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Is Chocolate Healthy?
Chocolate is one of the favourite sweets for many of us, but its calorific value makes most of us cautiously give ourselves to this pleasure. However, there are increasing voices that eating a chocolate truffle can have a positive impact on human health and especially the brain. How does chocolate affect the body? Is it really healthy?
Let’s start with what the chocolate contains:
– Carbohydrates – the basic source of energy for the human body, especially for the brain.
– Magnesium – a building block of teeth and bones, supporting the conductivity of nerve cells and digestive processes.
– Vegetable fats – lowering the level of “bad cholesterol”. Iron – being an essential factor in the production of red blood cells, distributing oxygen throughout the body.
– Zinc and selenium – influencing the increase in the level of endorphins, substances reducing the level of stress.
– Theobromine – stimulating kidney function, stimulating the central nervous system. –Phenylethylamine – one of the endorphins.
– Calcium and protein-bone building blocks – strengthening the immune system.
– Flavonoids – it increases immunity to infections and it regulates proper tension of muscles and blood vessels. Besides, chocolate contains vitamins B6, B2, A, E, B3, B12, folic acid and caffeine.
Chocolate is a source of many vitamins and minerals
One plate of chocolate provides 20-25 percent of the daily requirement for magnesium and calcium. Theobromine, which is about 200 milligrams in the chocolate plate, has a small, but beneficial effect on the mind. The caffeine content of the chocolate table represents only a quarter of the caffeine contained in a cup of coffee, and yet it stimulates the nervous system.
Many researchers confirm that chocolate products can have a very good effect on human health. From a cardiological point of view, the flavonoids contained in chocolate – catechin, epicatechin and procyanidin – have many beneficial effects. They have a similar effect to those found in red wine and green tea. They reduce the risk of atherosclerotic changes, they also prevent blood clots, and they reduce tension in the muscles surrounding the arteries, which in turn prevents their hardening. The results of the analysis, presented to the European Society of Cardiology, prove that polyphenols contained in cocoa beans improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
These compounds have a relaxing effect on blood vessels, they facilitate the blood flow and neutralize the effects of bad cholesterol and prevent the formation of blood clots blocking the vessels. Consuming about one third of a table of bitter chocolate a day can protect you against and a heart disease. About 600 chemicals contained in cocoa products protect the body against cancer, heart diseases, stimulate the immune system, relieve rheumatic pains and prevent mild depression. It’s proven by many doctors and scientists that chocolate both causes euphoria and has a sedating effect.
This is due to childhood memories, when chocolate was a reward and was associated with a sense of security. The consumption of chocolate is recommended for people who practise sports and do hard physical or mental work. Some of its ingredients act as mild stimulants. Simple sugars contained in chocolate, which are good food for the brain, and magnesium, which supports nerve conduction, are helpful during long-term intellectual effort. Chocolate adds energy, improves mood and brightens the mind. This results in magnesium, which regulates the efficiency of nerve cells and zinc and selenium, increasing the amount of endorphins, substances that reduce the negative effects of stress. The perceived improvement in mood under the influence of chocolate results from the increase in the level of serotonin in the blood.
Phenylethylamine, contained in chocolate, has an antidepressant effect. The same compound is created by the brain of a man or a woman in love. It evokes a feeling of happiness, improves mood and even causes euphoria. That is why chocolate is treated as an aphrodisiac. Although no serious scientific research has confirmed this fact, we can still believe it for our well-being. It turned out that chocolate is also an effective remedy for cough relieving. Scientists have proven that theobromine contained in chocolate is more effective in treating cough than the codeine contained in many cough suppressants.
Chocolate is also recommended in convalescence of people with throat diseases. Cocoa butter has rejuvenating properties and protects the skin against wrinkles. Indians already knew this and rubbed their faces with cocoa oil in order to maintain a beautiful complexion. Contemporary cosmetologists confirm it. Many people enjoy a relaxing chocolate bath. Chocolate treatments, fashionable in the United States, cure apathy and nervous exhaustion.
Favorite chocolate can tell us a lot about the personality of a man. This is the opinion of the New Zealand psychotherapist Murray Langham. According to him, milk chocolate is chosen by more “romantic” people and bitter is chosen by those who value good quality things. The choice of white chocolate is a sign of indecision. Also important is the choice of filling in chocolate. Coffee filling is liked by impatient people, toffee – sensual, and orange – by those who work well in unpredictable situations.
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