10 Mind-Blowing Reasons To Eat Dark Chocolate Every Single Day

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Although you might not need 10 reasons to eat dark chocolate, you should know about all the health benefits it has to offer. That way, the next time someone tries to tell you that you are going off your diet or that you are sabotaging your healthy eating regime, you can whip out a few of these points from memory and set them straight.

Of course, this doesn’t give you permission to pig out on dark chocolate. Just 3.5 ounces still has a whopping 600 calories! Limit yourself to one ounce or less each day. That’s all you really need to get all the healthy benefits this delish delight anyway.

You should also take note that a great deal of the dark chocolate on the market is … well, to be honest, it’s crap. Look for the high quality, organic, dark chocolate that has a minimum of 70 percent cocoa. A higher content of cocoa is even better for you, but don’t accept anything less than 70 percent cocoa.

Ever notice how chocolate seems to make everyone happy? Why not indulge in some happiness every day? We have 10 good reasons you should.

1. Soups Up Brain Power

Seriously! The University of Nottingham conducted studies showing that dark chocolate improved the flow of blood to the brain for as long as three hours after eating it. This improves our short term memory and level of alertness. The cocoa in dark chocolate also improves our concentration levels, memory recall, and response time. If you have an upcoming test or exam, you should definitely consider eating some dark chocolate an hour or two before your test!

2. More Nutritious Than You Think

High quality, dark chocolate with a cocoa content of at least 70 percent is a decadent treat, to be sure, but it is much more nutritious than many people believe. A typical 100-gram bar has an impressive 11 grams of fiber, 67 percent of our RDA of iron, 89 percent of our RDA of copper, 98 percent of our RDA for manganese, and 58 percent of our RDA of magnesium. It also contains good amounts of selenium, zinc, potassium, and phosphorus.

3. Natural Stress Relief

Dark chocolate stimulates the body to increase a neurotransmitter called serotonin, which acts as a type of antidepressant, making us feel happy and less stressed. Scientists in Switzerland did a study finding that eating just 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate each day over a two-week period greatly reduced the amount of a common stress hormone called cortisol. This study used a dark chocolate with an 85 percent level of cocoa, so if you want superior stress relief, be sure the chocolate you are eating has at least this level of cocoa.

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