Dark Chocolate: Health Benefits

Nowadays, the varieties of this product are difficult to count on the fingers. Chocolate is a treat that cannot be treated indifferently. It's hard to meet people whose opinions about chocolate are negative.

During the day, people are exposed to a lot of stress, the result of which is considered a drop in mood. Chocolate is a real panacea for uplifting. In the 19th century, it was considered an excellent antidepressant, it was sold even in pharmacies.

Types of Dark Chocolate

To make dark chocolate, manufacturers use the following components:

• cocoa powder;
• icing sugar;
• cacao butter.

Some types of this chocolate can be supplemented:

• nuts
• raisins;
• vanilla.

They give the delicacy a certain flavor. If you change the proportions of sugar and dark cocoa, the taste of the product will change, it will become sweet. Dark chocolate, which contains a larger amount of grated cocoa, has a bitter taste. When there is more sugar in the composition, the taste is sweet.

The shape and appearance of dark chocolate may be as follows:

1. In the form of tiles - the same size tiles, easily detachable from each other.
2. Monolith - this view is not designed in any way, consists of one whole piece.
3. Porous - the structure of this chocolate resembles openings filled with air.

According to the cocoa content, 2 types of dark chocolate can be distinguished:

• The composition contains 55% cocoa.
• The composition contains from 40 to 55% cocoa.

There are 2 main types of production technology:

• Ordinary Chocolate.
• Dessert.

What is the difference between dark chocolate and bitter

The main difference between these two types is considered to be the composition and the recipe for cooking.

The main differences include:

1. Dark (black) contains more sugar, and cocoa beans predominate in the bitter.
2. Bitter is a product in which the percentage of cocoa beans starts at 55–75%. For true lovers of this delicacy, the standard is chocolate, with 90–99% inscription on the packaging. For dark species, the following percentage is adopted - 40–55. In white and dairy, these figures are even lower.
3. For people who maintain their shape, dark chocolate is preferable, since the manufacturer can add a large amount of sugar to the dark.
4. Dark chocolate has a sharp taste, the latter will be soft and sweet.
5. Dark chocolate is more popular than bitter. The second quickly palls to taste.
6. Dark chocolate in most cases is more expensive. But everything may depend on the manufacturer. The opposite also occurs.

Which chocolate is healthier: dark or bitter

Based on the foregoing, comparing two types of chocolate, we can understand that each of them has a number of useful properties for the human body. However, bitter is considered more useful and dietary, it contains less sugar.

On a note! A variety in which the percentage of cocoa beans is 90–99, is an elite.

Composition and calorie content

Guided by GOST, you can determine the composition of real chocolate. These are 4 main ingredients:

• grated cocoa;
• cocoa oil;
• lecithin;
• icing sugar.

Lecithin is a healthy supplement that has a good effect on human health. In good dark chocolate, 33–44% of cocoa products should be present.This treat melts in your mouth very quickly. And the aftertaste will be pleasant, with a touch of bitterness.

Dark chocolate, which contains 70–80% grated cocoa, includes:

• Carbohydrates - 48%.
• Fats - 44%.
• Proteins - 8%.

Among the minerals present in the composition:

• magnesium;
• calcium;
• potassium;
• some iron;
• phosphorus;
• sodium.

There are vitamins B1 and B2, as well as PP, E.

If the content of cocoa powder in chocolate is 70–80%, then in 100 g of the product there will be approximately 550–600 calories. When the goal is to lose weight, you need to limit yourself and eat no more than 5 grams of good dark chocolate. If you just need to maintain a figure, it is recommended to consume no more than 25 g of goodies throughout the day, otherwise the deplorable weight gain will not take long. Even if the chocolate is of excellent quality, no one canceled the high calorie content. When a person adheres to a diet, it is best to completely exclude this product from the diet. Otherwise, in most cases you can forget about the result of losing weight.

What is dark chocolate good for?

General benefit

There are many unconfirmed conjectures and myths, whether this is a treat or a health hazard. And how is everything really - who can use this product without consequences for the body?

