Incorporating chocolate into a daily diet plan has been proven beneficial for overall health. That’s great news, right? Here are just a couple of reasons to incorporate this delicious superfood into a daily diet regimen.

Benefits:

This amazing superfood contains Free-radical-fighting antioxidants as well as B vitamins-1,2,3,5 and Vitamins A, C, D, E. It’s also high in beneficial minerals such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, and copper. Since it contains the molecule phenylethylamine, it is also a gentle antidepressant. It has healthy monounsaturated fat which is important for cardiovascular health. Also, it is known for improving brain function by raising serotonin levels which helps regulate mood, sleep, and appetite. Eating high-quality chocolate is known to lower cortisol, the body’s stress hormone, and reduce inflammation. Now knowing that a delicious treat can improve overall health, hold off a bit longer before trapping a bar because not any old bar will do.

Quality:

Consuming high-quality dark chocolate with at least 70% of cacao is best. The higher the percentage, the higher the benefit. Cacao is actually the plant species in which cocoa – and chocolate – is derived. The edible parts of this plant can be processed, dried and fermented to make the likes of cocoa butter, cocoa powder or chocolate. The milk in milk chocolate actually binds to the antioxidants in rendering them unavailable and therefore doesn’t offer the benefit of flavonoids. In other words, it basically cancels out all the benefits listed above. A high-quality bar should be organic, soy-free, dairy-free and gluten-free. The sugar content needs to stay under 5 grams per 1.5 ounce serving and a serving size is between 1-1.5 ounces per day.