Take a Bite: 4 Benefits of Eating Dark Chocolate

Chocolate. It gets a bad rap for being a guilty pleasure we can't keep our hands off of. But, along with being sinfully delicious, it is also a superfood, packed with incredible health benefits. Don't go grab your milk chocolate bar just yet, however. Overly processed, sugar-filled chocolate is not the type to go for. We're talking the quality kind: dark chocolate with cocoa percentages ranging from 70 to 99 percent. Here are the top four benefits of nibbling on the good stuff. It's a superfood! Rich with antioxidants and minerals, dark chocolate is your cancer fighting immune strengthening friend. Say bye to free radicals and say hi to iron, magnesium, copper, manganese, fibre, phosphorous, zinc and selenium. It alleviates stress. Dark chocolate aids in the increase of serotonin, which can lower levels of stress. A scientific study in Switzerland concluded that 1.4 ounces of the superfood daily for two weeks can help to alleviate high levels of stress. It's brain food. Have a test coming up? Dark chocolate can improve your alertness as well as aid in short-term memory. According to a study at the University of Nottingham, by boosting blood flow to the brain for up to 3 hours, it can help you concentrate, respond quicker and remember things better! It reduces cholesterol. Dark chocolate has a history of lowering bad cholesterol in the body, which can clog up the arteries and veins and cause a stroke. It can also increase the good cholesterol, which lowers the likelihood of heart disease and cardiac arrest. Would you consider switching your dessert to dark chocolate? Source: Collective Evolution   Do you follow us on Instagram? [caption id="attachment_99757" align="alignnone" width="100"] @BodyRockTV[/caption]