5 Secrets to Choosing Healthy Chocolate
Chocolate is a food that is loved by everyone from all walks of life, from children to adults. Its sweet and distinctive taste makes it suitable for adding to food or making drinks. Chocolate is also suitable to be eaten at any time, when you are sad or happy. Chocolate provides self-satisfaction for anyone who consumes it.
However, be careful for you chocolate fans, you should choose chocolate that is good for health. There are many different types of chocolate in the world and certain chocolates can provide health benefits for you.
Health benefits of chocolate
As reported by WebMD, Mee Young Hong, PhD, a professor of exercise science and nutrition at San Diego State University, said that for the health of our bodies, dark chocolate or dark chocolate is better than white chocolate. Hong compared white chocolate that does not contain cocoa solids with dark chocolate which contains 70% cocoa. Of course, those that contain a lot of cacao are better than nothing because solid cocoa contains compounds called flavonols, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory functions.
By conducting experiments on 31 people for 15 days, Hong found that people who ate dark chocolate had lower blood sugar levels. This happens because the antioxidant content in dark chocolate helps the body use insulin more efficiently to control blood sugar levels. The group that consumed dark chocolate was also found to have lower bad cholesterol by 20%. In addition, other studies also prove that dark chocolate can lower blood pressure.
So, it’s not clear that dark chocolate is healthier than other types of chocolate. So that you know more about how to choose healthy chocolate, you should follow these tips.
How do you choose healthy chocolate?
Various types of chocolate with various brands available everywhere might make you confused when you want to buy chocolate. The following are tips that you can do when you want to choose chocolate.
1. Choose dark chocolate
As explained above, dark chocolate is proven to be healthier than white chocolate. The flavonol content in dark chocolate makes it beneficial for health. The darker the brown, the better it is to choose.
2. Choose chocolate with a cocoa content of 60% or more
To benefit from dark chocolate, choose dark chocolate with a minimum cocoa content of 60% or more. Although usually people think that chocolate containing 85% cocoa has a bitter taste. The antioxidants and other nutrients found in chocolate are actually obtained from the cocoa beans, where chocolate is made.
3. Should not choose “Dutch chocolate” or processed with lye
The method used to process raw cocoa beans into chocolate affects the flavonol content in the final chocolate product. Alkali-processed chocolate contains less flavonols. This alkaline process of making chocolate is also known as “dutching”. Therefore, it’s best to choose chocolate that is not processed by lye or “dutching”.
4. Choose chocolate with the main ingredient cocoa butter or cocoa liquor
Chocolate with the main ingredient cocoa butter or cocoa liquor contains more chocolate than sugar or other additives. Chocolate with the main ingredient cocoa butter be a better choice. It’s best to avoid chocolate with the main content of sugar, because this chocolate can harm your health if eaten too much. Also, it’s best to choose chocolate that doesn’t contain a lot of additives, such as fructose, corn syrup, and hydrogenated fats (hydrogenated fats).
5. Read the nutritional value information
You can find out information on the nutritional content of chocolate as described above from the nutritional value information contained in each chocolate package. Therefore, you should pay attention to the nutritional value information before you choose chocolate.
To be healthier, eating chocolate should not be combined with milk. Drinking milk while eating chocolate can inhibit the absorption of antioxidants contained in chocolate. This happens because the high fat content in milk can inhibit the absorption of antioxidants in the body.
In addition, you should eat small amounts of chocolate. Consumption of about 15-30 grams of chocolate in one meal seems to be enough for you. Don’t forget to do regular exercise to balance the energy that goes in with the energy that comes out.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.