If we talk about a natural product in which the content of all kinds of additives is minimized, it will not cause harm to health, but rather, if you use it in moderation, it will strengthen it. The benefits of dark chocolate directly depend on the natural ingredients - cocoa beans that are part of it. The daily rate that benefits the body is 20 g. Proper use of goodies:

• helps stimulate blood circulation in the brain;
• activates the hormone of joy;
• fruitfully affects the walls of blood vessels;
• reduces the likelihood of a stroke;
• helps to lower cholesterol;
• is a good prophylaxis for atherosclerosis;
• evens out pressure indicators;
• due to theobromine content in the composition, it helps to reduce cough outbreaks;
• thanks to calcium helps strengthen bones.

Dark chocolate has a ton of health benefits. The main thing is not to abuse and adhere to the norm. This will help improve health, improve health. If you observe the norm of consumption per day, the product:

• smooths out a feeling of hunger;
• Helps relieve depression
• contributes to the improvement of the brain;
• with gum disease reduces bleeding;
• with the formation of a deficiency in the body of magnesium, chromium, zinc makes up for it.

Other useful properties of this product:

1. The amount of antioxidants in this product is quite large. Thanks to this, people who regularly consume dark chocolate get protection for their skin from the harmful effects of free radicals. The skin does not lose firmness, elasticity and softness.
2. Poor effects on human skin create stressful situations (stress). Dark chocolate helps replenish exhausted strength and fight stress, as it has inherent anti-stress properties. Thanks to this, the overall well-being and skin tone will always be normal.
3. Dark chocolate contains flanoids. They tend to strengthen blood vessels and prevent the risk of heart disease. It is not worth forgetting that pathologies such as heart attack, stroke, coronary heart disease exist. And “sweet” prevention never hurts.
4. Many do not believe in it, but it is a fact. Dark chocolate is a sweet, and there is no arguing here. But it can help balance your blood glucose. For people who use chocolate, their sugar levels remain normal. But the flanoids that make up its composition contribute to its reduction.
5. If blood cholesterol is elevated, then over time it can cause blockage of veins and arteries, disrupting their functions. With the help of dark chocolate, you can reduce the content of hemoglobin and cholesterol in the blood and keep their rates normal.
6. It is proved that flavonoids contained in dark chocolate stimulate blood flow to the brain.This has a good effect on vision and helps improve visual memory.
7. Magnesium and copper, which are part of dark chocolate, help in normalizing blood pressure.
8. This product is ideal for people involved in sports. People who drink a glass of this drink steadily at the end of their workout gain muscle mass evenly. Throughout the day, the athlete’s companions will be vigor and strength.
9. With heavy training and business trips, dark chocolate helps to enrich the body with useful substances. If consumed daily on a slice, then you can increase efficiency.
10. Although they talk about the harmful effects of chocolate on teeth, it helps to strengthen the enamel due to its calcium content, and also creates a protective barrier against tooth decay.
11. Theobromine content in dark chocolate helps soften the throat when coughing.

For women

1. Improves mood. The composition includes magnesium, which is an antidepressant.
2. Facilitates premenstrual syndrome. Dark chocolate is an analgesic and relieves symptoms. Enough 25 g.
3. Helps prolong youth, because the antioxidant complex that slows the aging of the female body is part of the sweetness.

For men

Dark chocolate not only strengthens the immune system and restores the nervous system, but also has a positive effect on reproductive function. Regular consumption of natural dark chocolate helps improve potency in men.

A sweet dessert is also considered an aphrodisiac, because it enhances blood circulation in the body and accelerates the flow of blood to the genitals. Also, sweetness helps to increase heart rate and excite the nervous system, as a result of which potency improves. This is due to the components that make up:

1. Tryptophan - promotes sexual arousal.
2. Phenylethylamine - affects the endings of nerves and gives a signal to the brain, so that a person feels pleasure.
3. Theobromine - improves mood, prevents stress.
4. Dopamine - favorably affects the nervous system.
5. Anandamide - helps to increase the sensitivity of erogenous zones, is responsible for the feeling of pleasure.
6. Zinc - is involved in the production of male sex hormone. Also, the substance helps to improve the quality of the ejaculate, which has a beneficial effect on sexual function during the planning of conception of a child.

During pregnancy

During pregnancy, eating chocolate is not a contraindication. Therefore, 3 pieces of sweets per day is the norm. In case of diabetes mellitus and allergies of various origins, this type of delicacy should be completely excluded from the diet.

