Your Brain On Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate has to be one of my favorite brain foods. That’s not a big feat considering dark choc is in competition with other brain foods like leafy greens, broccoli and fish. That’s not to say that those things aren’t delicious, it’s just that dark chocolate takes the cake any day of the week (pun intended).

I have always loved my chocolate, but I must say I have started to enjoy it even more since switching to a 50% dark chocolate blend. I feel a lot better after consuming a 50% blend than how I might feel if I were to binge on half a slab of pure milk chocolate. I also buy 70% dark chocolate, which I find bitter and difficult to eat, so that stuff goes straight into my smoothies.

According to a 2012 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the consumption of dark chocolate is the highest among those who are Nobel Prize recipients. This may be coincidental, however, there are many proven benefits of dark chocolate for brain health.

Dark chocolate has been found to –

• Boost the production of feel-good neuro-chemicals like endorphins
• Improves blood flow to the brain
• Contain antioxidants that protect cells from toxin damage
• Can contain magnesium that aids in anxiety reduction
• Contains flavanols that improve in memory, learning and focus.