Are you a chocolate-for-breakfast type of person or do you prefer to start your day off on a healthier note What if I told you that chocolate for breakfast might be the way to go? While it would be nice to pair your coffee with some of that leftover Easter chocolate, unfortunately that is not the case. Most holiday chocolate is full of sugary goodness that isn’t exactly what you want to be consuming first thing in the morning but if you switch out the milk bar for a dark chocolate substitute, you might actually be doing yourself a favour.
HEART HEALTH
Studies show that people who eat 1-2 servings of dark chocolate per week can lower their risk of heart failure by a third. Eating one serving per day can lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke by 39%.
CURB YOUR CRAVINGS
Whatever your personal goals may be, if you’re looking to reduce the amount of junk food you are consuming, chocolate may just be the answer. Swapping the sweets out for a small portion of dark chocolate may leave you feeling equally — if not more — satiated than going for the snack cakes. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen found that a single piece of dark chocolate in lieu of dessert or a late night snack can immediately curb the craving for sugary sweets.
HAPPIER CHILDREN
In Finland, researchers found that when parents who were pregnant consumed more dark chocolate, their babies were overall happier and in better spirits. The parents themselves were also able to handle the stress of pregnancy better than parents who didn’t consume as much chocolate or any at all.
PREVENTING DIABETES
Researchers at the University of L’Aquila in Italy put chocolate to the test with diabetes patients and found that consuming a full bar of dark chocolate per day for 15 days saw a reduction of insulin reduction by nearly half.
SUN PROTECTION
London may not be the first destination you think of to soak up the sun, but researchers at the University of London put chocolate to the test in their SPF properties and found that subjects who consumed dark chocolate with high flavanol compounds for 3 months straight or more took twice as long to develop reddened skin under the sun. This isn’t just any chocolate however, in order to ensure the anti-sunburn properties, it has to be dark chocolate high in flavanols.
In Conclusion, it’s always worth looking into the details, eating your holiday chocolate may not bring these aforementioned benefits but if you swap it out for a dark chocolate substitute, chocolate for breakfast may just be the answer after all.