This Delicious Sweet Lowers Blood Pressure and Improves CholesterolOften when tackling high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other cardiovascular diseases, you’re forced to deny yourself of many of the delicious foods you love.

But today we have good news for anyone who suffers from a sweet tooth.

This is because this heavenly delicious, and probably the most desired type of food on the market, surprisingly offers fantastic health benefits.

Due to its unique content, this sweet has the ability to improve heart health, lower blood pressure and harmful LDL cholesterol, increase brain activity and even make things spicier in the bedroom.

It may sound too good to be true, but chocolate is not just delicious; it has now also been proven to be very healthy.

The main ingredient in chocolate is cocoa beans. This exotic bean is loaded with flavanol, the powerful antioxidant that reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases like high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke. Flavanol promotes blood flow to the heart and brain and also prevents blood from clotting.

Cocoa beans contain impressive amounts of antioxidants which are so important in maintaining good overall vascular health. Antioxidants help the body fight harmful molecules called “free radicals.”

If the body does not have enough antioxidants to combat free radicals, the oxidation process occurs. The increased oxidation causes harmful LDL cholesterol form a plaque on the artery walls, causing heart attack and stroke.

Antioxidants also help protect us from environmental toxins, pollution, cigarette smoke, and sunlight damage.

Another surprising fact about chocolate’s health benefits is the fat it contains. The main fat in chocolate is from cocoa butter, which consists mainly of oleic, palmitic and stearic fatty acids. Oleic acid is a heart-friendly monounsaturated fatty acid that is also found in olive oil. It is well known for its blood pressure-reducing properties.

Even though palmitic and stearic fatty acids are types of saturated fats, according to the research, they do not have negative effects on cholesterol levels.

Many health practitioners and therapists agree that chocolate has the ability to reduce stress and make a person feel happier. It stimulates production of the feel-good endorphin chemicals in the brain that bring a feeling of pleasure. Serotonin is another chemical present in chocolate that works as a natural antidepressant.

The same chemicals are being released in the brain when we are in love. For that reason, chocolate is also a great aphrodisiac.

Although chocolate is very healthy, remember that it often contains high amounts of sugar. If you want to get the health benefits without unhealthy calories, choose pure dark chocolate with at least 65 % or higher of cocoa content.

As some studies suggest, 3 ounces (85 grams) of chocolate a day is more than enough to get the health benefits.

Even if chocolate is good for mood and health, it may not be enough to lower blood pressure completely. For an even more powerful method, discover how 3 easy exercises drop blood pressure below 120/80 as soon as today…

Or if you need to get your cholesterol under control, follow this step-by-step strategy guaranteed to bring your cholesterol to a healthy level in a month or less…