Good News for Chocolate Lovers
I do not think I know anybody that does not like chocolate. Chocolate has a way of making people happy. It is truly a lovely, heavily pleasure to pop a piece of rich delicious chocolate in your mouth. But the question is, is chocolate good for your teeth.
Do you experience guilt when you indulge in a piece of chocolate? do you ever wonder, is chocolate good for your teeth? Well, you can stop that guilty feeling for the most part, as recent studies show that chocolate is actually very good for your teeth as well as your overall health.
Chocolate contains some very powerful antioxidants; polyphenols and flavanols. The antioxidant, polyphenols actually prevents bacteria from turning the sugar and starches in chocolate into acids that cause tooth decay. Also, these antioxidants are very helpful in reducing hypertension protecting the heart, and even preventing strokes. Dark chocolate, in particular, is higher in flavanols and contains more antioxidants than green tea.
The interesting fact about the cocoa butter contained in chocolate is that the cocoa butter actually coats your teeth when you eat the chocolate. This is a real health punch because the cocoa butter acts as a barrier to plaque. You may be thinking that you should be concerned about the fat in cocoa butter but interestingly enough, this kind of fat does not raise your cholesterol.
It is not all good news, however. Chocolate is high in calories. A one-ounce piece of dark chocolate can have 150 calories or more. So if you have a weight issue, you will have to control your intake of chocolate. But the benefits of chocolate’s goodness can be fully obtained in just 3, one-ounce pieces of chocolate per week. So that is a win-win. limiting to just 3 Oz per week, you can get all the benefits of chocolate’s powerful antioxidants.
That should give you something to smile about!