Yep, cue the fireworks. Chocolate can is a superfood. But before you snap, crackle and pop your way into bowl of cocoa pops or break open a family sized pack of marvellous creations, there are a few caveats to this oh-so-scintillating statement. Booooo! Aren’t there always? But in this case, they’re not what you might think.
So, chocolate is a superfood, huh?
It sure is. Woo hoo! But it’s not actually the sweet, tasty, kind of addictive, chocolatey part of chocolate that’s the superfood. It’s the cocoa powder part. A lot of chocolates that are commonly found in the sweets aisle at your local supermarket don’t contain that much cocoa powder, they tend to be primarily made up of cocoa mass and cocoa butter. Oh, and sugar. Natch. But yes, can confirm = choc0late is indeed a superfood. And here’s why.
Dark chocolate is made from the seed of the cocoa tree. And it is one of the best sources of antioxidants and vitamins on the planet. Cocoa – one of the key ingredients in dark chocolate – is thought to have first been used by the Mayan civilisation of Central America.
It was introduced to Europe by Spanish conquerors in the 16th century and quickly became popular as a health-promoting medicine. Cocoa powder is made by crushing cocoa beans and removing the fat or cocoa butter. Yep, that’s the stuff that is primarily used in commercial chocolates (the ones we love sooooo much.) But it’s the cocoa that’s the good stuff. So when we talk about chocolate being a superfood, what we actually mean is dark chocolate. That’s caveat numero uno. And it’s a biggun. Caveat numero dos is to be very aware of the super content of the chocolate you choose. Because sugar, aside from being highly addictive, is also super-dooper bad for you. And consuming large amounts of it does terrible things to your health (which will almost certainly negate the benefits of said chocolate.)
Ok, then what are the benefits of dark chocolate?
Ahh, we’re glad you asked. Because otherwise, this would have been a very short, slightly awkward article. But hey, since you asked… let’s dive on into those promised health benefits and prove, once and for all, that chocolate (yeah yeah, dark chocolate… buzzkill) is a superfood.
1. It’s really high in vitamins
Yep, you heard it here first. Ok maybe not first, but you definitely heard it here. Dark chocolate, the kind that’s really high in cocoa powder, is one of the most nutritious foods you can eat. It contains a fair whack of soluble fibre, which is great for your gut health, and it’s also loaded with minerals. A 100-gram bar of 85% dark chocolate contains 11 grams of fibre, almost 100% of your daily recommended intake of manganese, and likewise for copper, and more than half your RDI of magnesium and iron. It also contains potassium, phosphorus, zinc and selenium.
2. It’s one of the best sources of antioxidants on the planet
All foods that contain antioxidants are scored against a value called ORAC or oxygen radical absorbance capacity – which is basically a test for measuring their ability to collect free radicals – those disease causing compounds. The ORAC score of cocoa, in particular dark chocolate, is one of the highest scoring foods that’s ever been tested. This basically means that it’s got a lot of disease fighting antioxidants. They include polyphenols (like those found in red wine and other plant-based foods), flavanols (like those found in red berries) and catechins (also found in green tea. It’s this unique combination of antixodants that makes dark chocolate such a healthful food.
3. It can lower your blood pressure
Several studies have shown that cocoa and dark chocolate can improve blood flow and lower blood pressure. This is because the flavanols in dark chocolate can stimulate the lining of arteries and encourage them to produce nitric oxide which is a vasodilator that signals them to relax and improves the blood flow (and thus lower your blood pressure) as a result. Cool, huh?
4. It can improve your cholesterol levels
Cholesterol levels are a big marker for future cardiovascular disease, and anything over 5.0 is considered high. However, consumption of dark chocolate can help to reduce a lot of these risk markers, cholesterol being the biggest. Research has found that cocoa powder consumption can help to lower LDL cholesterol levels. These are the levels often referred to by doctors as bad cholesterol. Essentially, the antioxidants in dark chocolate find their way into the blood stream and help to stop the lipoproteins in cholesterol from oxidising to create LDL cholesterol. This keeps your good HDL cholesterol levels higher and your bad LDL cholesterol levels lower. Win!
