The health benefits of dark chocolate

News flash - there is definitely a place for chocolate in a healthy diet!

The catch is, it has to be dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher). Basically, the higher the cocoa percentage, the better the health benefits.

Dark chocolate is full of powerful antioxidant compounds like flavonols, polyphenols and catechins. These plant compounds are associated with reduction in risk of disease, increased insulin sensitivity, reduced blood pressure, lower LDL cholesterol and improved brain function. Dark chocolate is also more effective at satisfying sugar cravings than its milk or white counterparts.

Quality is important when it comes to dark chocolate as some of the cheaper brands are highly processed, causing the chocolate to lose some of its beneficial properties. Some of my favourites are Green and Black’s Organic or Lindt Excellence.

It can take a while to adjust to the more bitter taste of dark chocolate so I don’t recommend going straight to the 90% cocoa hard-core option if you are used to Dairy Milk ;-)

It’s important to remember that dark chocolate does contain saturated fat so stick to 20g (2 large squares or 6 small pieces). Also avoid eating it close to bedtime as it contains caffeine which is a stimulant and may keep you awake.