Chocolate Day 2024: 6 Surprising Health Benefits of Chocolates You Must Know!

With Valentine’s Week underway, people are getting ready to celebrate the month of love with presents, surprises, and quality time spent with their loved ones. Valentine’s Week’s third day is all about chocolate. This year, Chocolate Day will be celebrated on February 9. People give chocolates to their significant other, love interest, or crush on this day. Some also make a collection of their partner’s favourite candies or handmade chocolates as a gift.

If the person you love doesn’t like sweets, you can still give them a gift of their favourite snack. Chocolate has many health advantages in addition to its associations with warmth and affection. So, let’s explore the health benefits that chocolate can provide on this chocolate day.

Health Benefits of Chocolates

1. Controls cholesterol levelsAccording to experts, chocolate is an effective cholesterol-lowering food that reduces the body’s bad cholesterol levels. Furthermore, cocoa butter contains monounsaturated fats similar to olive oil, which help raise good cholesterol levels. It also helps to relax the blood vessels in the body and control blood pressure.
2. Loaded with antioxidantsChocolate contains a lot of antioxidants, and experts believe it has more antioxidants than most foods. As a result, chocolate can have a direct impact on the body’s insulin resistance, significantly lowering the risk of developing diabetes. It should be noted that darker chocolate is thought to contain more antioxidants than sugar-laden chocolate.
3. Cognitive abilityChocolate is also thought to help the brain’s memory function. The flavonoids in chocolate help to improve the brain’s processing speed, attention, and working memory. This is because the nutrient causes more blood to flow to the area of the brain responsible for memory formation.
4. Lights up the moodIt’s not surprising that chocolates can make you happy. However, it is not because of its delicious taste, but because of the nutrients contained within it. It can regulate feel-good hormones in the body, such as dopamine and serotonin. As a result, eating small amounts of chocolate regularly can help you stay cheerful.
5. Energy boosterThe greatest thing about chocolate is that it tastes good in a variety of foods, from cookies to chocolate milk. However, chocolate might also be your ideal pre- and post-workout snack. While dark chocolate can give you the energy you need before an intense workout, chocolate milk can aid in your muscles’ recovery afterwards.
6. Reduces stressAccording to Johns Hopkins, people who ate dark chocolate reported feeling less stressed, and researchers confirmed that the stress hormone cortisol levels were lower after dark chocolate consumption. This could be related to dark chocolate’s effect on heart health, as stress is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.