Thought you’d be resigned to eating oh-so-festive boiled eggs and carrots this Easter? Think again!
We’re just as crazy about chocolate as the next person. We’re just a little more picky about which eggs the Easter bunny leaves behind…
Chocolate is nutrient-dense.
A 100g bar of 85 per cent dark chocolate contains up to 67 per cent of your daily needs for iron, 58 per cent for magnesium, 89 per cent for copper and 98 per cent for manganese. Granted, 100g of chocolate is a lot (okay, maybe not on Easter), but it’s great to top up your minerals by having a couple of pieces as an after-dinner treat.
Chocolate is super high in antioxidants.
Antioxidants, in a nutshell (or should that be eggshell?), prevent cell damage. Hence the hype! The cocoa flavanols in chocolate are particularly helpful, and have been linked to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease and stroke, insulin resistance and even wrinkles.
Chocolate is also satiating.
If you’re choosing between a pack of lollies and a chocolate bar, always go with the chocolate. You may think it’s worse because the calories are higher, but actually, the fats in cacao and milk solids will help keep you fuller for longer.
Chocolate may even be good for your guts.
If you still need convincing by this point, scientists also found that your gut bacteria gets mega excited when you eat chocolate. The fibre and some of the antioxidant compounds in chocolate can’t be digested, so the probiotics in your bowels feast on them instead, contributing to a healthy microbiome.
How do I know which chocolate to buy?
Not all chocolate is created equal, and we definitely don’t recommend you gorge yourself on Cadbury bunnies. We prefer chocolate with an 85 per cent or higher cacao content, with raw cacao if possible (it preserves the antioxidants).
Can’t find this holy grail in the shops? You can make your own! Here’s a super-easy and time-tested raw chocolate recipe to get you started (feel free to experiment and mix up the flavours if you like!).
We originally published this post in March 2016. We updated it in April 2017.
0 comments :
Post a Comment