Chocolate for Better Health? Sign Me Up!
By Genevieve Cunningham
Once you finally gave in and began healthy eating habits, you likely gave up some of your favorite foods. Long gone is the cake, cookies, sweet drinks, and salty chips. In their place, you’re likely eating plenty of chicken, kale, and a list of foods that you can’t pronounce. While eating healthy is truly a good thing, it can get a little frustrating when you’re never allowed to give into that sweet tooth. Luckily, research may be turning slightly in your flavor. Recent studies have shown that eating a little chocolate every day can actually boost your health. Check out this quick guide to indulging in your favorite dark sweet while still maintaining a healthy diet.
It Might Help With Diabetes
Eating chocolate may actually help with insulin resistance. Daily consumption has shown to reduce insulin resistance in diabetic and pre-diabetic patients. Does this mean you can go out and buy the biggest bag of M&Ms? Not at all. But, it does mean that you might be able to indulge in a small piece, especially of the dark variety, just a little bit every day.
It’s Linked to Lower Heart Disease
Dark chocolate, which is the healthiest form of chocolate, is packed full of healthy antioxidants. When these antioxidants are released into the body on a regular basis, it may actually lower your risk of developing heart disease. While overindulging will still be considered bad for your health, eating small and steady amounts is a great way to boost your health and protect one of your body’s most precious organs.
What Kind of Chocolate Can I Eat?
Milk chocolate, the sweetest of the chocolate flavors, is the most popular. But it’s dark chocolate, the most bitter of all the flavors, that can bring the most benefit. So, how do you develop a taste for dark chocolate? It helps to eliminate other super sweet foods from your diet. Once you’ve done this, you’ll be able to retrain your palate. Take it slow, introduce small amounts, and you’ll be loving and enjoying every bite before you know it.
It’s easy to think that all forms of chocolate are going to ruin your health, but luckily for us, that may not really be true. In fact, when it comes to consuming chocolate, you may be able to have your cake and eat it too. Eat in moderation, choose the right kinds, and enjoy the satisfying sweet tooth while maintaining a healthy diet for a lifetime.