Is Chocolate Therapy A Real Thing?

Have you wondered if chocolate therapy is a real thing and not just the name of a fancy ice cream product? Well, it turns out that chocolate therapy is real—if it’s the right chocolate and if it’s consumed in the right amounts—but, unfortunately the Ben and Jerry’s famous ice cream product doesn’t quite make the cut.

Throughout history, eating chocolate has been viewed as extremely pleasurable, but not very healthy; however, multiple studies over the past couple of decades have more than revealed that a new day is dawning when it comes to eating chocolate for health reasons.

70 Ways Chocolate Therapy Can Improve Your Quality of Life!

Eating dark chocolate can:

  1. Reduce over-production of the toxic stress hormone, Cortisol
  2. Improve cognitive processing
  3. Improve visual-spatial awareness
  4. Improve abstract reasoning
  5. Improve scanning ability
  6. Improve spoken word recall
  7. Improve mental math ability
  8. Improve red blood cell distribution width (RDW)
  9. Improve function of lymphoid tissues
  10. Balance moods
  11. Optimize nutrition
  12. Balance blood sugar levels
  13. Normalize appetite
  14. Increase fiber intake to improve colon health
  15. Boost Endorphin levels to produce feelings of joy and euphoria
  16. Boost Endorphin levels to reduce sensitivity to pain
  17. Increase Serotonin levels (the respect hormone)
  18. Relieve inflammation
  19. Deliver theobromine (a natural energy booster)
  20. Block cravings for unhealthy food
  21. Increase flavonoid intake to help maintain heart health
  22. Improve blood sugar metabolism
  23. Cause the body to produce more Nitric Oxide – to unlock the body’s built in medicine cabinet
  24. Cause blood vessels to relax
  25. Cause blood pressure to lower
  26. Bolster Endothelial function
  27. Stimulate Dopamine production for increased pleasure and reward function in the brain
  28. Increase neuroplasticity to help the brain re-organize itself and make new neural connections
  29. Increase learning and memory abilities
  30. Improve circulation
  31. Prevent oxidation of LDL cholesterol
  32. Decrease platelet clumping
  33. Enhance cell signaling
  34. Reduce clotting
  35. Reduce oxidative stress
  36. Improve utilization of insulin
  37. Protect the cardiovascular system
  38. Lower overall blood fat levels
  39. Increase intake of antioxidant nutrients
  40. Increase intake of antibacterial nutrients
  41. Increase intake of antiviral nutrients
  42. Increase intake of anticancer nutrients
  43. Manage symptoms of ADD and ADHD
  44. Alleviate pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms
  45. Increase time spent in restful sleep
  46. Suppress annoying coughing
  47. Improve brain neuro-transmitter activity
  48. Reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia during pregnacy
  49. Increase energy
  50. Improve concentration and focus to promote learning and retention
  51. Replace bad food with good food
  52. Improve dental health
  53. Reduce obesity
  54. Reduces autoimmune challenges
  55. Reduce occurrences of chronic degenerative disease
  56. Increase Insulin sensitivity
  57. Trigger hormones that tell your brain the body is full
  58. Increase probiotics for digestive health
  59. Help to grow good gut bacteria
  60. Help your body absorb nutrients
  61. Prevent depression
  62. Increase metabolism
  63. Increase Epicatechins and Quercetin
  64. Increase copper, iron and magnesium for skin health
  65. Support the production of collagen
  66. Increase calcium and potassium intake
  67. Protect skin from harmful UV radiation from the sun
  68. Raise high-density lipoproteins – good cholesterol
  69. Manage anxiety and depression
  70. Increase intake of Omega 3 fatty acids from ALA sources

Yes, high-quality chocolate eaten in moderation can do ALL of this.

13 Conditions to Make All of This Happen

Healthy Chocolate MUST:

  1. Contain 70% dark chocolate or greater – the more, the better (minimum 50%)
  2. Be consumed in limited quantities for low calorie intake
  3. Be processed as raw, non-alkalized
  4. Contain raw sweeteners and flavorings
  5. Be organic because to insure better farming practices—mineral content, etc.
  6. Harvested once ripe for proper vitamin development
  7. Contain high quantities of natural cocoa nutrients
  8. Contain no processed or dead sugars
  9. Contain no hydrogenated fats or oils
  10. Contain no other artificial fillers or bulking agents
  11. Contain high-quality additives, if any are added
  12. Grown without chemical fertilizers and pesticides
  13. Processed minimally at living-food low temperatures for retention of living enzymes

As with anything good, going overboard often has a counter-productive effect, and chocolate is no exception to this rule.

So, go ahead and eat GREAT-quality chocolate, but do it in moderation for the best chocolate therapy results.

Source 1, Source 2, Source 3, Source 4