste, so you can only get them from raw cocoa and vey dark chocolate.

It can reduce blood pressure and asthma symptoms

Chocolate contains theobromine which is a natural stimulant, that has multiple health benefits.  Theobromine increases the heart beat, dilates blood vessels and can intern actually reduce blood pressure.

Theobromine can also  help alleviate symptoms of asthma as it helps relax the body’s smooth muscles,  such as those found in the lungs. There have been recent studies that suggest it is better at suppressing coughs than codeine.

Tooth decay

This one seems completely crazy, but chocolate may fight tooth decay more effectively than fluoride. Theobromine appears to help with repairing enamel and could protect teeth from further erosion by acids.

Which chocolate should you choose?

There’ s no doubt that if you’re eating chocolate, dark chocolate is the way to go. Milk and white are loaded with sugar, and there’s not a lot of positives around about sugar. Look for chocolate products with a higher cacao or cocoa content and less sugar or more natural sugar alternatives like Stevia.

As most chocolate products with a higher percentage of cocoa are deemed a more health conscious option they can be quite bitter from the flavinols. If time is on your side, try melting it and dipping in some fruit for a sweeter option or even adding coconut oil and nuts and re-setting in the fridge.

Read the label:

When it comes to eating chocolate,  the most important thing is to look for products with the least additives ( as is the case with all food). The more simple the ingredients label is on the product, the better, the same goes for beauty products. If it sounds like a chemical or has more numbers than letters, it’s probably not the best choice. Ironically, it is not fat that makes you fat but the sugar content in chocolate.

 

 

Anita Senior

Media graduate of the Irish-Jamaican persuasion. Cinephile, recovering coffee addict and nail art enthusiast. Wanderluster at heart.

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