Dark chocolate is a mixture of grated cocoa beans and cocoa butter. The higher the percentage of cocoa liquor in a bar, the bitterer its taste and more benefits.

The Mayans valued cocoa beans so highly that they used them as money. Nowadays, chocolate is made from them.

It is not a currency, but the question of how bitter chocolate is useful remains relevant.

What is the difference between dark chocolate and bitter chocolate

According to international standards, chocolate is considered bitter if it contains at least 55% cocoa liquor and more than 30% cocoa butter with a small amount of sugar added.

Natural chocolate should not contain other additives - flavorings, dyes, emulsifiers, milk, cream or butter. Only in this case, the benefits of dark chocolate will be pronounced.

Dark chocolate, in addition to cocoa products, may contain various flavors: vanilla. It differs from bitter in a reduced percentage of cocoa liquor (from 40 to 55%) and high content Sahara.

Cocoa butter should be more than 20%. It cannot be replaced with cheaper oils, such as palm or soybean.

Composition, calories

In shape and consistency, the product is tiled, monolithic (lumpy) and porous. According to the method of manufacture - ordinary and dessert.

The first is produced from cocoa beans of not the highest quality, the second is made from selected varieties by the method of long kneading chocolate mass from which the taste becomes noble and delicate.

Composition of dark chocolate

100 g of chocolate (bitter) (cocoa more than 60%) contains:

water - 0.8 g;
proteins - 6.2 g;
fats - 35.4 g;
carbohydrates - 48.2 g;
dietary fiber - 0.8 g.

Carbohydrates are in the form of starch, dextrins, mono- and disaccharides. Fats - saturated fatty acids. Of the vitamins present: E, PP, K, B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin). Minerals are represented by magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, iron. The ratio of BJU is 1: 5.7: 7.8. The percentage of nutrients depends on the proportions of the main ingredients.

How many calories in dark chocolate

Dark chocolate is high in calories. Energy value of 100 g of product 400–540 kcal. Expensive brands of dark chocolate contain more fat, their calorie content is slightly higher.

And for milk tiles, the indicator is increased due to a large number sugar and cream. Therefore, they are not used.

Glycemic index brands with a cocoa content of more than 60% - 25 units. Daily rate such a dessert - 27 g or 1/3 of an ordinary tile.

Bitter chocolate - benefits and harms

Beneficial features

In the right doses, the product has a positive effect on:

protection of blood vessels from heart attacks and strokes (improves the elasticity of blood vessels, reduces the amount of bad cholesterol);
the work of the heart and circulatory system (helps with chronic coronary insufficiency);
the degree of adhesion of red blood cells (reduces thrombus formation);
cognitive abilities of the brain (activates mental activity);
concentration and working capacity (especially when solving complex problems).

Contraindications and warnings

The dessert contains the alkaloid theobromine, a substance that is sold as a cough medicine. This is an analogue of caffeine with a milder effect. IN pure form it is harmful, but in chocolate it is in minimal quantities, so it does not have a detrimental effect.

For gout and urolithiasis contraindicated. It contains oxalates, which cause the formation of kidney stones. You can not get involved in them with diseases of the joints.
Addiction can occur with over-indulgence. .
High consumption by the elderly has a negative effect on bone tissue and can cause osteoporosis.
It is contraindicated for people with food intolerance to the components.

Theobromine is slowly metabolized in the body of animals. Therefore, chocolate should not be given to dogs, cats and parrots.

The benefits of dark chocolate for women

A few pieces of bitter dessert helps to speed up metabolism and. You can use it until 16:00, then it will not turn into extra pounds on the waist and hips.

To find out which is the best dark chocolate, you need to look at the wrapper. Useful only product with high content grated cocoa. The value of dairy, and especially white chocolate, much lower.

cosmetic use

In beauty salons, chocolate wrap is popular. To soften the skin, a mask can be prepared at home. To do this, the chocolate bar is melted in a water bath, combined with cream and applied warmly to problem areas of the skin. Wash off after 10 minutes with warm water.

Talk about chocolate causing appearance acne, do not have soil under them. Chocolate bars are not to blame for acne, skin troubles are more often associated with changes in sex hormones.

Is it possible to have bitter chocolate for a nursing mother

Pediatricians Western countries believe that during lactation a woman should eat any familiar foods, but in limited quantities. Our nutritionists do not recommend adding dark chocolate to the menu when breastfeeding, until baby is 2-3 months old.

