Cocoa, the main ingredient in dark chocolate, does offer health-boosting properties for cardiovascular health: flavonoids that help increase blood flow and reduce clotting risk, and procyanidins, which offer an additional anti-oxidant (disease-fighting) effect.
However, although cocoa and dark chocolate are “good” for you, cocoa’s beneficial effects on heart health aren’t significant. You’d likely have to eat a large amount of dark chocolate for more noticeable effects. And cocoa’s health-boosting properties can be found in many other foods – foods that offer far more antioxidants and other nutrients than chocolate. Regular dark or “milk chocolate” bars also contain sugars and fats not needed in excess in a healthy diet (a chocolate lover would not be happy eating plain, unsweetened, or even semi-sweet chocolate!).
Eating small amounts of dark chocolate along with sensible, healthful food choices promises all the benefits a good diet can offer. The occasional treat of chocolate certainly won’t harm you, so don’t feel guilty having a little.
Optionally, you can reap the antioxidant effects of dark chocolate without added sugar or fat, by consuming unsweetened cocoa powder. Combine it with fresh fruit in a smoothie.
Incidentally, milk chocolate and white chocolate contain little to none of the nutritious cocoa beans that dark chocolate is made from. Unfortunately, they both offer the same amount of calories, fat, and sugar as a dark chocolate bar, but without any of cocoa’s healthful properties.
Research shows dark chocolate offers mild health benefits, but they don’t fully understand why chocolate is so highly craved and how it affects our mood. Why would we brave a snowstorm to buy a chocolate bar, but not for carrots?
Obviously, a chocolate bar’s appealing taste is a big factor, likely due to the sugar (a simple carbohydrate) in a typical chocolate bar.
Carbohydrates release serotonin from the brain, a hormone that has a calming effect. This theory seems to make sense because food cravers most often want high-carbohydrate or sugar-rich foods; no one has fantasies about eating unsweetened chocolate. Whatever may be behind your chocolate cravings, psychologists suggest keeping this in mind: A hug can be as mood-lifting as eating chocolate.
Eve Lees has been active in the health & fitness industry since 1979. Currently, she is a Freelance Health Writer for several publication and speaks to business and private groups on various health topics.