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The Sweetest Superfood, Dark Chocolate

The health benefits of chocolates have been experienced by people a long time ago. However, these health claims haven’t been confirmed by science until a few years back. Recently, researchers and experts studied intensively dark chocolate and cacao beans. They confirmed its health benefits and revealed as well that dark chocolate is the newest sweet superfood that will take our world by storm.

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This is good news to all Chocolate lovers. So what are the discovered and proven benefits of eating dark chocolate? Here are some of its benefits.

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o   Dark Chocolate keeps Us Away From Heart Diseases. Studies found that a small bar of dark chocolate everyday or three times a week can give us heart health benefits ranging from blood pressure regulation to cholesterol reduction. It has been found that eating dark chocolate can reduce unhealthy cholesterol levels or LDL by 10%. Although dark chocolate is high in fats, most of its fats are healthy such as oleic acid and stearic acid. Oleic acid is the beneficial monounsaturated fat also found in avocados and olive oil. Stearic acid, on the other hand has a neutral impact to cholesterol levels while only palmitic acid which comprises 1/3 of the fats in chocolate, can elevate cholesterol levels and increase our risks to heart diseases.

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Dark Chocolate Stimulates our Brain and Improves Mood. Studies revealed that eating dark chocolates triggers the release of endorphins, known as the happy hormones. This hormone improves our mood and makes us feel happier. Besides this, dark chocolate was also found to contain a compound called phenylethylamine(PEA), also known as the love drug or the compound released by the brain when a person is  in love. PEA is another mood elevator and an aphrodisiac as well. Dark chocolates also give us a moderate dose of caffeine, a strong brain stimulant.  

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o   Dark Chocolate Helps Fight Depression. Eating dark chocolate has been linked to increase levels of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is one of the important neurotransmitters that fight depression by producing feelings of happiness and well-being. Apart from this, it is believed that since dark chocolate increases serotonin levels in the brain, it might also enhance serotonin production in the gut which is good for immune response. Serotonin is also one of the growth factors for certain types of cells so it may play a part in wound healing.    

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o   Dark Chocolate is a Good Source of Minerals. Dark chocolate is a very good source of magnesium, iron, potassium, copper and theobromine. All these minerals are essential to the normal functioning of the body.

o   Dark Chocolate is Rich in Antioxidants. The strong antioxidants discovered by scientists in chocolates are resveratrol, flavonoids and polyphenols. Flavonoids are potent compounds that can eradicate free radicals, substances that contribute to heart diseases and cell damage. Flavonoids in dark chocolate were also found by German researchers to help protect our skin against UV- damage. Resveratrol, on the other hand is the anti-aging compound found in red wines and grapes which can halt early signs of aging.  

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Although dark chocolate has been proven healthy, we still need to consume it in moderation. Dark chocolate remains to be a high-caloric and a high fat food. If you want to indulge more of it or more than a hundred calories of chocolates, make sure to cut down other sweet foods in your diet. 

 

Nature's Super Foods!

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How great it is to know that "Super food" neither refers only to a single food nor a single food group but to a wide variety of foods found in nature. A certain food can be labeled as a “super food” if it contains an outstanding amount of essential nutrients and/or antioxidants that may improve overall health, reduce risks to diseases and illnesses, and may fight the damaging effects of aging or even the onset of certain cancers.


Super foods, as we know it, are labeled as such because lots of people from yesterday and today have proven its nutritional goodness, and experienced its numerous benefits to human health.  These beneficial types of food have also been the subject for countless in-depth researches and studies conducted by numerous health experts, medical professionals and scientists. Until now, these people are still in this constant search for new knowledge for the hope of discovering new super foods with more amazing health benefits.

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Let’s learn more about super foods. These questions are some of which this blog can give answers to -what really are super foods? How do we consider such food as super food? What are these foods capable of? Can we get these foods in the market and in the backyard? This blog is worth-reading because this might be the key to overall health and wellness.

How to Identify a Super food- Which is Which?

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There are three major criteria for considering certain foods as super foods. First, they must be low in calories or low in saturated fats. Second, they must be natural which means their nutrients have not been altered or modified intentionally. And third, they must contain an amusing amount of complex compounds known as antioxidants. Some experts use a system or unit of measurement in identifying levels of antioxidants in several foods, as well as to what degree these foods can fight damaging free radicals in the body. Examples of which is the ORAC score, or Oxygen-radical absorption capacity and the TEAC values (Trolox Equivalent Absorption Capacity ) that could tell us how much antioxidants are contained in almost all fruits and vegetables. We can therefore tell which food has the highest concentration of antioxidants and which has less.  

 

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So what Are these foods capable of?

The so-called oxygen free radicals are substances capable of damaging our cells and bringing about serious illnesses. However, antioxidants can prevent this occurrence by absorbing or converting free radicals into safer molecules and flushing them out from the body. Through these mechanisms, antioxidants keep us away from illnesses, reduce our risks of chronic diseases, fight onset of cancers, and help us maintain a fit, healthy body inside and out.  It has also been proven that some super foods contain specific compounds which are helpful in fighting the damages of aging.


A diet packed with antioxidant-rich super foods may be the secret to health and wellness. Consuming super foods on a regular basis is one of the best diets in the world.


 

“Lo and Behold”, The Super foods

 

 

  • The Dark-colored Berries and the Pomegranate. These dark-colored berries and their extracts have been proven to be very rich sources of antioxidants such as flavonoids and other phytochemicals. The top five healthiest fruit juices which contain the most amounts of antioxidants according to their ORAC scores and TEAC values  are the cranberry juice, blackberry juice, raspberry juice, grape juice, and pomegranate juice, respectively.

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  • The Green Super foods. Broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cabbage, parsley, lettuce, and bitter melon have been obviously nutritious for their green pigments. Their color pigments tell us they are excellent sources of complex nutrients such as B complex vitamins, and minerals such as iron and calcium.   

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  • Chocolate. Pure Chocolate , beyond its sweetness, has been known to have healthy effects and a wide range of beneficial compounds ranging from vital minerals magnesium and iron to strong antioxidants and polyphenols. Dark chocolate as well as other products derived from pure unprocessed cacao beans should be labeled superfoods according to experts.

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  • The Orange and Red Super foods. The colors red, orange and dark orange either signify concentrated amounts of beta carotenes, lycopene or vitamin A. Tomatoes, pumpkins and carrots are the most common examples of these nutrient-rich foods. Fruits like papaya, melons and mangoes are also good sources of antioxidant-acting vitamins (vitamins C, E and A) as well as dietary fiber.

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