Halloween is right around the corner and although normally we would discourage from candy intake, is there any candy that might actually be better for you? Chocolate is a favorite amongst many, but more health conscious families tend to shy away from it even around the holidays.
Believe it or not, there are studies conducted by several nutritionists which have shown that dark chocolate actually has more health benefits than its rivals like white chocolate or milk chocolate! Today, our CareXpress Urgent Care lists a few reasons why you should choose dark chocolate if you’re looking for a slightly healthier treat.
Flavonols in Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is made up of at least 70% cocoa, and the cocoa solids are what contain the health compounds known as flavonols. The flavonols provide both antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties which are important to the body. Food that are rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties have been linked to lower blood sugar levels improvements in cholesterol levels.
Increased Blood Flow
While some people still argue that eating dark chocolate is bad for their health, there are multiple studies to disprove this theory. One such study was conducted by the American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions. The results concluded that blood flow increased significantly in both study groups who ate dark chocolate with and without sugar. Interestingly, the blood flow actually dropped in the placebo group.
Moderation is Key
Of course, our urgent care doctors would stand by the reasoning that eating anything with sugar should be kept at a moderate consumption level. The good news is that you can enjoy dark chocolate once in a while, and you can know that when you do, you may be giving your health a boost. Maybe that will give you motivation to stick to dark chocolate for your Halloween candy go-to this year.
We hope that you’ll have a great Halloween weekend and that you won’t need to see us, but should you need urgent care, several of our CareXpress Urgent Care locations are open on the weekends! Click here to see our urgent care medical clinic hours and locations.