We are just into Spring and the world is looking a brighter place with flowers blooming and some rays of sun to enjoy. We are also just past Easter and hopefully, the Easter Bunny was good to you but you didn’t indulge too much. It’s easy to think that chocolate isn’t good for us, yet it all comes down to types of chocolate… the stuff that comes on well-known confectionary bars isn’t one of them as so many of those are full of highly processed ingredients and chemicals. But there’s a different way of thinking and that’s about dark chocolate and the darker the better. 

Here’s the science – dark chocolate, with around 80% cocoa, will have far less in the way of additives, sugars or artificial sweeteners. In 2017, a study showed it can significantly decrease both systolic (pumping) and diastolic (resting) blood pressure in way that compares to certain medications. It also decreases cortisol (the stress hormones) by up to 14%. This is all down to flavonoids that increase nitric oxide in our blood, which improves vascular function. 

Of course, there is a small downside to all this. Dark chocolate is best eaten during the day as cacao also contains theobromine (similar to caffeine) which might keep you awake. This is no miracle drug, but let’s be honest we all love a chocolate treat, just make sure it’s the right chocolate, eaten at the right time and in sensible quantities. And voilà! No guilt trip.