The dark secret of the dark chocolate
Chocolate is more than a familiar product, affordable and consumed worldwide, it is today a part of our daily alimentation. If you think chocolate is heavenly, you are not alone. Chocolate literally means the “food of the gods” according to its botanical name. Just before sitting down to write this blog, I ate a few bars of dark chocolate. In terms of ingredients, this bar that I’m eating boasts 100% cacao.Well, we all adore chocolate in all its forms, from the humble chocolate chip cookie to hot chocolate , wintry hot chocolate fudge, and decadent desserts. And to make chocolate even more drool-worthy, researchers are discovering that this ancient treat may have some modern health benefits.
There are no added flavours, salt, sugar or vanilla when it comes to dark chocolates. The solitary ingredient is organic, unsweetened chocolate. Talk about intense!
Why would I eat up the whole bar?
When writing, I want my brain to be supremely alert. At the same time, I don’t want to feel agitated or stressed about the task at hand. In recent years, a growing body of research has found that dark chocolate increases blood flow to the brain, reduces fatigue and stress, and may even, counteract some of the symptoms of age-related cognitive decline. The last part is a preventive measure! So, can chocolate be part of a healthy diet or should it be avoided?
Portion size is important. Eating a king size block of chocolate while watching a movie isn’t going to help your gut health. The good news is that there are still some “clean” cocoa products from which you can choose. It turns out that chocolate bars are much lower in heavy metals than cocoa powders. That’s why it is recommended to eat a daily serving of a high cacao (70% or more cacao content) bar instead of using cocoa powder. If you find it a bit too bitter or intense, you can use the following recipe:
At home, I make hot cocoa by combining three squares of an organic 100% cacao bar, a few ounces of coconut cream, a cup of purified water, a pinch of sea salt and sweetener to taste. Then add in some liquid stevia in order to keep the sugar content low. Heat and mix the ingredients well and enjoy it hot or cold!
This could help you loose weight when eaten every morning before breakfast, now you have the little secret. So, why the delay? go grab a bar of dark chocolate and just enjoy it melting while being healthy.
