Dark Chocolate and Your Gut

Dark chocolate is one of my favorite foods. Imagine my joy when I found out it is good for you!  The main problem with chocolate is the sugar and milk that are added to take away the bitter taste. This is why the dark version is better than the milk chocolate. Dark chocolate has many health benefits, but today I am going to talk about the benefits it has for your gut. All people have bacteria in their gut. There are good bacteria and bad bacteria. Chocolate is useful for the good bacteria. It is the action of the bacteria in the gut that makes chocolate good for us and available in our bodies. The bacteria love to feast on it

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There are lots of polyphenols and antioxidants in dark chocolate. The bacteria in your gut ferments the chocolate and makes compounds that are healthy for your body. The bacteria make them into anti-inflammatory compounds that are good for your cardiovascular system. One of the components the bacteria make is polyphenols. These work to relieve inflammation and stress.They are also thought to help blood pressure.

Prebiotics are carbohydrates that are in whole foods. Your body can't digest them. But, bacteria love these prebiotics. Prebiotics are food for your bacteria. These keeps your bacteria  happy and then they are able to break down chocolate. Researchers suggest that consuming dark chocolate along with certain fruits can boost the health potential. Some of these fruits are acai and pomegranate.

When purchasing chocolate, raw cacao is the best. Candy bars are fine if they are dark chocolate and have at least 70% cacao in them. Then there are nibs, which are raw cacao beans that have been peeled and crushed.There are scientists who are studying how to make capsules from cocoa in high concentrations to help blood pressure, cholesterol, and insulin management.

Keeping your gut bacteria happy is very important. Folks with lots of pathological bacteria in their colons have problems absorbing nutrients. Enjoy dark chocolate, but don't overdo it. 1 or 2 squares a day is all you need.  


Sources:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/12/08/gut-microbes-make-dark-chocolate-healthy.aspx
http://www.gutmicrobiotawatch.org/gut-microbes-make-dark-chocolate-healthy/
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/03/18/290922850/chocolate-turns-into-heart-helpers-by-gut-bacteria
http://articles-mercola.com/sites/articles/2014/03/31/dark-chocolate
http://thealternativedaily.co/dark-chocolate-and-your-gut-the-final-verdict

Be sure to check out my website at www.valerielull.com

Valerie Lull
Author
Ten Healthy Teas
valerielull923@gmail.com