Chocolate: Just how good is it?

There’s nothing better than a bar of your favourite chocolate; we at ‘ddmag’ are big chocoholics so have decided to delve deeper into the myths surrounding the power that lies within the magical cocoa bean.

Chocolate was originally discovered by the Aztecs and has since been a part of our everyday lives. Whether it’s a quick bar, an entire box, or a drink; chocolate is available in countless forms and has a way of brightening up the day but we at ‘ddmag’ want to know the answer to the ultimate question, we want to discover the truth and ask- is chocolate really good for us?

Over the past few years, statements have been made that chocolate is in fact good for the body and we at ‘ddmag’ have decided to take a look at just how good it is and why.

Experts across the world have revealed that chocolate has the ability to effect the brain leading to the release of endorphins that generate a feeling of pleasure…that explains the craving a lot of us get after a hard day at work but what has been discovered is that the effects that chocolate can have go much deeper.

Depending on the quality of the cocoa bean and the way in which the chocolate has been manufactured it has been proven that there are components in chocolate that could lead to improvements in specific areas of our health with certain specialists suggesting that chocolate can reduce the risk of heart disease. However this does not necessarily mean that eating a bar of any old chocolate each day can save you but in fact suggests that if we have a small amount of dark chocolate, that contains 70% or more cocoa than the various minerals may have an impact that can reduce the risk of heart disease.

It is no doubt that chocolate has a positive effect on us all but eating a small amount that releases the endorphins which can improve our mood ultimately leads to a reduction in stress levels but again this all depends on the cocoa used and if any other altering ingredients have been added so as much as we hate to admit it, constantly eating our favourite chocolates may not exactly be superbly beneficial on our health. Avid chocolate fans out there must always remember that when specialists say that chocolate is good, they are in fact referring to the cocoa bean, the darker the chocolate the better so the popular sugary variety that has a high fat content should not be consumed so often, as an increased consumption of chocolate leads only to an increase in body fat. Specialists have also stated that milk chocolate and white chocolate should not be excessively consumed as the sugar level in these can impact those with diabetes and weight related problems.

So to answer that everlasting question; is chocolate good for you? the answer simply depends on the chocolate but unfortunately the manufacturers have yet to invent a type that not only improves our mood but our overall health, without effecting any other part of our body…an amazing chocolate that you could eat all day without problem…now that would definitely be a dream come true!