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Chocolate is a well-known treat around the world.
On store shelves you can find many varieties of it – milk, white, with nuts, with fruit and many, many others.
One type, however, is special, because it contains a lot of valuable ingredients, so that eating a cube or two should not cause remorse.
Bitter chocolate, for it is the one in question, is the product that contains the highest concentration of cocoa and the least amount of fats and sugars, so it can be eaten in appropriate doses even on a reduction diet.
Precious cocoa seeds – the origin of chocolate
Cocoa is a plant that originally grew among the moist forests of Central and South America.
Cacao seeds were appreciated centuries ago by the Mayans and Aztecs who inhabited these lands and used them to prepare a drink – Xococalit.
In addition to the brew, its composition included chili and honey.
Nowadays, cocoa is grown mainly in Africa and used to produce butter and cocoa powder.
It is from these that the commonly known chocolate is made.
What are the advantages of including it in your daily diet?
Bitter chocolate
Of course, we are not talking about milk chocolates or products with various additives, because these, often can be a caloric bomb, which has a mass of sugar in its composition, and hardly any nutritional properties.
Dark chocolate is the simplest and healthiest variety of this product.
Dark chocolate should contain a minimum of 70% cocoa, and the best ones, up to 99%.
Of course, the higher the cocoa content of chocolate, the more intense and bitter the taste, so not everyone may like it.
However, it is worthwhile to slowly reach for the dark chocolate with the highest cocoa content, as it has the most beneficial properties for health, making it not just a sweet snack, but a valuable component of the diet.
Benefits of eating dark chocolate
Bitter chocolate is primarily a source of carbohydrates, which provide energy to the body.
That’s why it will be great at the time of strenuous effort – after a workout, running, cycling or physical labor.
Feeling a drop in energy or lack of strength, chocolate will support the body, giving you the power to perform.
Eating chocolate also provides the body with iron, magnesium and potassium.
This inconspicuous, sweet snack also supports internal organs – the heart and kidneys.
Cocoa beans, from which chocolate is made, contain, among other things.
polyphenols.
Supplying them to the body can prevent heart attacks and support the body in lowering blood pressure.
And how does dark chocolate affect the kidneys?
It stimulates their function, and through diuretic properties, also effectively cleanses them.
This is due to the content of the alkaloid theobromine.
Ingredients contained in dark chocolate, among others.
pyrazine, support the brain – they stimulate it, help increase concentration, have a beneficial effect on memory.
As a result, they will be helpful for both those studying or working mentally.
These are not all the benefits of dark chocolate.
Cocoa seeds are also rich in flavanoids, which make it possible, among other things.
inhibition of cholesterol oxidation.
This results in a reduced risk of cancer and atherosclerosis.
Although it’s hard to believe, the facts above speak for themselves.
Chocolate can provide a ton of nutrients and be a healthy snack.
However, one should always keep in mind that, despite everything, a 100-gram bar of chocolate is more than 500 calories.
This is why the dosage of chocolate is important, because it takes very little to exceed the daily amount of chocolate, which is appropriate for the type of diet and its caloric content.
Although it would seem that one or two cubes will not satisfy the need for sweets, real dark chocolate can successfully keep us from reaching for other, more caloric and certainly less healthy products.
Dark chocolate shows positive effects on the body, but only if we reach for the right dose.