Scientists believe that thanks to the flavanoids, magnesium and theobromine in the composition, dark chocolate reduces the risk of preeclampsia. You can eat up to five servings per week.

When breastfeeding

For a nursing mother, the benefits of dark chocolate are very great, because it contains a large amount of nutrients. But when eating goodies you need to follow some recommendations:

1. Immediately after birth, it is not recommended to use a treat, because the baby's age is very small. It is recommended to wait at least 2-3 months.
2. You need to eat a treat only in the morning to follow the child’s reaction to a new product.
3. They constantly recommend inspecting the baby's skin in order to exclude allergic reactions and diathesis. If these signs appear, immediately eliminate the use of sweets for several days.
4. You need to use only natural products.
5. Along with chocolate, it is not recommended to introduce other new products into the food.

For kids

The benefits of dark chocolate for children are not so great. But, undoubtedly, there are positive aspects if you do not abuse this delicacy at an early age. Experts recommend consuming no more than 100 g of product per week during this period. If you do not adhere to these rules, busting can only harm the children's body.

What is useful in dark chocolate for children:

1. Content in the delicacy of potassium and phosphorus will positively affect the child's cardiovascular and nervous system.
2. If dark chocolate is of high quality, then its use in moderation has a good effect on the functioning of the children's intestines.
3. At the right time, it helps to increase the mood: if the child likes to cry, a small piece of dark chocolate will help correct this situation.
4. Due to the ability of cocoa butter, contained in dark chocolate, to envelop the teeth, the product helps in slowing the development of caries.

Dark chocolate in medicine

Speaking about the benefits of dark chocolate in medicine, the following can be noted:

1. With its help, you can improve the disturbed digestion process.
2. Also beneficial use of this product will affect the functioning of the liver.
3. It helps reduce heart pain.

With diabetes

Drinking the right amount of dark chocolate for diabetes improves blood vessels. This fact is due to the inclusion of vitamin P. It is able to increase the flexibility of the walls of blood vessels, reduces the fragility of capillaries, and increases the permeability of veins and arteries. Based on this, it can be concluded that natural dark chocolate with diabetes improves blood circulation.

Important: glycemic index of dark chocolate from 25 to 40 units.

With gastritis

With this disease, chocolate can carry both beneficial properties and harm. When the patient is in remission, a treat will be useful if acidity is lowered. In cases with increased acidity, the product will have an irritating effect on the walls of the organ, which will cause excessive production of gastric juice.

At the time of exacerbation of the disease from the use of chocolate should generally be abandoned. Otherwise, the body will be harmed. Even a small piece of the eaten goodies can lead to disastrous consequences, and hospitalization will be inevitable.

Doctors and specialists in the field of gastroenterology give the following recommendations:

1. You can use chocolate, observing a simple rule: 1-2 slices at a time, with a frequency of no more than two to three times a week, and only if the disease is in remission.
2. With this disease, bitter and dark chocolate is considered less dangerous. But the best time to consume goodies is lunch, only you need to eat it not on an empty stomach. In the morning, it is better to refuse chocolate altogether, as it can provoke an exacerbation of gastritis with subsequent hospitalization.

It is advisable to select the rate of use of this product, in consultation with a specialist doctor in this field.

Harm and contraindications

No one is safe from damaging health even with high-quality products. Dark chocolate is no exception.

1. Using this low quality product can definitely put your health at risk. If you often use it, this will lead to such an unpleasant disease as gastritis. Insomnia or digestive disorders may also occur.
2. Whatever the benefit of dark chocolate, the calorie content of this product is very high. If you abuse this delicacy, then obesity can be one of the unpleasant consequences. The average daily rate is not more than 45 g.
3. This product is not recommended for children under three years of age, people with diabetes and those who suffer from migraine attacks.

How to choose and store

Entering the store, you can meet a lot of counters, which feature a huge amount of chocolate from different manufacturers. The question arises - how to choose a quality one?