By this time, the baby will have formed the immune system and develop resistance to allergens. However, every child is different. If the mother does not have allergies, you can first eat one cube a day, if the baby reacts normally, the amount can be increased.

Dark chocolate during pregnancy

The dessert contains flavonoids. They have a positive effect on future mother, as they slow down the aging process of cells. Minerals and vitamins contribute to the normal development of the fetus.

However, pregnant women can eat chocolate very moderately. cocoa bean products large quantities cause allergies, can aggravate heartburn and impair blood flow to the uterus.

Myths about the dangers of chocolate

There is no reason to believe that the product destroys tooth enamel. Dark chocolate is prepared without sugar or with a small amount of sweetener. In addition, it contains tannins. They neutralize the bacteria that cause tartar buildup.

And here depression cannot be cured with it. The belief that chocolate lovers use this product to compensate for the deficiency of serotonin turned out to be a myth. In 2006, Australian scientists examined the product and found no support for the hypothesis.

It turned out to be a misconception that dessert irritates a sore throat. On the contrary, it softens the cough and acts enveloping the mucous.

Dark chocolate raises or lowers blood pressure

Cocoa grains contain caffeine (20 mg / 100 g), and this causes concern among hypertensive patients. However, this amount of caffeine will not increase blood pressure, even if you eat a whole bar.

For comparison, a cup of coffee contains 120 mg of this substance. It has been proven that chocolate (bitter) without unnecessary additives helps to reduce high blood pressure.

Can diabetics eat dark chocolate?

Diabetics can only eat special brands chocolate dessert without glucose. Cocoa mass in them should be at least 85%. These tiles contain polyphenols that reduce glucose resistance. In type 2 diabetes, such a product helps to increase insulin secretion.

How to make milk chocolate from dark chocolate

A bar of dark chocolate is heated in a water bath or in a microwave. While stirring, condensed milk (3–4 tablespoons) or 40% cream (2–3 tablespoons) is added to it in small portions.

If the mixture is too thin, you can add powdered milk And . All this is done with constant heating. The thickened mass is poured into molds for ice or baking. It is convenient to use silicone or plastic candy molds.

Bitter chocolate at home (recipe)

The best dark chocolate is homemade. They prepare it in different ways. There are recipes with cocoa powder, butter. But a real noble taste has a dessert of cocoa liquor and cocoa butter.

Ingredients:

cocoa mass - 100 g;
cocoa butter - 50 g;
powdered sugar or honey - 1 tbsp. l.;
vanillin - on the tip of a knife.

Cooking:

build water bath(put the bowl over a pot of water);
crush cocoa products and put in a bowl;
while stirring, wait until the ingredients are melted;
add honey or powdered sugar(sugar is not suitable, it does not dissolve well);
mix the mass and pour into molds for cooling.

You can replace cocoa mass with more affordable cocoa powder, and cocoa butter with butter. In this case, the mass will have to cook longer.

And here is the video:

The most important ingredient for the production of the review hero is cocoa beans. Their homeland is South America. For the Indians, they also served as money, and the surrounding pulp was used to brew a kind of beer.

Approximately 3 million tons of valuable raw materials are grown annually on the planet. Up to 70% of this amount falls on the backward countries of West Africa.

When cultivating cocoa, child and even slave labor is often used. Therefore, some manufacturers specifically label tiles with marks about the “humane” and “ethical” manufacturing method.

Bitter and milky: the main differences

Raw materials for production are obtained in several stages. First, dried, fried and de-pulped beans are crushed and heated. It turns out a viscous thick mass, which is called "liquor cocoa". It is divided into fatty oil cocoa and dry cocoa powder.

IN milk chocolate main ingredients- condensed and dry milk. It is these products that make chocolates so sweet. Actually cocoa (in the form of a dry powder) in a milk sample can be as little as 10%. There are no health benefits to this delicacy. It's oversaturated fast carbohydrates and empty calories. Leaning on it is a direct path to obesity and type 2 diabetes.

To reduce costs, technologists add to products Palm oil and trans fats. Both components contribute to the development of cardiovascular diseases. Especially often this pitiful semblance is used for a hard crust " chocolate bars". The content of cocoa powder in them only a few percent (!).

Bitter chocolate (English "dark chocolate") is a sample in which the content of cocoa products is at least 70%. IN the best varieties this concentration reaches 99%. Only such a delicacy has extensive useful properties.

The ultimate gourmet dream is the so-called "raw chocolate" (English "raw chocolate"). It is obtained directly from grated cocoa without prior separation into oil and powder.

Composition and calories

On average, 100 grams of dark chocolate with mass fraction cocoa 70-85% contains:

Calorie content - 599 kcal - 30%

Proteins -7.8 g - 16%
Fat - 42.7 g - 66%
Saturated fat - 24.5 g - 122%
Carbohydrates - 45.8 g - 15%
Dietary fiber, g - 3.1 - 12%

Vitamins (desc)

Vitamin K, mcg - 7.3 - 9%
Vitamin B2, mg - 0.1 - 5%
Vitamin B3, mg - 1.1 - 5%

Minerals (desc)

Manganese, mg - 1.9 - 97%
Copper, mg - 1.8 - 88%
Iron, mg - 11.9 - 66%
Magnesium, mg - 228 - 57%
Phosphorus, mg - 308 - 31%
Zinc, mg - 3.3 - 22%
Potassium, mg - 715 - 20%
Selenium, mcg - 6.8 - 10%
Calcium, mg - 73 - 7%

Caffeine, mg - 80

Theobromine, mg - 802

*As a percentage (%), the share of the average daily allowance for an adult with a balanced diet of 2 thousand kcal.

Depending on the manufacturer, food additives in the tile (sweeteners, oils, flavors, nuts) change. To find out how many calories are in a particular brand of dark chocolate, carefully read the information on the wrapper.

These key nutrients are just the tip of the iceberg. The unique strength of the product lies in the biologically active substances in its composition.

Health benefits of dark chocolate

Cocoa beans are a storehouse of antioxidants, polyphenols and flavonoids. Antioxidants protect the cells of all organs and slow down aging.

1 gram of dark chocolate contains up to 30.1 mg of flavonoids. This is significantly more than in green tea and red wine.

Chocolate flavonoids lower blood pressure and improve blood circulation in tissues. ()

Cocoa powder normalizes lipid metabolism. "Bad" cholesterol in the blood decreases, and "good" increases. ()

There is no doubt that dark chocolate is good for the heart. Reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease by as much as 50% is the combined effect of harmonizing blood pressure and cholesterol levels. ()

Another critically important effect is the improvement of blood circulation in the brain and, as a result, mental activity. It is especially pronounced in the elderly. ()

Flavonoids have a pronounced anti-cancer effect. ()

Our hero helps to overcome the symptoms chronic fatigue and improve performance. ()

It is generally accepted that the product enhances sexual desire. This is shamelessly pedaled when answering the question of how bitter chocolate is useful for men. Even the Spanish conquistadors wrote that the Aztec emperor drinks a chocolate drink before visiting his wives.

An interesting study showed that consumers of treats are more likely to have sex. () The authors honestly point out that the most shokofans among young women, whose sexual appetites are already high. We invite you to check for yourself whether dark chocolate is really an aphrodisiac.

Side effects and contraindications

The unconditional benefit for many body systems is not without risks and harm in other health planes.

The product contains caffeine. Symptoms of a caffeine overdose include nervousness, frequent urination, insomnia, and rapid heartbeat.
Expectant mothers (both pregnant and those who want to conceive a child) are better off avoiding daily chocolate treats.
Some varieties contain dairy products. People who are allergic to them, or intolerant to casein, should read labels carefully. Please note that the tiles are bitter and dairy product often produced on the same machine. The risk of allergy remains even if milk is not on the ingredient list.
Not a rare participant in the delicacy is the natural emulsifier lecithin. Most often it is obtained from soy. If you are allergic to soy, do not get carried away with chocolate with food additive E322 (soy lecithin).
It has been proven that the hypotensive effect of a diet with dark chocolate is especially pronounced with diabetes. However, if sugar is used as a sweetener, then the harm overshadows the valuable properties. For diabetics, purchase products with or without sweeteners.
Remember the high calorie content of dark chocolate and the abundance of fat. For those who follow the figure, an evening walk of at least 40 minutes on foot or cycling is a necessary continuation of the daily chocolate snack.
Important! Do not give the delicacy (especially bitter) to cats and dogs! It is poisonous to pets up to and including death.

Some people say that chocolate is "addictive" and even compare it to a drug. Alas, science does not confirm such reviews.

How much can you eat per day

So how much dark chocolate can you eat to benefit from it? Here's what experts from the University of Michigan advise.

Max per week must not exceed seven ounces, i.e. 198 grams or slightly less than 2 hundred grams of tiles.
Average amount per day- one ounce, or 28.3 grams. This is a little more than ¼ of 100 grams of a standard tile.

Luxurious bitterness: how to eat right

Note!

If you're used to the sugary-sweet taste of milk pacifiers, the taste of real dark chocolate can be overwhelming at first.

To fully enjoy a valuable product, we recommend a phased approach.

Rinse your mouth to get rid of the taste of past meals.
Bring chocolate to your nose and inhale its aroma. In bitter it is especially pronounced.
Warm the piece a little in your hands so that it melts faster in your mouth.
If you start to actively chew, the taste will seem more pungent than it really is. Gently crush the chocolate square with your teeth and suck the pieces on your tongue like candy. The oil contained in the healthy treat will melt, and you will hardly feel any unpleasant bitterness.

Dark chocolate can be added to drinks, smoothies and shakes (preferably without milk, which you can read below). This option is especially good if you want to stretch the pleasure.

Ideal utility: where to buy

Quality costs money. Good dark chocolate doesn't come cheap. Acceptable analogues in Russia cost from 150-180 rubles per tile(at prices for autumn 2017).

What is the best dark chocolate?

You will benefit a lot if you focus on samples that have 85% cocoa or more. There are certain useful properties in tiles from 70%. Their range in Russia is much wider.

When holding a tile with a proud label on the front, do not forget read the composition on the reverse side. Below we have listed some important information to check on labels.

The variety and price of chocolate goodies can be assessed on iHerb. The world's best prices for natural products and the opportunity to buy dark chocolate 75, 80, 85, 88 and 99% from famous brands.

Choose organic dark chocolate with different cocoa content:

From relatively recent purchases, I liked this Alter Eco. Super chocolatey rich texture, deliciously bitter with a fruity sour finish. Cocoa 85%, without additives and lecithin.

Dark chocolate: which is the best and how to choose

Several points need to be taken into account.

Golden Rule: the shorter the list of ingredients- the higher the quality of the product.
First on the list cocoa mass (chocolate liquor), cocoa powder (cocoa solids), cocoa butter (cocoa butter), as well as whole cocoa beans (cocoa beans) or their individual pieces (cocoa nibs) should stand.
Sugar should be further down the list.
Our goal is tiles With maximum content cocoa products. Look in the range from 70%. 80% or 85% will do, but 99% is considered ideal.

On the front side of the package, 75, 85, 90% are clearly indicated ... On the fence, they also write in a big way. Check the small letters on the reverse side for the total cocoa solids content.

Roasting and processing with alkaline solutions (eng. "Dutch process") reduce the amount of flavonoids in grated cocoa by a gigantic amount - from 60 to 90%. () It is better to buy dark chocolate marked "natural cocoa" (natural, natural) or "non-alkalised cocoa" (not treated with alkali).
To reduce the cost of tiles, manufacturers add nuts to it, for example. However, avoid products with the addition of caramel, molasses and other high-calorie sweeteners. The fewer empty calories, the better.
The only source of fat in a quality product is cocoa butter. Don't buy if among the ingredients there are palm and coconut oil, vegetable fats, margarine.
The best examples are free of flour, baking powder, artificial flavors and colors, stabilizers and water-retaining agents.
It is believed that the emulsifier-lecithin (E322, E476) is not harmful to health. But its large amount is an indirect sign that the product is made mainly from cocoa powder, and there is little cocoa butter in it.

According to one hypothesis, milk reacts with chocolate flavonoids and prevents the body from absorbing them well. Try to choose a product that does not contain dairy additives.

External signs of quality tiles

So, to evaluate the beneficial properties, the first task is to read the labels. But the important criterion is taste. If you buy a product of an unfamiliar brand, limit yourself to one tile. You can check its quality by its appearance, smell, color.

What to pay attention to?

Appearance. High-quality chocolate has a smooth shiny surface without spots and bumps. A whitish, frost-like or fog-like coating indicates that the product is stale.
Hue. Depending on the soil in which the cocoa beans were grown and how they were roasted, chocolate can have a pink, reddish, orange or purple hue.
Texture. Good tiles break with cracks and crumbs. The edges of the pieces remain smooth, without chipping.
Tactile sensations. The surface of the tile must be smooth.
The taste is pronounced and velvety when resolving a piece on the tongue. Poor quality is indicated by a heterogeneous aftertaste of scattered grains, a feeling of wax or oil at the end of the tasting.

