Bitter Chocolate: A Free Pass to Nibble?



 Dark chocolate has a positive impact on health. But how is bitter chocolate different from the others and does it really mean a free pass to nibble?
Here are the answers:
To make chocolate, cacao beans get roasted, grounded and processed into cocoa liquor. This mixture refined with milk and sugar gets conched and then filled in form.
White chocolate is actually not a real chocolate as it contains only cocoa butter but nothing else from the cacao beans.
Milk chocolate has also only a content of about 25 % of cacao, semisweet chocolate contains at least half of cocoa. Chocolate is dark when it has more than 60% of cocoa content. 

Bye Bye Worry and Stress
Chocolate keeps worry and stress away because of anandamide, a substance which is related to marijuana. In addition, it provides you with the protein thebromine and caffeine. These substances stimulate the production of the feel-good hormone endorphins, in combination with glucose.

Vitamins and Minerals?
This sweet temptation contains a lot of magnesium, calcium, iron and vitamin E. All these have a positive impact on the central nervous system, help you to concentrate and strengthen the bones. 

For weight loss
A research at the University of Copenhagen showed that the intake of bitter chocolate drops the cravings and consumption of other fattening foods by around 15 %. Therefore, dark chocolate can help you if you want to lose weight, but only with an extremely high cocoa content. 

Better than Green Tea
According to an American study, one bar of dark chocolate contains three times more antioxidants than a cup of green tea. Again, more is contained in organic chocolate due to a more gentle production and better ingredients. 

Try it with fruits
Nowadays you get a lot of dark chocolates containing fruits or spices. It is an extra healthy option to the normal ones since plant dyes and spices slow the aging process, boost metabolism and are good for the immune system. 

Lower Risk
Nutritionists have found that chocolates with high percentage of cocoa reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke because it lowers the blood sugar and cholesterol level.
A study from the Georgetown University has also shown that the high content of cocoa bean can help to prevent breast cancer. 

Watch out!
Even though bitter chocolate has many health benefits, it is not a free ride. If you eat too much chocolate, you harm your health. Most scientists recommend to limit the consumption of chocolate to 10 grams per day – so one little piece is sufficient. But you can enjoy it to the fullest. 

http://www.drgranny.com/category/health-nutrition/page/2/

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