It would probably be fair to say that most of us are partial to a sweet treat every now and then, however it might make us feel guilty. Instead of reaching for a bar of Dairy Milk or chocolate digestives, buy yourself some good quality dark chocolate. Here are the benefits of dark chocolate, and all the reasons why it’s actually kind of good for you.

The antioxidants in dark chocolate

Catechin, epicatechin and procyanidins, are just a few examples of antioxidants found in cocoa. The role of antioxidants is to help neutralise harmful, unstable atoms and reduce the damage caused by oxidation. Oxidation in the body is the damaging of cell membranes, made worst by many different things such as smoking, alcohol, sunlight, or pollution.

These antioxidants have been shown to reduce blood pressure, reduce the risk of clotting and increase blood circulation to the heart. All these things happening in your body result in you having a happy and healthy heart. Dark chocolate is one of the best sources of antioxidants you can find. Look for chocolate that has a cocoa content of 70 per cent, or more.

What happens to your immune system?

When our immune system is under stress, it finds it hard to fight off anything that the body knows isn’t good for us. In order to keep our immune systems healthy, we need to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Flavanols. A term many of us may be unsure about. They’re compounds which prevent the immune system from going into overdrive, and reduces our oxidative stress. Sounds like something we all might need. Reducing our oxidative stress is important because the damage caused by oxidation can result in lifelong disease. With the oxidative stress contributing to the natural ageing process, reducing this can also help you age at a slower rate.

Helps to keep your skin radiant

Having radiant and healthy-looking skin may feel harder to achieve as we get older. After years of applying makeup and UV damage from the sun, we need to find ways to protect our skin. Good quality dark chocolate is packed with vitamins and minerals such as copper, iron and magnesium.

Another important mineral in dark chocolate is manganese. It supports the production of collagen, which is essential for healing human skin cells. Chocolate keeps your skin healthy-looking? Sign me up.

Read more: What are the benefits of collagen?

Reduces your cortisol

One hormone we want to avoid having too much of is cortisol. It’s the main stress hormone in the human body, and when levels stay high it can cause us chronic stress.

Studies have been done and found that eating dark chocolate can reduce cortisol levels. This may be related to dark chocolate’s effect on heart health. So, if you’re sat in a stressful meeting, munch on a couple of squares of dark chocolate to help you get through it.

Improves brain function

Remember I mentioned flavanols earlier? Well, these seem to have another benefit, too. And what a better benefit to have, than improved brain function?

Flavanols can help us have better reaction times, improved attention and stronger memory. Harvard University has done studies showing the benefits of the short-term and long-term consumption on brain function. There was evidence of improved brain blood flow, oxygen levels and nerve function. Eat dark chocolate, you’ll help your brain. Bulk buying it may be the way forward.

(Image: Pexels)

Great for your gut

Dark chocolate is considered a prebiotic. Not to be confused with probiotic, a live microorganism known for restoring the gut. In simple terms, prebiotics are a type of fibre which encourages the growth of bacteria, beneficial for a healthy gut.

Healthline have release studies on the findings that dark chocolate can decrease hunger and appetite. Eating small amounts of dark chocolate reduces the level of the hunger hormone, ghrelin. A couple of chunks as a snack, or after a meal, will leave you feeling full for hours.

So, the benefits of dark chocolate can be great for you and your body. We’re all going to want to run to the shops right away. However, it’s all about balance. Too much of anything can ruin the positive effects it may have. Next time you buy a bar, share it with a partner or a colleague at work.

Tasting your chocolate

you should have a rich and flavoursome experience

Having given you all the science you need to eat chocolate without feeling the guilt, make sure you’re tasting it properly. If you thought scoffing it down without thinking was the way to go, think again. Here’s how to REALLY taste your chocolate.

Start with a good quality bar

Starting with buying a good quality dark chocolate bar will make all the difference. The main thing to look out for is the cacao content. 70 per cent or above is what you are looking for. This number will tell you that the chocolate bar is packed with high amounts of nutrients for you body.

Use your senses

Almost like with wine tasting, you can use all five of your senses to fully indulge in the chocolate you’re eating. Take care to smell the aromas of the chocolate when opening your bar. The chocolate should be a deep brown colour, and have a smooth finish. When picking up your chocolate, it shouldn’t melt in your hands. Listen to the chocolate snap as you break of a piece off. Slowly chew the block of chocolate, for a rich and flavoursome experience.

Store your chocolate properly

Make sure you keep your chocolate tightly wrapped in its packaging. You don’t want anything to alter its taste. Keep it in a cool, dry place at room temperature.

Try different origins

Cacao trees are grown in many regions across Central and South America. They thrive in regions with high humidity, and lots of rain. Although they have similar growing conditions, when processed into dark chocolate, the cacao beans can acquire different tastes. Why don’t you try them all? See which one is your favourite.

Ellie Mongey

Having a three month break from uni, where she’s studying marketing, Ellie can normally be found in a coffee shop, on the beach or spending all her money on food. 

The post 6 reasons you should be eating dark chocolate appeared first on Silver Magazine.

The truth is that we are not just at the mercy of random ill fortune. Yes, chance may play a role, but there are other players in the game too. Aspects that we do actually have control over.

