5 Reasons You Should Include Chocolate in Your New Year Detox Diet
With the New Year almost upon us, many of us are looking with heavy hearts (and heavier tummies) towards a January detox to undo all that Christmas indulgence. But if you (like us) don't want to totally chuck the chocolate, then we've come up with five reasons why you shouldn't...
We all know that if you have too much of something, it can be easy to quickly become bored! By treating chocolate as the occasional treat rather than a diet staple, you'll savour the flavour much more.
2. In moderation, dark chocolate can reduce blood pressure and LDL cholesterol
Flavanols in dark chocolate can stimulate the linings of the arteries to produce nitric oxide, which can help to relax the blood vessels and reduce blood pressure. Plus, the antioxidants can help to reduce the levels of oxidised low-density cholesterol - AKA the 'bad' cholesterol - that is linked with heart disease and other illnesses. Yeah, science.
3. Denying yourself something only makes you want it more
As many nutritionists and doctors will tell you, eliminating a certain substance immediately from your lifestyle is more likely to lead to a relapse. If you eat a lot of chocolate, don't vow to never eat it again from January 1st - work on gradually reducing your intake to get the best and longest-lasting results.
4. Dark chocolate is very nutritious
Dark chocolate is loaded with fibre and a whole ton of other nutrients that are important to a healthy diet. According to Authority Nutrition, a 100g bar of chocolate with 70-85% contains 67% of your RDA of iron, 89% of your copper RDA, and a whopping 98% of the RDA for Manganese.
5. Life's too short to constantly count calories!
Eating healthily is brilliant, but every so often, we need to allow ourselves a little treat. After all, as long as you're healthy and happy in yourself, why shouldn't you enjoy the good things in life?
