Chocolate might not be the first food that comes to mind when you picture a healthy diet, but it does actually have a lot of benefits that could positively impact you. Keep in mind that if you were eating an excessive amount of chocolate, this could cause health problems, and you might need to download the livi app to get checked out. Looking beyond that, let’s take a look at the health benefits of consuming chocolate in moderation.

1. It improves your mood

Find yourself reaching for chocolate when you are feeling down? It’s more than just a habit; scientific evidence shows that chocolate is good for improving your mood, and that is why many of us use it in this way. Serotonin is a natural antidepressant in the brain, and tryptophan is an ingredient in chocolate that stimulates the production of serotonin. Your mental health is really important and something that undoubtedly needs to be taken care of.

2. Natural cure for a cough

Find yourself with a horrible cough that you just cannot shift? A bar of chocolate could be the answer. Chocolate contains something known as theobromine; this is a chemical that reacts with the vagus nerve which suppresses coughing.

3. Positive for heart health

The most vital organ in your body is your heart, so you need to make sure that it stays in optimum condition. There are high levels of flavonoids in chocolate, which help your body produce more nitric acid, improving your blood vessels, which widen and relax. Research has shown that this helps to lower blood pressure and is good for the overall health of your heart.

4. It is good for your skin

The flavonoids in chocolate (particularly the dark kind), can make your skin glow, and also protect it from sun damage. This definitely doesn’t mean that you should ditch the sunscreen altogether, but it’s certainly good to know that chocolate can help to protect you in this way.

5. It’s very nutritious

Chocolate isn’t all fat and sugar, it actually contains a lot of the ingredients that you need to be healthy. With vitamins and minerals aplenty, chocolate can actually help improve your general health. Cocoa contains magnesium, zinc, protein, fibre and potassium. If you want to be sure you are eating the most nutritious chocolate you can be, make sure to read the ingredients and aim for chocolate that contains a higher level of cocoa.

6. Reduces the risk of cancer

Chocolate has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties; these keep free radicals in the body at bay and can even help prevent cancer. If that isn’t reason enough to start eating chocolate from time to time, then I don’t know what is.