Welcome to the Dark Side

This article has been researched and written by Arelang Naturals^® in-house writers.

Irresistible, indulgent, ambrosial, mouth-watering. You know what we are talking about right?

Dark Chocolate! For those of you who guessed this right, you just earned a special place in our hearts! And what better time to talk about our absolutely favourite ingredient, than Diwali? The time for love, light, family and a whole lot of indulgence!

This bitter and delicious concoction that our ancients discovered comes from the cacao plant and is rich in minerals like iron, magnesium, zinc and antioxidants called flavonoids, that help support heart health and support the production of nitric oxide in the body which in turn helps lower blood pressure and could help lower the risk of diabetes. You heard that right - Diabetes! Did you know dark chocolate is amongst the most important superfoods that you need in your diet?

However the confusion led by the multiple choices offered by chocolate manufacturers have often left consumers in a tizzy on concluding their selections. Chocolate comes in many forms ranging from Dark chocolate to Milk Chocolate to White Chocolate. So what is the difference? Dark chocolate is simply made from sugar, cocoa powder and cocoa butter and does not contain any milk. That’s why a lot of the time, vegans can eat dark chocolate. The higher the percentage of cocoa, the less there is of the other ingredients (sugar and cocoa butter). Milk chocolate contains a bit of everything, sugar, milk, cocoa butter and cocoa powder. Of course, the cocoa percentage varies from make to make. White chocolate is the opposite of dark chocolate, as it contains no cocoa powder at all, and it’s three ingredients are sugar, cocoa butter and milk.

Then there are Compound Chocolates, where a percentage of the cocoa butter is substituted with vegetable oils to help with the temperature stability of the chocolates.

Finally you have the sugar free versions of chocolates where the sugar component is substituted with sugar free alternatives like stevia and erythritol and other plant based sugar alcohols, making the whole chocolate devouring experience guilt free for the diabetics and the calorie conscious.

For now let's discuss the healthy, delicious and decadent dark chocolate and why it has become such a rage? Dark chocolate, made from cocoa pods, uses 50-90% cocoa solids and cocoa butter with little to no added sugar. If you pick a dark chocolate that is 70% and over, here are all the benefits you can reap:

1. It is a Great source
   • Zinc • Iron • Copper • Magnesium • Phosphorus
2. Rich in antioxidants like flavonoids. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals and prevent oxidative stress. Oxidative stress contributes to the natural aging process, so eating dark chocolate and getting on a delicious journey on the anti aging process.
3. Promotes and protects heart health. Regularly eating dark chocolate may help reduce the development of heart disease. Flavonoids in dark chocolate affect two major risk factors for heart disease: high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The flavanols in dark chocolate also stimulate nitric oxide production in the body. Nitric oxide causes blood vessels to dilate, or widen, which improves blood flow and lowers blood pressure.
4. It may help lower bad cholesterol levels. The polyphenols and theobromine in dark chocolate help lower levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the body and increase levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
5. Anti inflammatory in Nature. Dark chocolate contains compounds with anti-inflammatory properties that may help reduce inflammation in the body.
6. It may help improve brain function. Studies suggest that the flavanols present in dark chocolate may enhance neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself, particularly in response to injury and disease and help improve brain function and help prevent neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
7. It is a mood enhancer and stress buster - now you don’t really need a study to tell you that unwinding with a chocolate at the end of the day, simply provides the comfort you need to end a stressful day and puts you in the right mood for the rest of the night!

With all this goodness, we wonder why the sullen connotation over chocolates not being good for you comes from.

Now, think about dark chocolate and mix that with some of the best age-old and most potent versions of ayurvedic herbs and natural adaptogens and you will have only one answer - Rekindle! At Caim By Arelang, we use dark chocolate compounds so that the chocolates that we’ve made for you can perfectly encase all the important nutrients and reach you intact, without melting or breaking. Our chocolate bars are made with sugar free dark compound chocolate, that is rich in stearic acid and is cholesterol neutral, and all the goodness of the cacao plant, making them all the more healthy.

If this doesn't convince you to stock up on your stash of yummy dark chocolate bars, we don't know what will! Check out our range of dark chocolate bars here and really indulge in guilt free health.