When people started saying the chocolate was healthy I did not think that it was true. I merely thought that it was people using it as an excuse to eat something which tasted good that was thought of as being unhealthy and had no idea about the dark chocolate health benefits. People often are looking for a good excuse to eat something that they like but have been told is not good for them. However, it seems that there are some health benefits to eating dark chocolate. It contains similar health benefits as dark vegetables because it contains flavonoids which act as antioxidants in the body. The flavonoids also help to decrease blood pressure because they produce nitric oxide which helps to balance some of the hormones in the body responsible for blood pressure.

There has also been evidence to show that it can reduce bad cholesterol levels due to it containing one third oleic acid which is a healthy fat found in olive oil. There are also benefits to mental health with the endorphins and serotonin that is produced when it is eaten. These both give feelings of happiness which is great for anyone that tends to get depressed or just for overall well being.

They could reduce stress which can be the cause of some nasty illnesses and lowers the immune system. Although chocolate should not be used as a replacement for advice from a doctor or any sort of medication, there is evidence to show that it does have some health benefits.

It is important to make sure that it is dark chocolate that is consumed as not in massive amounts as it is still calorifically high and will therefore increase weight if eaten in excess. Also make sure that it is eaten as part of a healthy balanced diet in order to see the maximum dark chocolate health benefits.

One of the only things to take into consideration about daily coffee consumption is whether or not you are sensitive to caffeine. If you are someone who has issues with anxiety, caffeine can increase the risk of a panic attack or anxiety issues.  However, if you can drink coffee in moderation, it provides a large number of benefits in disease prevention and overall wellness. If you are highly sensitive to caffeine, then you do have the option to drink decaffeinated coffee, which has come a long way in flavor and quality. If you are looking for a decaf brew, then make sure that it is decaffeinated with the Swiss Water Process, which uses water instead of harmful chemicals to remove caffeine from the brew.

Coffee itself has been shown to increase alertness and focus, and it is also full of healthy antioxidants. The benefit to in taking antioxidants on a regular basis is that they will neutralize free radical damage in the cells to prevent disease and premature aging. For this reason, you may be familiar with the fact that many skin care companies are using coffee as an ingredient because it provides antioxidants topically to the surface of the skin to neutralize free radical damage and prevent wrinkles from forming. Win-Win!

Coffee has most recently been proven to significantly reduce the risk of disease. As an example, Harvard researchers have shown that drinking up to 3 cups of regular coffee per day can significantly reduce the risk of diabetes. Men within this study group who drank six or more cups of coffee each day reduced their risk of diabetes by 54%, and women by 30%. This was compared to those who abstained from coffee completely.

Regular coffee drinkers also have the benefit of being 80% less likely to have Parkinson’s disease, directly related to the more coffee that they drink. This means that the more coffee that is consumed, the lower the risk for Parkinson’s disease. Regular Java drinkers also have a 25% less risk of colon cancer, a 50% less risk of gallstones, and an 80% less risk of cirrhosis of the liver developing.

These are highly significant results, especially when you take into consideration that past studies shed a negative light on regular coffee drinking. One of the reasons for this is that the coffee drinkers within the studies were also smokers, so all of the negative results came from smoking and not coffee consumption.

The bottom line is that you are more than encouraged to enjoy your daily cup of Coffee because of the large number of health and wellness benefits it provides to you!

Chocolate contains caffeine and saturated fats, and these two factors create a reputation as bad for us. Cholesterol levels raise because the fat in cocoa butter, but it also contains phenolen which helps reduces the risk of heart disease.

A cup of regular coffee has more caffeine in than one ounce of chocolate, 150 mg compared to 6 mg. Therefore its far better to give up coffee than it is chocolate.

Chocolate has also found to contain more antioxidants than green tea. The catechins within are powerful in preventing some cancers and heart disease. Chocolate also creates endorphins enable us to become relaxed, allows more oxygen to reach our inner blood supply and can even improve our memory.
Do not be misled, chocolate does have some negative effects but they are outweighed by the positives. Eating chocolate as part of a varied diet where intake is balanced with regular exercise is probably healthy for the heart.

Chocolate also contains a variety of minerals that are essential to good nutrition. These include calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, iron, zinc and copper. Each of these minerals plays important roles in a variety of biological functions, including growth, bone formation, metabolism and oxygen transport within the blood.

If you love chocolate and eat it regularly, the most beneficial types are dark chocolates that contain only natural ingredients and are not overly processed. Just remember, chocolate is high in calories and eating too much can therefore make you fat, increasing your risk of heart disease and over-eating of chocolate can also lead to obesity.