Dark chocolate fattening?

The best chocolate for health is dark chocolate, because this type of chocolate has the best relationship between the percentage of cocoa and the amount of other nutrients. Therefore, it is richer in important antioxidants that protect cells and prevent premature aging.

However, dark chocolate when consumed in excess also makes you fat and can harm your health due to the accumulation of fat.

The cocoa present in dark or bitter chocolate also has important benefits to fight cholesterol, improve heart health, prevent thrombosis and even improve mood. However, in order to achieve these benefits, one cannot overeat.

Main health benefits of dark chocolate

The main benefits of dark chocolate can be:

• Give a sense of well-being - as it helps in the release of the hormone serotonin; Stimulate the central nervous system - due to the presence of theobromine, a substance similar to caffeine; Prevent the appearance of cancer - because it has antioxidants, called flavonoids, that protect the cells of the body.

Discover all the incredible benefits of chocolate explained by our nutritionist.

How to choose the best chocolate

The best health chocolate is one that has:

• More than 70% cocoa; Cocoa should be the first ingredient in the list of ingredients; It should have little amount of sugar, preferably less than 10 g. If sweetened with Stevia, it is better for health, because it is a natural ingredient.

Preference should also be given to chocolates made with organic ingredients, as in this case cocoa does not contain toxins or pesticides that can reduce its nutritional quality and, consequently, decrease the amount of benefits.

Chocolate nutritional information

The nutritional information in this table refers to approximately 5 boxes:

Nutritional value per 25g of chocolate	White chocolate	Milk chocolate	Semisweet chocolate	Bitter chocolate
Energy	140 calories	134 calories	127 calories	136 calories
Proteins	1.8 g	1.2 g	1.4 g	2.6 g
Fats	8.6 g	7.7 g	7.1 g	9.8 g
Saturated fat	4.9 g	4.4 g	3.9 g	5.4 g
Carbohydrates	14 g	15 g	14 g	9.4 g
Cocoa	0%	10%	35 to 84%	85 to 99%

In addition to being rich in antioxidants, dark chocolate also has calories and fats, so to have the health benefits of chocolate, chocolate should preferably be consumed after a meal such as breakfast or lunch, and should be avoid their consumption at other times of the day.

Effects of chocolate on the liver

The consumption of small doses of dark chocolate or dark chocolate is beneficial for the liver. The consumption of other types of chocolate, such as milk chocolate or white chocolate, does not have the same effect.

Excessive consumption of dark or semi-bitter chocolate can lead to the appearance of symptoms of liver problems even in healthy individuals, such as tiredness, dizziness, lack of appetite, headache, bitter taste in the mouth or even nausea and vomiting.

The antioxidant substances present in chocolate help in the blood flow of the veins that irrigate the liver, favoring its performance, including in cases of liver problems, such as cirrhosis and portal hypertension, for example.

But in case of excessive consumption, what can be done to treat the liver is to stop consuming chocolate, any other source of fat and alcoholic beverages by investing in detoxifying and bitter-tasting teas, such as gorse or boldo, for 1 or 2 days or until then the symptoms subside.

Benefits of dark chocolate for the heart

Dark chocolate is good for the heart because it contains many antioxidants, which facilitate blood circulation, promoting an adequate blood flow in the body, and thus reducing the risk of heart disease.

However, just 1 square, about 5 g, per day, after breakfast or lunch, will have all the benefits of dark chocolate.

In addition, semi-dark chocolate has theobromine, a substance that stimulates the heart muscles making it stronger.

Check out these tips and many more in the following video: