Chocolate is often seen as an indulgence, a naughty little treat that always makes us feel a little guilty after we’ve taken the last bite, but is it really such a bad thing?
Actually, chocolate is not half as bad for your health as you think. It just depends on the type of chocolate you’re eating. Milk and white chocolate are great for a gift and should be enjoyed without guilt, but other types of chocolate have some surprising benefits you may not have known about.
Dark chocolate, however, is a different story. Studies have found dark chocolate to have many health benefits (though that’s not an excuse to start scoffing wildly). Here are just some of the health benefits of dark chocolate:
• Dark chocolate is a great source of antioxidants (in fact, one of the best sources on the planet)
• Dark chocolate can improve blood flow and lower blood pressure
• Dark chocolate can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases
While everyone has heard about how good dark chocolate is, is it the only tasty treat that isn’t bad for us? This brings us to raw chocolate, which is often promoted as a “superfood” and has many people interested in food and nutrition touting its benefits. Is raw chocolate very different from dark chocolate?
Chocolate is made from cocoa beans (where cocoa comes from), which are collected, fermented, roasted, ground and pressed before being mixed with fat and sugar. Raw chocolate comes about when manufacturers decide not to roast cocoa beans. Instead, they use cocoa beans that have been naturally air-dried, which is apparently a better method for retaining all the nutrients and maintaining higher levels of antioxidants.
Raw chocolate is rich in the following nutrients:
• Magnesium
• A whole range of vitamins
• Heart-healthy essential fat
• Protein
• Fiber
While it’s not the same as dark chocolate, it does share some of its health benefits, with studies suggesting that raw chocolate can also lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. There are also a couple of added bonuses, as raw chocolate is good for aiding digestion and the cocoa components can help improve your mental well-being.
Of course, while dark chocolate has a pretty dedicated following right now, people still aren’t sure about raw chocolate, especially when it comes to taste and quality. That said, it is starting to gain momentum and more and more people are connecting to it, which means that we will soon see better quality control and better quality raw chocolate products, and you can already buy fantastic organic chocolate online. .
For example, Chocolat Lovers sells a variety of organic raw chocolate along with other more specialized chocolate products. As a seller of luxury chocolate, you won’t have to worry about taste or quality because you’re getting the best there is.