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The mighty cocoa bean - chocolate in its purest form - hails from South and Central America and is known in Latin as the “Food of the Gods” and nicknamed “black gold” by the Spanish.
Chocolate that is free-from refined sugars, glutens and soya gives you a healthy hit of pure energy, without the sugar crash and icky post-junk food feeling. Cocoa also contains numerous minerals and vitamins, antioxidants and flavanols, which are seriously good for your physical and mental health.
If that’s not a good enough reason to grate some Dark Chocolate Bars over your morning porridge then read on to find out exactly how eating chocolate for breakfast can make you healthier…
- Chocolate is a natural mood booster and anti-depressant
That feeling of "euphoria" after consuming high-quality chocolate is the work of the unique chemicals released with the body’s absorption of cocoa. The bliss chemicals serotonin, anandamide, phenylethylamine plus mega endorphins send messages to the brain of satiation like no other substance on this earth.
The release of serotonin in the brain is thought to regulate anxiety, happiness, and mood – promoting an overall sense of wellbeing.
That gorgeous blissed-out feeling when you have a square of high-quality chocolate melting on your tongue – yep, that’s caused by the release of the relaxation chemical anandamide to the brain.
Here’s a bit of science: cocoa contains both N-acylethanolamines that are believed to temporarily increase the levels of anandamide in the brain and enzyme inhibitors that slow its breakdown. The result: ultimate relaxation and a simulation of the feeling of lying on a hot beach in the sun somewhere tropical – pure bliss!
Phenylethylamine (PEAs), the chemical compounds that are created in the brain and released when we’re in love, are also released when we eat chocolate. That’s why eating chocolate recreates the giddy and restless feelings that happen when we are in love.
Cocoa also stimulates the secretion of endorphins – produced by our bodies as a natural response to stress, fear or pain – giving us the feeling that everything is a-ok.
For the ultimate chocolate treat, check out our delicious chocolate bars collection here.
- Chocolate contains more antioxidants than green tea
Chocolate is packed full of flavanols, the antioxidant that helps to delay cell damage caused by the oxidants that we are exposed to daily from things like air pollution, cigarette smoke, and alcohol.
By weight-ratio comparison, chocolate contains more of these essential antioxidants than green (and black) tea.
- Chocolate is packed FULL of the good stuff
Pop a square of high-quality chocolate in to your mouth after taking your multi-vitamin supplements each morning for an added mineral loaded oomph. Chocolate that doesn’t contain any refined sugars, glutens and soya gives you a healthy hit of the essential minerals and vitamins that your body needs to function well, including calcium, zinc, copper, magnesium, manganese, iron and potassium and vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B9, C, A, E.
In its purest form, chocolate is one of the richest superfoods in the world.
4. Chocolate makes for a healthy heart
Eating dark chocolate is like an exercise workout for the heart: it helps restore flexibility to arteries while also preventing white blood cells from sticking to the walls of blood vessels.
The essential nutrients found in cocoa can help to lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes by reducing blood clots, dilate blood vessels, regulate heartbeat, and improve circulation, lower bad cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
Send a loved one a luxury dark chocolate hamper – their heart will thank you.
- Chocolate can keep you in shape
Eating a few squares of dark, sugar-free chocolate can help regulate your appetite and reduce the risk of overeating at meal times. It’s the MAO (Monoamine Oxidase) inhibitors found in cocoa that are responsible for keeping your appetite in check.
These MAO inhibitors in cocoa allow more serotonin and other neurotransmitters to circulate in the brain: facilitating youth regeneration and rejuvenation and encouraging weight loss naturally by diminishing the urge to overeat.
- Chocolate can improve cognitive function
Researchers have suggested that regular chocolate intake could help "protect against normal age-related cognitive decline." Everything from visual-spacial memory to organisation, working memory, scanning and abstract reasoning has been seen to improve with regular intake of chocolate.
A little bit of high-quality chocolate each and every day can do wonders for your body and overall wellbeing. It’s been used in ritualistic medicine by the Aztec and Mayan cultures for thousands of years in its purest form and really is good enough to eat for breakfast.
For your tasty chocolate fix, check out our delicious bars, luxury truffles, perfect gifting selection boxes, or indulgent chocolate hampers today!