5. It can help to reduce insulin resistance
Insulin resistance is a big risk marker for Type 2 Diabetes. Basically, insulin resistance is when the cells in your muscles, body fat and liver start resisting or ignoring the signal that the hormone insulin is trying to send them. This tends to be because its being sent too often and too much. But researchers have found that consumption of cocoa powder and dark chocolate in particular helps to improve insulin sensitivity and to reduce insulin resistance.
6. It can reduce your risk of heart and cardiovascular diseases
Because the antioxidants in dark chocolate protect your blood cholesterol against oxidation, this means it’s less likely to get clogged in your arteries, which in turn reduces your risk of heart disease, cardiovascular disease and stroke. In fact, one study found that consumption of dark chocolate reduced cardiovascular disease risk in men by a whopping 50% over 15 years. Another study found similar results, with those who consumed dark chocolate more than five times per week reducing their heart disease risk by 57%.
7. It can improve your brain function
Because the cocoa in dark chocolate helps to improve blood flow and lower blood pressure, as well as acting as a vasodilator, this means your brain gets more blood too, which research has found improves your brain function. It also appears to improve cognition in elderly people, and because it contains stimulant substances called methylxanthine, which act a little like caffeine… it increases your ability to concentrate and be attentive. Yep, chocolate makes you smarter, you heard it here!
8. It may improve the symptoms of depression and low mood
A new study has found that dark chocolate consumption increases gamma brain waves, which are exceptionally beneficial for your cognitive processing and memory. Gamma brain waves are also associated with complex functions like information processing, improving memory, and decreasing stress. On top of this, a separate study compared the moods of people who regularly ate chocolate with those who didn’t, and found that the chocolate eaters experienced more positive emotions. Another study found that mindful consumption of chocolate significantly improved mood too! Dark chocolate contains a chemical called tryptophan, which converts to serotonin in the body, so this may be partially responsible for the mood-boosting effects.
9. It can help you lose weight (wait…. whaaaaat?)
Yep, seriously. Several studies have confirmed that the mindful consumption of dark chocolate and or cocoa powder seems to help with weight loss in a number of ways. It appears to regulate the way that our metabolism works, increase the amount of fat we burn and increase feelings of fullness or satiety. One study found that people who regularly consume chocolate have a lower BMI than those who don’t. And yet another found that a low-carb diet combined with a small amount of 80% dark chocolate accelerated weight loss when compared with just a low-carb diet.
10. It may even help to reduce your risk of cancer
As mentioned above, dark chocolate has one of the highest antioxidant capacities of all foods. And as a result, researchers have keenly tested these antioxidant components against diseases like cancer. Their studies have found that these antioxidants seem to protect cells against damage from reactive molecules, fight inflammation, inhibit cell growth, induce cancer cell death and help prevent the spread of cancer cells. Several animal studies have tested these antioxidants against different types of cancer like breast, pancreatic, prostate, liver and colon cancer, as well as leukemia, all with positive results.
Ok then, which chocolate should I eat?
Ahh yes, there is a difference. And we do need to clarify this. All of the studies quoted above specify dark chocolate of at least 60% cocoa. Unfortunately milk chocolate and white chocolate simply do not have the same cocoa content, and as a result, they do not have the same results and do not have the same benefits. Personally, we like the Lindt brand because they make a range of different cocoa percentages over 50%, so you can choose the one that suits your tastebuds best. Besides, it’s available in the supermarket, it’s super creamy and low in calories too.
See MasterFasters? Chocolate really is a superfood.
What’s your favourite food? We’d love to do some research on it and found out how healthy it is and what its benefits are. Let us know in the members’ Facebook group!