Humans have been consuming chocolate since the Mayans first drank it around
1500 B.C. In recent years especially dark chocolate has been praised as a
healthy treat. There’s a reason eating chocolate makes you feel amazing:
Cacao contains the mood-regulating hormone serotonin. The darker the
chocolate, the more you get, according to research from Spain. A recent
study, published in Depression and Anxiety, found that people who ate dark
chocolate over the course of two days were 70 percent less likely to report
any depressive symptoms than those who didn’t eat any chocolate.
Dark chocolate - any chocolate that contains at least 50% cocoa solids,
cocoa butter, and sugar and unlike milk chocolate isn`t made with milk - is
rich in plant chemicals called flavanols. Flavanols are antioxidants linked
to a lower risk of heart disease. Dark chocolate is also a good source of
soluble fiber, vitamins, and minerals (like iron, zinc, magnesium, etc.). To
get the most “health benefit,” select dark chocolate (70-80% cocoa) with the
least amount of added sugar.