These are things like diet, exercise, getting sunshine, and managing stress levels. You can be gently proactive in keeping you and your loved ones out in front. Both for disease prevention, but also so that if you do get ill, you are in a stronger position to deal with it.

The wonder of your immune system

The immune system never ceases to impress me. There are so many interactive layers, checks and balances, and astoundingly clever processes. Your immune system is complex and wonderful – and powered by food. You need specific nutrients to keep it healthy and strong. The good news is that you can eat fairly simply to boost your immune system.

Below are some key foods that help you to make and regulate white blood cells and antibodies. First, however, we need to look at an equally important part of your immune system: your protective barriers.

Protective barriers – your first line of defence

These include your skin, the mucous membranes lining your airways, and digestive tract. To keep these healthy and intact you need:

1. Hydration
Water plumps up your skin, keeps it flexible and strong, and helps you make protective mucus. You breathe, wee, poo and sweat out about four litres a day, on average, and you need to get about half that back in what you drink, and the rest in your food. Soups and salads, for example, are far more hydrating than toast and sandwiches.
2. Vitamin A
Liver, eggs, shrimps and cheese are the best sources of vitamin A. You can also convert beta carotene from orange and green leafy vegetables into vitamin A, but not necessarily very efficiently. So vegans will need to eat lots of these daily.
3. Vitamin C
Fruit is a great source, but also green leafy vegetables, herbs, sauerkraut and onions, as long as they’re all raw. So a nice herby coleslaw should do the trick.

4. Vitamin D
Anti-inflammatory and protective against a number of disease, vitamin D is particularly useful for gut and skin health. Your best source: sunshine.
5. Zinc
Nuts and seeds, especially pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, lamb, chicken and beef are all great sources of zinc. Soak nuts and seeds overnight in water to make the zinc more bioavailable.
6. Selenium
You just need two or three Brazil nuts to get your daily selenium fix, or some oily fish.
7. Dietary oils
Another reason to eat oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel and sardines, and also nuts and seeds.
8. Fermented foods
These help keep a balanced, actively protective microbiome – the bacteria and other microbes largely in your colon, but also lining all your mucous membranes and your skin. Think sauerkraut, blue cheese, kefir, yoghurt, kim chi, and unfiltered apple cider or balsamic vinegar.

Like this article? You might like to read about how to boost your oestrogen too

White blood cells

Now, it just happens that many of these nutrients also keep your white blood cells in shape. You have lots of different types of these super cells, including Natural Killer Cells, cytotoxic T cells and more.

Natural Killer Cells are always on patrol, looking out for cells that are showing signs of cancer or viral infection and killing them. Cytotoxic T cells have a similar function, but have to be specifically activated and will only kill cells that your body has developed antibodies to.

Vitamins A, C and D help you to make healthy white blood cells and help them to carry out various functions well.

Selenium helps regulate T cells, and has been shown to stop some kinds of virus mutating to a more severe form. Zinc is crucial to the number, function and balance of nearly all your white blood cells. Clinical trials have shown zinc to reduce infection rates in both children and the elderly.

Natural killer cells additionally need vitamins B6, B12 and folate. It’s hard to get B12 on a vegan diet without supplements, but regular meat, fish and eggs will provide good levels of B12. Green leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes and cauliflower are great for B6, and you can get good levels of folate from lentils, green leafy vegetables, broccoli and cauliflower.

Antibodies

The first time you are exposed to a bacteria or virus, for example, your immune system quickly learns what it looks like, and assigns it unique antibodies. These antibodies can help destroy or neutralise that specific bacteria or virus if it appears again, or activate relevant cytotoxic T cells plus a whole cascade of inflammatory substances.

To make plenty of antibodies, you need sufficient protein in your diet. Perhaps 25% of each meal you eat. If you are vegan, then have pulses (beans, lentils, peas) at least once a day, plus nuts, seeds and grains to get your full amino acid profile.

Your immune-boosting plate

To give your immune system everything it needs to do its job well and regulate its activity, you need to feed it well. Mealtimes should generally include:

– A little meat, eggs or fish if you eat them, or pulses
– A sprinkling of nuts and/or seeds
– A generous handful of green leafy veg
– A variety of other vegetables
– A little sauerkraut, yoghurt, unfiltered vinegar or something fermented

This will provide you with a broad range of immune-supportive nutrients, plus natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatories and heaps more besides. Remember to include soups, stews and salads in addition to drinking a good couple of litres of plain water daily (not all in one go!)

The most important thing if you’re planning to boost your immune system, however, is to keep it simple and enjoyable. If you hate cooking, then find quick and easy recipes. Batch cook so you’re not spending all your time in the kitchen. And take time to sit down and savour each mouthful. Stress is a real immunity thief, so try not to add to what’s already there. Keep calm and eat your greens!

For more advice on your health and nutrition I’m running online courses. Find out more at my Connect with Nutrition site. Comment below if you have any questions about this article.

Kirsten Chick

Kirsten Chick is a nutritional therapist and lecturer, and author of Nutrition Brought to Life.

www.kirstenchick.com

The post Want to boost your immune system? Time to talk nutrition appeared first on Silver Magazine.