We'd love to know what inspired you to try dark chocolate. Benefits for most people outweigh possible harm. You already know how to choose the best sample.

It remains only to watch the video "Test purchase". Which brands are the best in terms of reviews in Russia and how they will be evaluated by an independent examination from the 1st channel. According to consumers, Babaevsky is in the lead. Will he retain the lead by the end of the competition? Find out from 22:47.

P.S. For dessert, a small table with the "charms" of popular Russian stamps, including Babaevsky.

Thank you for the article (9)

Chocolate. Many hearts freeze in bliss from this word. How often do we go to the store for another chocolate bar to cheer ourselves up with it, and then we persuade ourselves not to eat the whole bar at once, limiting ourselves to a couple of pieces. And grateful for this beloved delicacy by many, we should be in South and Central America. It is these regions that are considered the birthplace of cocoa beans, from which chocolate is made.

There are many varieties of this sweet. Someone likes dairy, others prefer white variety. However, the most respected is black, bitter chocolate. Many admirers of this sweet give preference to it, with pleasure buying dark chocolate bars with such a wonderful bitterness or looking for their favorite bitter truffles on the store shelf.

It should be noted that it is dark varieties that have proven benefits for the body. Therefore, enjoying the unique aroma and bittersweet taste, you can at the same time improve your own health. So why is dark chocolate valuable, what are the benefits and harms of eating it? This is what I will tell you today. First, let's talk a little about what kind of chocolate is considered bitter and how it is used in cooking:

Bitter chocolate in cooking

First, let's define what kind of chocolate is considered bitter. Typically, the content of cocoa beans in a sweet product ranges from 30 to 90 percent. Real bitter, consider concentrated dark chocolate containing at least 70% cocoa beans. A product containing cocoa beans is called extra black. Such noble chocolate is usually served with a skate, an expensive red wine.

Bitter varieties have long been favorites with confectioners. With the help of this chocolate, you can decorate any dessert, pastries, cakes and pastries. Based on bitter varieties, a variety of liqueurs, mousses, and sweet sauces are made.

Benefits of dark chocolate

Of all varieties of a sweet product, it is the dark, bitter variety that has undeniable benefit for the body. Naturally, we are talking about the use of small quantities. Cocoa beans contain organic compounds - flavonoids, which affect the activation of the body's production of nitric oxide, which improves blood flow. Therefore, than darker chocolate, the more it contains cocoa beans, the more benefits it provides.

The bitter variety also contains catechins. This natural antioxidant protects cells from harmful effects free radicals, which prevents the formation of cancer cells, reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Recent studies have confirmed the fact that eating a small amount of dark chocolate a day improves brain function, reduces the risk of stroke, and stabilizes blood cholesterol levels. A few bites of bitter treat a day reduces the risk of developing diabetes.

By the way, London scientists have found that using it with a strong cough eliminates the disease no worse, and sometimes even better than many medicines. It has also been scientifically proven that the hormone of joy serotonin gives chocolate a very useful property - to improve mood, increase body tone.

Who is dangerous dark chocolate? Harm of a sweet product

The sweet product contains tannin, which has the ability to constrict blood vessels. Therefore, you should not get too carried away with it during periodic migraine attacks. You also need to know that excessive consumption can harm the body in the form of allergic reactions, as well as cause nervous excitement, insomnia.

Never buy cheap, low-grade dark chocolate, as its use can contribute to the development of gastritis or exacerbate an existing disease.

Remember that any chocolate, including bitter varieties, is useful only in small doses. Just 2-3 pieces per day is enough. If you eat a whole tile, it will cause much more than it will benefit. And the mood, most likely, will not improve, but deteriorate.

Well, now, let's prepare a cup of hot chocolate, which also has useful properties, and besides, it will pleasantly warm you on cold, autumn days.

Brazilian hot chocolate recipe

For cooking, we need: 100 g of bitter, dark chocolate, 2 cups whole milk, half a glass of sugar. Still need 60 ml of your favorite strong coffee and 250 ml of water.

Cooking:

Pour water into an enamel saucepan, boil. Break the chocolate into pieces, dip into boiling water. Reduce heat to low, cook, stirring, until the pieces are completely dissolved. Boil the milk on a separate burner. Now carefully pour it into the pan with chocolate. Pour sugar, pour in freshly brewed, strained coffee. Simmer over low heat, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Now you can pour a sizzling drink into your favorite cup, enjoy the full taste of hot chocolate and finally understand how wonderful life is!

