Chocolate nutrition facts are very numerous. Most people believe that chocolate is just a large condensed mixture of cocoa, fat and sugars. This could not be any further from the truth. Dark chocolate is one of the healthiest sources of minerals and antioxidants one could find.
Chocolate is very nutritious. Dark chocolate in specific, not that gooey sugary stuff, can be very healthy. Here are a few dark chocolate nutrition facts every chocolate lover should know about.
1. Dark chocolate is nutritious
A 100 gm bar of dark chocolate with 70-85% cocoa contains 11 grams of fiber, 98% of the RDA for manganese, 89% of the RDA for copper, 58% of the RDA for magnesium and 67% of the RDA for iron. Dark chocolate also contains plenty of potassium, zinc, phosphorus and selenium.
100 grams of chocolate is no mean amount. And no one should be gobbling up such a quantity on a daily basis. All these quantities do come with 600 calories and assorted sugars.
2. Antioxidants
One of the dark chocolate nutrition facts that will surprise you is the amount of antioxidants inside. Unprocessed cocoa beans are among the highest ranked source of antioxidants known. One study even showed that dark chocolate had more ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) activity and antioxidants such as flavanols, catechins and polyphenols than certain fruits like black berries and Acai berries.
3. Improved blood flow
The flavanols stimulate the endothelium lining in the arteries to produce more Nitric Oxide, which relaxes the arteries and lowers resistance to blood flow, reducing blood pressure in turn.
4. Dark chocolate raises HDL and protects LDL from oxidation
Cocoa powder significantly decreases oxidized LDL (bad cholestrol) in men. Oxidized LDL is toxic and can harm multiple body tissue, including the arteries to your heart. The antioxidants in cocoa lower LDL, protecting lipoproteins from oxidative damage.
So go ahead, eat dark chocolate. The chocolate nutrition facts above could just save your Halloween.
