Guest Blog Post: Chocolate Benefits
Who doesn’t love a piece of chocolate after a long and hard day? As a gal who cannot eat chocolate, it’s quite difficult to watch those around me consume this sweet treat. But, that doesn’t stop me from having it from time-to-time.
With so many brands of chocolate, I began thinking about which particular ones were the best for you. So, to get the dish on, I spoke with Registered Dietitian Amy Shapiro MS of Real Nutrition NYC. Continue reading to learn more and how to make the right decision when it comes to chocolate.
Fine & Raw – I am a big fan of raw chocolate this way the nutrients in the cacoa are retained. They only use 3 main ingredients. There are no fillers and they use palm sugar, which is low on the glycemic index and therefore weight loss friendly. This brand is organic and the inks are vegetable-based.
Nib More –It’s organic, Non-GMO, fair trade and Gluten-free. They only sell chocolate that contains 72% or greater cacao content and they sell individually wrapped single servings, which are great for my clients and portion control.
Hu Kitchen – Their basic bar only contains 2 ingredients: THEIR BASIC BAR ONLY CONTAINS 2 CACAO & COCONUT SUGAR and their bars are free of refined sugar, gluten, dairy, emulsifiers, stabilizers and soy or GMOS.
I took note of the dairy-free chocolate bars and will keep those in mind on my next shopping trip. After learning about which chocolates were the best for you, I wondered about the health benefits.
“The health benefits include: High in antioxidants, which can prevent disease/illness, high in many vitamins and minerals including: potassium, copper, magnesium and iron,” says Amy.
People tend to love chocolate. They typically eat it when depressed, stressed or craving something sweet.
“Everyone loves a treat. It’s rich, decadent, creamy and research shows it actually stimulates the pleasure centers of the brain thanks to tyramine and tryptophan, which get converted into dopamine and serotonin: two ‘feel good’ chemicals.”
So, there you have it! Depending on the brand, chocolate can be quite good for you.
“Not only is it good for you, it makes you feel like you’re treating yourself and you can enjoy—in moderation—guilt-free,” adds Amy.
About Hope Kumor
Hope Kumor graduated Temple University May 2013 with a BA in English and also attended Bucks County Community College and earned her AD in Journalism in 2010.
She's had internships with Family Circle and Good Housekeeping Magazine in New York City as well as 1490 WBCB and Bucks County Courier Times. She has a background in social media, writing, newspapers and PR. Most of her writing centers around health & fitness since she was the Health & Fitness Staff Writer for Her Campus Temple. She freelances for various websites, but still makes the time to hang with her boyfriend, family, friends and workout.
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