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Bitter chocolate: benefit or harm to the body?

We have all heard that dark chocolate is much healthier than milk or white. This is explained by a higher content of natural cocoa beans and a small number of various additives. Let's try to figure out how it affects health and how much it can be eaten daily.

Often when buying dark chocolate, we get a fake or a product very similar to it, but in an attractive package. This is due to the high cost of the ingredients of the delicacy. Unscrupulous manufacturers save money by changing the recipe. Therefore, be sure to study the composition of the selected chocolate bar. If in the first place there: cocoa mass, cocoa butter and sugar, we have a product worthy of purchase. Sometimes the last ingredient is missing, but never first or second.

The world's first chocolate bar was produced in 1842 at the Cadbury factory.

No oils other than cocoa are added to dark chocolate. If the composition indicates palm, sunflower or any other - this is a confectionery tile. Dark chocolate contains at least 55% cocoa. If it says less, it's a fake. Natural dark chocolate cannot be perfectly black. It is dark brown, and too intense shade indicates the addition of piece dyes.

calories

Almost all sweets have a high energy value due to the large amount of sugar in their composition. Chocolate is also very nutritional product, so you need to consume it little by little. Even the most bitter varieties of it can easily spoil the figure, if you do not follow the measure.

calories different types dark chocolate differs slightly:

Extra black (content of cocoa beans not less than 90%) - 541-555 kcal;
Classic bitter (at least 70% cocoa) - 530-546 kcal;
Dark bitter (55-60% cocoa beans) - 535-540 kcal;

Beneficial features

Chocolate contains great amount useful substances Therefore, its moderate use will benefit the body. It has long been proven that this delicacy can improve mood and performance. And the point here is not in the delicious taste, but in the fact that it contains theobromine, a substance that can stimulate the work of the nervous and cardiovascular systems.

Chocolate can prevent heart attacks and strokes. American scientists have proven that it prevents the formation of blood clots. 40 grams of this product contains more antioxidants than a glass of red wine. This suggests that chocolate helps to remove toxins from the body and rejuvenate it. A small piece of this delicacy will help normalize blood pressure and put your heart rate in order.

Bitter chocolate - healthy treat

There are a lot of vitamins A and B in this dessert, as well as phosphorus, calcium, potassium and iron. Therefore, it will be useful in the prevention of colds, as well as during strong mental or physical activity. Chocolate will help increase stress resistance and improve memory. The caffeine in it also helps speed up your metabolism.

Cocoa trees can live up to 200 years, but only 25 of those years are during their fruiting period.

Numerous experiments conducted by doctors suggest that regular consumption of chocolate prevents the development of atherosclerosis. The substances contained in it make it impossible to deposit cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels. And scientists have noticed that this is one of the few delicacies that are good for teeth. The peel of cocoa beans contains substances capable of enveloping tooth enamel, protecting it from destruction. They inhibit the growth of bacteria that provoke the development of caries. It even takes minimum quantity rind that gets into the chocolate by accident. Most of it, unfortunately, goes to waste.

Positive effect on the female body

Good news for all chocolate lovers - with moderate use (no more than 25-30 g daily), it is really useful. female body. Many of the fairer sex suffer from brittle bones with age. Calcium, which is abundant in chocolate, helps strengthen them and protects against fractures.

Chocolate - pleasure and benefit

The ability of this dessert to cheer up helps ladies cope with premenstrual syndrome. Only 25 g of your favorite treat will not only relieve nervousness or depression, but also reduce pain. And, of course, we must not forget about the antioxidants that are necessary to maintain our youth.

And chocolate is considered an effective aphrodisiac for women. Although this effect is not yet very well studied, it makes sense to try it for yourself. For example, Madame de Pompadour, who was known as the mistress of King Louis XV and a very influential person at his court, adored chocolate and used it to treat sexual dysfunction.

Why do men need chocolate?

The benefits of chocolate for men are often questioned. But it is known that from advanced level cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases are more likely to suffer from the stronger sex, and this dessert helps prevent them. Therefore, do not be shy to occasionally enjoy a piece of healthy dessert.

Men should also not deny themselves a treat.

