You’ve already more than enough informed the fact that eating chocolate is bad for health, like increasing weight, too much sweets, predisposing to diabetes, tooth problems, blah blah blah…

Yet, what you may haven’t checked is that it is good for your mental health, especially dark chocolate.

Now, a study from Loma Linda University Health in California that was presented last month at the Experimental Biology 2018 annual meeting, sheds more light on the benefits of dark chocolate regarding its effect on brain waves related to memory and recall.(Reference)

 Cocoa in dark chocolate has been found to be rich in a class of antioxidants called flavonoids, which have been linked to a number of health benefits.

Research suggests that Dark chocolate improves insulin sensitivity(which actually decreases the risk of diabetes),  reduces blood pressure, and improves mood.

So, if you’re feeling stressed out, just grab a bar of dark chocolate. 

Then, how much should we take?

If you want to try dark chocolate as a stress reliever, the studies above used a daily “dose” of about 1.5 ounces. Note that even dark chocolate delivers a lot of calories—about 160 for this daily serving—so don’t overdo it if you’re watching your weight.

In the study, researchers looked at the effects of eating 1.4 ounces (40 grams) of dark chocolate every day for two weeks , and the result showed that eating dark chocolate daily reduced stress hormone levels in those who had high anxiety levels.

It can change your brain wave frequency, providing benefits in memory improvement and stress reduction.

It was surprising to find out that other types of chocolate can also reduce your stress level.

 The thing to remember when choosing a chocolate type for lower stress is that dark chocolate tends to offer more health benefits than other types because it is the least processed. It is also often lower in fat and sugar.

One must also be careful not to engage in emotional eating, so that we can gain a lot of weight while dealing with stress.

To enjoy dark chocolate without fear of what it will do to your waistline, eat it mindfully. Do nothing else while eating the chocolate piece so you can fully savour its taste and the feel in your mouth. The more you are engaged in this process, the less inclined you are to overeat.