Who doesn't love chocolate?

To have something so delicious and enjoyable that almost instantly makes us feel better is just amazing. The delicious confection has been known and loved for many centuries, not only as food, but also medicine.

Chocolate is made from the fruit of cacao trees, called pods. Each pod contains around 40 cacao beans which are dried, roasted, and fermented. The Greeks believed that chocolate was the "Food of Gods.” The Aztecs believed that eating chocolate would bestow wisdom and vitality. Earliest records show that the Mayans were the first indigenous people to have consumed chocolate beverages. They used it in celebrations, rituals, and for medicinal purposes.

Chocolate is a good antioxidant and is believed to be one of the best foods that helps increase endorphins in the brain. Endorphins are chemicals released in the brain which help us experience a state of happiness. This makes chocolate truly divine when it comes to emotional support.

It carries the frequencies of “I believe in myself” and “I love myself.”

When You’re Craving For Chocolate... DO THIS

The next time you find yourself craving for some chocolate, don’t dismiss it as simply craving for a sweet treat. It could be an important signal that your heart is in need of love. Give in to the desire and buy yourself a box. While you savor each piece...

1. Place your hand over your heart
2. Close your eyes
3. Deeply say to yourself “I love you, I believe in you and I am sorry that you are hurting.”
4. Keep saying this to yourself over and over to help strengthen your emotional self

You can do this exercise whether or not you eat the chocolate. Surprisingly, the more you love and believe in yourself, the less you find yourself craving chocolate.

For me, when I crave chocolate, I look to see where I’m feeling sad, my feelings have been hurt, or how I am feeling insecure. And then I send lots of extra love to my heart.

The Darker The Chocolate, The Better

If you are seeking the most love and benefits from this savory sweet - the darker it is, the greater the benefits both physically and emotionally. Early on, dark chocolate was the only form of chocolate available. Europeans used to add cane sugar or honey to their chocolate drinks to sweeten it. It wasn't until 1689 that milk was added to traditional dark chocolate mixture.

Dark chocolate contains around 50 to 90 percent of cocoa solids compared to milk chocolate that only has 10 to 50 percent. Dark chocolate has incredible health benefits, and is rich in iron, copper, magnesium, zinc, and antioxidants.

It also contains twice the amount of flavanols which improve circulation, relax blood vessels, lower the risk of heart disease, and support a healthier heart. Are you a sun-bunny? This favorite sweet may also help in the prevention of skin cancer.

A study by Johns Hopkins University found that chocolate has a similar effect as aspirin in reducing the clumping of platelets. Platelet clumping can be fatal if a clot forms and blocks a blood vessel, which can then cause a heart attack. Hmmm, how about both an aspirin a day and a fine piece of chocolate to support a healthy heart?

Dark chocolate offers so MANY benefits that it is actually listed as an entire healthy food category on Dr. Weil’s food pyramid. Chocolate truly is divine! Enjoy a piece of dark chocolate every day. The emotional and health benefits make it a beneficial daily category.

Choosing The Quality of Your Chocolate

The quality of the chocolate makes a big difference for your heart and your health. To determine if the chocolate is high quality or not, check the ingredients. If it contains corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup, don’t eat it! These cheap ingredients are your signal that it is not fine quality – so choose a different chocolate.

If you want a nutritious chocolate, go for dark chocolate. It may be a little more bitter, but has the biggest nutritional benefit of all. Most dark chocolate bars are labelled with “75% percent dark chocolate” or “65% cacao” or something similar. The higher the percentage listed, the less sugar and other ingredients. When it comes to cocoa powder, choose the unsweetened brand.

Packing a care kit to send to your child at college or camp? Include high quality, decadent sources of chocolate to support his or her body and heart. Chocolate can comfort them whenever they are sad. It can also provide them with energy, love, and belief in themselves. Chocolate can help to remind them of how wonderful they truly are!

9 Other Benefits of Premium Dark Chocolate

Below are some ways PREMIUM dark chocolate (not the cheap kind) encourages physical and emotional well being:

1. Empower Happiness

Dark chocolate stimulates the production of endorphins that give you a happy feeling. It also contains tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin which has been shown to help prevent or reverse melancholy. Changes or imbalances in serotonin levels in the brain can alter your mood so much that medications that affect serotonin are used to treat depression.

