Dark and loving it
My grandchildren look forward to the day when their dad comes home from abroad. One of the several reasons is the boxes of chocolate that my son brings home. I also look forward to it with much anticipation because of the dark chocolate that I get as my share of the goodies.
One of the myths of drinking hot chocolate is that it can increase one’s blood pressure. “Hinay-hinay lang sa sikwate,” this is what they say. However, according to my research, on the contrary, dark chocolate actually improves blood flow and lowers blood pressure.
While surfing the web, I stumbled upon healthline.com and discovered more benefits from eating dark chocolate.
It contains a decent amount of soluble fiber and is loaded with minerals like iron, magnesium, copper, manga- nese, potassium, phosphorus, zinc and selenium.
It contains stimulants like caffeine and thedoromine but is unlikely to keep you awake at night as the amount of caffeine is very small. It is a good source of antioxidants. It protects your skin against the sun as it increases skin density thus protects against sun-induced damage.
It improves brain function and likewise improves blood flow to the brain.
It improves cognitive function in elderly people with mental impairment. There are observational studies. It improves verbal fluency. Eating dark chocolate in moderation lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease. There are observational studies that show a drastic reduction in heart disease risk for the people who consume the most dark chocolate. Consumption of this two or more times a week lowers the risk of having calcified plaque in the arteries by 32 percent.
Before you consume that bar of dark chocolate in your hands, the recommended dose is one or two squares after dinner.