Chocolate will be very useful for men who work out in the gym. It energizes and increases human activity, which will not be superfluous before any workout. A few bites of this treat before exercise will help keep your blood glucose levels more stable and less oxidative stress. This means that the training will be more effective, and recovery after it will be quick and easy.

For those who want to increase muscle mass, it is useful to eat a few pieces of dark chocolate before entering the gym, and for those who want to lose weight - after.

Does dark chocolate help you lose weight?

name dark chocolate dietary product difficult because it energy value too high. But it is often recommended to those who want to lose weight. This is due to the ability of this product to speed up metabolism. A piece of chocolate weighing 15-20 grams, subject to a balanced diet and adequate physical activity, really helps to speed up weight loss. But it should not be considered a panacea.

The sensation of melting chocolate in the mouth is comparable to the pleasure of a kiss, but may exceed it in duration.

But to sit on chocolate diet not recommended to anyone. Typically, this method of losing weight involves the rejection of any food, limiting the diet to 3-4 cups of coffee and a bar of dark chocolate. Such food can bring nothing but harm. Due to the sharp restriction of calorie intake, a girl may suffer from dizziness and even fainting.

Chocolate and coffee - the basis of the diet

It is believed that chocolate provides the right amount of nutrients and improves mood, helping to cope with depression. But he is unable to give the right amount proteins for building muscles and organs, and fiber for normal digestion, as well as many minerals, vitamins, etc. Therefore, losing weight on such a diet is possible only at the cost of losing health.

You can use dark chocolate for weight loss without harm to yourself if you apply it on the skin. Those wishing to gain beautiful figure It is worth trying one of the salon procedures:

Wraps help get rid of cellulite, remove excess fluid from the body and remove a few centimeters on “problem areas”;
Massage also improves the condition of the figure, and also calms and helps get rid of depression.

The recipe for making a drink from crushed cocoa beans and water has been known for over 3,000 years. Its rich history goes back to the time of the birth of ancient Indian civilizations. Although then not everyone could drink a magic potion. Chocolate delicacy endowed with unusual magical properties. Therefore the honor of eating ancient drink rendered only to especially revered persons - priests, tribal leaders, etc.

The fruits of the cocoa tree were also highly valued. For a long time they served the Indians as currency. For example, a slave was sold for a hundred beans, a rabbit cost 10 beans. There are even cases of counterfeiting such unusual money.

All this time, cocoa beans were consumed in the form of a drink. First chocolate bar appeared at the beginning of the 19th century. Since then sweet dessert does not lose its popularity, and the options for its preparation are already in the thousands.

Criteria for choosing chocolate

Modern store counters delight with an abundance of various varieties of chocolate. However, this variety easily confuses the inexperienced buyer. What to pay close attention to before purchasing a sweet tile?

Compound. IN good product All ingredients must be natural. The content of various substitutes, trans fats and flavors indicates the low quality of the product. The composition of high-quality chocolate: 1st place - cocoa mass (55% or more, optimal - 72%), 2nd place - cocoa butter (30% or less), 3rd place - sugar. The addition of lecithin emulsifier is acceptable.
Best before date. natural chocolate cannot be stored for a long time. If the manufacturer promises the safety of his product for a year, you should think about whether you need to make such a purchase.
Compliance with GOST. A mark of compliance with all manufacturing standards should be on the label.
Variety. Of all the options for sweets, only dark chocolate can be considered real. It is he who is the most useful and most close to the original recipe of the ancient delicacy.

Useful properties of dark chocolate

Known since ancient times, the benefits of dark chocolate are explained by the richest composition of the main ingredient - cocoa beans. They contain about three hundred minerals and other useful substances - a whole vitamin complex:

amino acids- soothe, relax, improve emotional mood, stabilize sleep;
antioxidants– improve metabolic processes and work of cardio-vascular system, release cells from free radicals, normalize cholesterol levels;
theobromine- improves heart function;
tannins- have antidiarrheal and hemostatic properties;
magnesium- protects against depression, increases the body's immune forces, strengthens memory;
tryptophan- Dealing with stressful situations.

In the journal " Basic Research» for 2014 (No. 7), the results of a scientific work on the study of the effect of dark chocolate on the emotional state of patients were published. As a result of research, it has been convincingly proven that drinking 20 g of dark chocolate (72% cocoa) daily for 3 months significantly reduces signs of anxiety, anxiety, improves mood and general well-being, and increases resistance to stress.