For instance, both Prozac (a top selling anti-depressant medication) and the natural herb St. John's Wort (for depression) are intended to raise serotonin levels.

2. Normalize Blood Pressure

Dark chocolate is rich in magnesium and copper, which aid in normalizing blood pressure and maintaining proper heartbeat levels. Researchers from Harvard analyzed 24 chocolate studies involving 1,106 people.

They found that dark chocolate with at least 50 to 70 percent cocoa, lowered blood pressure in all participants. Results were most notable in those with hypertension. They also found some evidence that dark chocolate can significantly increase HDL (good) cholesterol.

3. Reduce Stress

A study published in the December 2009 issue of Journal of Proteome Research found that dark chocolate can improve metabolic stress response. Researchers from the Nestle Research Center in Switzerland observed a group of people who ate 40 grams of dark chocolate every day for two weeks. It was concluded that they experienced a drop in the stress hormone, cortisol.

4. Lower Cholesterol Levels

Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg of Tufts University in Boston and colleagues at the University of L’Aquila in Italy showed that eating dark chocolate can reduce LDL or “bad” cholesterol on average by about 10 percent according to a study published by the American Heart Association.

5. Promote Healthy Blood & Circulation

It relaxes you, makes your blood vessels more flexible, and boosts the functioning of the endothelial cells which make up the lining of your blood vessels – thus encouraging a stronger, healthier circulatory system. The flavonoids in dark chocolate are useful for treating anemia (low iron).

6. Strengthen Immunity

Dark chocolate contains two kinds of flavonoids (Catechins and Epicatechins). These compounds can boost your immune system and can help prevent many major ailments. Powerful antioxidants in dark chocolate support improved health, stronger immunity, and may help prevent cancer.

7. Deter Diabetes

According to a 2017 study, it is highly possible that the antioxidant effects of cocoa polyphenols can directly influence insulin resistance and, in turn, reduce risk for diabetes:

“Flavonoids in the cocoa plant may ameliorate insulin resistance by improving endothelial function, altering glucose metabolism, and reducing oxidative stress. Oxidative stress has been proposed as the main culprit for insulin resistance. The well-established effects of cocoa on endothelial function also points to a possible effect on insulin sensitivity.”

8. Improve Youthfulness

Dark chocolate, especially if it contains over 70% cocoa, can taste very bitter, but it’s about time that we start loving it, because it can make you younger. The high quantity of antioxidants in dark chocolate helps against premature aging.

Antioxidants fight free radicals that may cause oxidative stress to our cells. It has the ability to make you look younger because of its bioactive compounds that protect the skin from UV rays, increase blood flow to the skin, and help retain moisture.

9. Boost Energy

Dark Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine, both of which are stimulants and will boost your energy levels. The darker the chocolate, the less sugar, and the more energy-boosting potential it has. Eating it once or twice per week can be good for you.

The Emotional Benefits of Chocolate

People have their own personal preferences when it comes to chocolate. Some want it as a beverage, others want it as bars. Measuring the exact effect of chocolate on our happiness can be difficult. But does it really matter? If you think eating chocolate will make you feel better, go for it. Listen to your heart and what it really desires.

Want chocolate recipes that can help bring more love to your heart or comfort when you’re feeling blue? Download a copy of my eBook Coffee, Chocolate and Confidence to learn more about how chocolate, coffee, and other beverages can affect your health and emotions. We have included easy and delicious recipes just for you!

About the Author: Kaliana has been studying natural healing since 1976. She developed her own line of aromatherapy products for emotions in 1995. She is a gifted intuitive, Master Energy Healer, author of 4 books, professional speaker, and offers private consulting for spiritual women and moms.

Kaliana is a certified Phyto-Aromatologist, graduated from Queens University as a Presidential Scholar, sat on the Board for Eating Disorders at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, holds a 4-year Advanced Certification from the Mastery of the Heart School, and teaches certified courses for Continuing Education Hours by NCBTMB.