There’s a reason why we want to hang out with Hershey’s and nestle up to Nestlé. In short, chocolate is a comfort food, a sweet delight we embrace whenever we need a little sugary pick-me-up or a cocoa caress.
But the idea that chocolate is good for us, it turns out, isn’t just luscious lore or a tasty tale; chocolate benefits the body and the mind, at least in moderation.
Read on to learn more about the perks of this beautiful bite:
Chocolate is a Great Source of Flavonoids
Flavonoids play an important role in health because of all the medical properties they possess (including anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral). They’re known for protecting the brain and the heart as well.
Chocolate is a potent source of flavonoids due to its cocoa content, allowing one to argue that it could be considered a health food. This comes with a caveat, however; dark chocolate has more cocoa than milk chocolate, making it the healthier option.
Milk chocolate still contains cocoa, but at lower percentages (depending on the type and brand). This means it’s not void of nutrition; it’s just not as nutritious as its cocoa-packed counterpart.
Chocolate Improves Athletic Performance
One of the lesser-known, hidden benefits of chocolate can be found at the gym or on your five-mile afternoon run: Science tells us that chocolate can help with endurance.
A study conducted at Kingston University in London found that bicyclists who ate dark chocolate before racing used less oxygen and cycled further. This is thanks to chocolate’s ability to increase nitric oxide. Beetroot juice offers this benefit as well; it just doesn’t provide quite as many perks for your palate.
Other studies have found that drinking chocolate milk after a workout can enhance athletic performance. It does this by replenishing exhausted muscles at quicker rates and improving exercise recovery.
The above doesn’t necessarily mean you should swipe out Eye of the Tiger for Bite of the Twix; still, it offers some food for your fitness thoughts.
Chocolate Makes Us Happy
The idea that chocolate makes us happy isn’t just in our heads; it’s due to what happens in our heads. Eating chocolate stimulates the release of endorphins, feel-good chemicals that are released through other activities, too (such as working out, petting animals, getting a massage, and meditating).
Chocolate can also interact with other chemicals that influence mood and a sense of well-being, including dopamine and serotonin (which is why its reputation as a comfort food is well-founded). When people feeling down consume chocolate, it can lift their moods and give them a more potent sense of inner calm.
Chocolate may not rival kale or go toe-to-toe with a bushel of blueberries, but it’s no slouch when it comes to wellness. In moderation, chocolate (particularly dark chocolate) is a wonderful addition to the food pyramid, one that’s good for your health and great for your soul.
Assorted Goods and Candy, located in Louisville, Colorado, is your one-stop shop for sugar cravings. From gummies galore to melt-in-your-mouth fudge, we keep all types of candy handy for your sweet tooth needs. Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the lollipop loop on deals, specials, and new inventory.