The benefits of dark chocolate for women

Most women have a sweet tooth. There is an opinion that all sugar-containing products are unhealthy. However, a few slices good chocolate will have an extremely positive impact:

stimulates mental activity by nourishing the brain;
antioxidants in the composition of the product prolong youth;
theobromine, present in dark chocolate, is useful for bronchopulmonary diseases, eliminates discomfort in the throat and cough with a cold that begins - it is enough to slowly dissolve a small slice;
calcium contained in the product strengthens bone tissue;
thanks to magnesium, it regulates and accelerates metabolism, improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and improves mood;
fluorine and phosphates have a positive effect on the condition of the teeth.

Besides, unique composition chocolate allows:

relieve PMS, reduce discomfort during menstruation;
reduce at times the likelihood of developing diabetes;
have an anti-inflammatory effect;
protect against heart disease
normalize cholesterol levels;
minimize the production of cortisol (the stress hormone) while stimulating the production of endorphins (the hormone of joy);
improve blood circulation and prevent the formation of blood clots;
dull the feeling of hunger during the diet;
normalize blood pressure (30 g of chocolate daily can handle this).

Pregnant and lactating women chocolate should be used with caution. First, it is high in calories. Secondly, it can provoke an allergy. However, in small quantities, the delicacy does not hurt.

The use of chocolate in cosmetology gives amazing results: tones, tightens, heals and nourishes the skin. In addition, chocolate masks have a rejuvenating effect. And wraps instantly relieve excess volume and manifestations of cellulite.

The benefits of dark chocolate for men

The effect of chocolate on the male body has been carefully studied in Karolinska Medical Institute(Sweden). Scientists have proven:

improvement of blood parameters, which significantly reduces the risk of thrombosis and atherosclerotic formations;
reducing the risk of alcoholism - to achieve a significant effect, the body must receive a sufficient amount of salsolinol (one of the components of cocoa);
increased stress resistance and overall beneficial effect on the state nervous system– significantly improves the quality of life;
normalization of blood pressure and lowering cholesterol;
prevention of heart disease - the risk of stroke or heart attack is reduced by 15 percent when regular use hot chocolate drink(up to 50 ml per day);
the presence of a natural aphrodisiac in cocoa beans, which is able to restore potency, increase libido and increase the duration of sexual intercourse;
increasing the activity and viability of spermatozoa, as well as stimulating the production of testosterone due to zinc in chocolate.

The harm of dark chocolate and possible contraindications

Dark dark chocolate is considered the safest. The benefits and harms of this product are not comparable. Of course, moderate consumption of sweets will only benefit. However, little risk negative impact on health is present. What can be dangerous chocolate:

It is very tasty. Therefore, it is difficult to stop in time and not eat the whole tile at once. And such imprudent behavior entails very unpleasant consequences: a set of excess weight, rapid increase in blood sugar, insomnia, etc.
Cheap bars have nothing to do with real chocolate. But it is precisely them that children love so much for a colorful wrapper and a low price. Careless attitude to the composition of the products used can cause serious damage to health.
Uncontrolled consumption can increase the allergic reaction.

It is better to exclude chocolate from your diet in the presence of the following diseases:

diabetes;
urolithiasis (there is a possibility of formation of kidney stones);
migraine (possibly aggravation of the condition due to vasoconstriction);
allergy;
metabolic disease.

Interaction with drugs

British doctors discovered and proved the ability of chocolate to enhance the effect of certain medicines used to eliminate inflammatory processes, lower cholesterol and other purposes. Currently, on the basis of this discovery, fundamentally new drugs are being developed, consisting exclusively of natural ingredients. The expected effectiveness is 10-20 times higher than that of existing drugs.

It is not recommended to consume chocolate at the same time as taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors (antidepressants). In this case, a sharp increase in pressure is possible.

In other situations, consider general rule: chocolate enhances the effect of stimulants and reduces (sometimes even neutralizes) the effect of sedatives and hypnotics.

Brief conclusions

For chocolate to bring only benefits, you need to follow simple principles:

Buy only a quality product from a trusted manufacturer.
Eat a moderate amount of sweets - 20-30 g per day is acceptable.
It is correct to eat - in small pieces, without chewing, allowing the delicacy to slowly melt in your mouth.
Consider calories.
Study the label carefully.

The carefully studied benefits and harms of dark chocolate allow lovers of delicacy to draw the right conclusions and eliminate errors in the use of this the most valuable product. Given the information received, you can pamper yourself with your favorite treat without harm to the body.