“Don’t wreck a sublime chocolate experience by feeling guilty. Chocolate isn’t like premarital sex. It will not make you pregnant. And it always feels good.” ~Lora Brody

Are you a chocolate lover to the point that you cannot ever imagine giving it up? You are about to be the happiest individual on Earth because as it turns out, you not only don’t have to give up chocolate – but you are doing your body a huge favor by eating it!

There’s only one catch. The type of chocolate that you are eating is what matters. The processed milk chocolate is not what you want to keep eating. It is the dark chocolate that has a cacao content of at least 70 percent that you want to have on hand. This chocolate is full of antioxidants and important nutrients. And, it is delicious and will also provide you with these top 5 benefits:

1. It Raises Good Cholesterol And Lowers Bad Cholesterol

Chocolate has properties that will help keep the good cholesterol(HDL) levels up and will also help lower (LDL) and prevent it from being oxidated which can damage your cardiovascular system. It is not a surprise that dark chocolate can provide this benefit as it is full of antioxidants.

2. It Keeps The Heart Healthy

Aside from chocolate raising the good cholesterol which is important for your heart health as it is and lowers the bad cholesterol, it also provides other benefits for your heart. It prevents calcified plaque buildup in the arteries which means the chances of a heart attack are very slim to none. And to keep your heart healthy, keep eating that chocolate.

3. Chocolate Helps You Feel Good

It is true that chocolate helps you feel better because it has properties that can help raise serotonin and dopamine levels in your brain which reduces depression. Additionally, it can help you sleep better as well in the end. Whenever anyone seems as if they are joking around when they say that chocolate solves so many problems, they really mean it does help you feel better – because that part is very true.

4. Chocolate Can Make You Smarter

Studies have shown that properties in chocolate do help improve overall cognitive function in the brain. It can help you verbally and can also help prevent conditions such as dementia when it comes to aging. The fact that it contains other properties such as theobromine and caffeine will help as well on a temporary basis which means it will help you wake up on a day when you are feeling tired. That means have a piece of chocolate before you take a test.

5. It Can Provide The Same Benefit As Sunscreen

Chocolate has properties that can help protect your skin from the sun’s UV rays. You will still need to wear sunscreen when you go out in the sun, but a few pieces of dark chocolate can help your skin stay protected even more!

Just remember one thing. Even though chocolate is good for you, the fat content is still high. That means to keep enjoying it in moderation! Moderation is the key to everything.

Okay, your turn: do you love chocolate as much as we do? Let us know in the comments section, below!