An indisputable fact: only real dark chocolate without impurities has useful properties. Which of the products should be present in the composition of real dark chocolate, and what should not be? Real experts in the composition of this dessert say the following:

1. It is worth paying close attention to the packaging. If the consumer has real dark chocolate, then cocoa butter should be present in its composition. The presence of palm fat, herbal ingredients, soy additives indicates low quality.
2. There is chocolate, in which the manufacturer adds the equivalent of cocoa butter. This product is close in its properties to natural. The difference is the lack of rich taste and aroma. The product, in which the equivalent of cocoa butter is present, meets the standards and is called chocolate with pride.
3. Sometimes soy, palm and other vegetable fats are present in the composition of the product. This product cannot be called chocolate. The manufacturer should not mislead the buyer. This is not chocolate, but a “pastry bar”.
4. It is worth paying attention to how chocolate looks. A good, natural, dark product should have an even dark surface with a shine. Rather dense, but at the same time brittle sound with a break is expressively sonorous. When a manufacturer adds a fat substitute instead of cocoa butter to save money, the look of the chocolate changes. It acquires a matte and bright surface. No sound is heard when breaking.
5. If the composition contains hydro fats and preservatives related to the benzoic row, then this product refers to low-grade chocolate. During use, it creates discomfort in the mouth, sticking to the teeth and leaving an unpleasant greasy aftertaste. There is nothing useful in such a dessert. And if you use it for a long time, it can have a deplorable effect on health.
6. When the product contains cocoa shell or cocoa powder, its quality will be low.

You should also read the following tips:

1. If the choice fell on dark chocolate, it is worth choosing a monolithic tile. There should be no stains, patterns and all kinds of jewelry on it.
2. If possible, you need to make a break on the bar of chocolate and pay attention to the sound that it will make at that moment. It should be purely crispy. The place where the break takes place will remain flat.
3. The texture should be velvety. If the texture is oily or grainy, it is better to leave such chocolate on a shelf.
4. A good quality product should have a pleasant smell; the presence of extraneous aromas indicates the presence of fragrances. The tiles should be dark brown. Do not take chocolate with additives. In the form of additives, only nuts can be present in the composition. The presence of other additives indicates that the product is not natural.

For the proper storage of chocolate, you need to choose places where it is dark and dry, where the sun's rays can not penetrate. In summer, it is best to store it in the refrigerator.

How to make milk from dark chocolate

To prepare such a dessert, you need to use ready-made dark chocolate. Also required:

• whole or condensed milk;
• butter;
• sugar.

The right amount of ingredients should be regulated based on what consistency of chocolate mass we would like to get based on your preferences.

What should be done:

1. Take a bar of dark chocolate and melt it with a water bath.
2. Gradually add sugar, milk, butter. The output should be a mixture having a thick consistency.
3. Put the resulting mixture on fire and cook for 5-6 minutes, then allow to cool.
4. Pour into pre-cooked forms.
5. Next, put the chocolate molds in the refrigerator and let it harden so that the tile acquires a certain rigidity.

How to eat dark chocolate

After you have bought sweets, you don’t need to put them right in the refrigerator. It is recommended to store chocolate at a temperature of 23 degrees. You can use it in combination with drinks. If you eat with wine, then it should be an order of magnitude sweeter than chocolate.

How much can you eat per day

Eating sweets a day is not recommended. The best option is no more than 25–45 g per day. It is better to limit yourself to 15 g.

What is combined with

Dark chocolate goes well with dried apricots, candied fruits, coffee beans. It can be grated and added to baking.

The best brands of dark chocolate

1. “Ritter Sport” - famous for its invigorating fillings, beautiful packaging design.
2. "Babaevsky" - a trademark has established itself for a very long time due to the good taste of chocolate.
3. “Russia is a generous soul” - characterized by moderate bitterness, a wonderful combination of dark with white chocolate.
4. "Eco Botany" - much less carbohydrates, but the content of vitamins and prebiotics is preserved.

Interesting Chocolate Facts

1. Modelin is the most expensive chocolate in the world. It was created by a culinary specialist Fritz Knipschild from America.
2. Kisses chocolate is produced in an amount of over eighty million pieces per day at the Hershey factory.
3. Kisses chocolate was made in the shape of a square in 1907.
4. Until 1875, there was only dark chocolate.
5. Maya paid with chocolate instead of money.

Photo of dark chocolate