We only need a few reasons to eat dark chocolate. The taste and momentary mood lift are enough to make it a treat that does not need a hard shell. If you are not eating it consistently, you could be missing out on some of the most amazing health benefits of dark chocolate you never know about. Given the healthy cultures eat chocolate all the time and research has yet to show anything but confirmatory evidence about the health effects of high cocoa chocolate. It seems logical to eat healthy chocolate every day like a delicious vitamin.

Known Health Benefits Of Dark Chocolate

Of course, you need to eat the right chocolate; the candy bars in the grocery store are not going to cut it. You will reap the greatest health benefits of dark chocolate with products with 70% or more cocoa levels. So what are these benefits? Aside from its reputation as an aphrodisiac and a momentary mood booster, here are seven more legitimate reasons to eat chocolate every day.

1. Healthier skin – Eating dark chocolate antioxidants leads to skin that is smoother, moisturized, and more resistant to sunburn. In a study, it was found that consistently eating cocoa for 12 weeks reduced moisture loss in the skin by 25%.

2. Healthier teeth – It is the sugar in chocolate that rots your teeth; cocoa actually protects them. Cocoa bean husks have antibacterial compounds that inhibit the formation of biofilms and plaque where cavity-causing bacteria can thrive.

3. Reduced cravings and weight gain – Cocoa is teeming with fiber and protein. One research found that people who simply smelled 85% dark chocolate reported that their appetite levels dropped by up to half. This was found to stimulate an anti-hunger hormone called ghrelin.

4. Healthier heart – Chocolate is usually vilified because it has cocoa butter, which is high in saturated fat. However, it turns out that this can be good for you. One-third of cocoa butter is stearic acid, which can lower your bad cholesterol levels.

Dark Chocolate Can Help With Your Focus

– MRI studies have shown that dark chocolate boosts blood circulation to the brain, which can improve your ability to focus. Taking a small amount of cocoa flavanols for 5 days led to better blood flow to the brain.

6. Less anxiety – Stress prompts your body to produce cortisol, which leads to fat build-up. A 2009 study showed that people who ate 40 grams of chocolate every day for two weeks saw decreases in levels of cortisol in their systems.

7. More effective workout – Dark chocolate can help boost your pre-exercise energy levels, power through the session, and cut down post-exercise soreness. The catechins and epicatechins in cocoa can help you get energized to work out and help carry you through the workout.

Get All These Dark Chocolate Benefits

The key to getting all these dark chocolate benefits is consistency. Experts recommend that you eat 40 grams a day for at least 8 weeks, and each daily serving should be divided into 8 5-gram pieces. Let these dark chocolate pieces sit on your tongue and let it melt slowly.