This is one topic of discussion that I love the most! Yes, the very thought of chocolates waters my mouth. But I try hard to restrain myself as I am skeptical about the weight-gain part of chocolate-munching! Will I really put on a lot of weight? Will those 30g chunks affect my teeth? My research on the health impacts of chocolate eating continues, and here's something I discovered - some remarkable health benefits of chocolates that I'm gonna share with you in this article!

Haven’t you hunted for excuses to bag in your favorite chocolate bar each time you visited the grocery stores? If you’re reading this, you’ve certainly done that at some time or the other. Here you’ll find many of them (those excuses that you needed to have chocolates almost every day)!

Let’s get straight into the strong points…

1. They are rich in antioxidants!

Sorry, this does not apply to your milk or white chocolates; they are strictly applicable in the case of dark chocolates only! Researchers in the chocolate industry are armed with a special technique called ORAC which stands for ‘oxygen radical absorbance capacity’. Antioxidants are responsible for absorbing free radicals, and this test verifies the presence and effectiveness of antioxidants in foods.

It has been found that unprocessed cocoa beans are one of the richest scorers among antioxidant foods. Dark chocolates, as you know, have cocoa as their primary ingredient! Moreover, dark chocolates are loaded with compounds that actively function as antioxidants too; they are – flavonols, polyphenols, and catechins. In fact, many opine that dark chocolates are more antioxidant-rich than even green tea or red wine!

2. Your heart-disease risk runs low

Many studies have drawn a common inference after comparing individuals who consume chocolates regularly (especially dark chocolates) with those who don’t. The inference drawn reveals that regular consumers of dark chocolate are lesser prone to heart ailments than the ones who refrain from chocolate consumption! Although these results could be skewed, a preliminary logic that might be attached here is that: flavonoids in a dark chocolate bar help produce nitric oxide which causes both your blood vessels to relax and your blood pressure to normalize too.

3. Boosting your memory!

As we already know that the accumulation of flavonoids in the brain enhances the memory and the retention capacity of our brain. Dark chocolate thus bears another feather to its cap – it nourishes your brain! Although the results of different studies might be conflicting, for people like us (chocolate-lovers I mean to say), this piece of news is a great one! Organic chocolate consumers have shown clear signs of cognitive enhancement and a positive mood too, according to many researchers.

Did you know if your chocolate bar contains 70% cacao, it may increase the neuroplasticity of your brain that has positive impacts upon mood, memory, and the brain's retentivity?

4. Consider dark cholates if you are a type 2 diabetes patient!

That does not sound like a good idea, does it? Now, relax and go a little deep down the logic that underlies this idea. You know the main cause of high blood sugar in type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance that results in raising the glucose level in your blood. Flavonoids that are present in dark chocolate are capable of reducing the oxidative stress in one's body. This, scientists believe, is the main causative factor of insulin resistance. By reducing the latter, the risk of type 2 diabetes is cut down to a great extent.

5. It might help in reducing weight!

That’s strange as all these years I was under a pretext that would say just the opposite! But yes, it’s true and proven too up to a certain extent. That is to say, you don’t need to pile up your refrigerator racks with them but of course, have them wisely to your benefit! Having them in a controlled and wise manner allows you to use chocolates in reducing your appetite. This will allow you to have smaller portions of food (especially during the major meals). Be careful of the amount you intake – it should not counteract your weight-loss objective.

Don’t you have enough reasons to order your pack of dark chocolate bars now? So, cheers to your chocolate love!