The Surprising Benefits of Raw Chocolate

Chocolate is often seen as an indulgence, a naughty little treat that always leaves us feeling a bit guilty after we've taken the last bite, but is it really such a bad thing?

Actually, chocolate isn't half as unhealthy as you might believe. It just depends on the kind of chocolate that you're eating. Milk and white chocolate are great for a treat and should be enjoyed guilt-free, but other types of chocolate have some surprising benefits you might not have been aware of.

Dark chocolate, however, is a different story. Studies have found that dark chocolate has a lot of health benefits (though it's not an excuse to start scoffing with wild abandon). Here are just some of the health benefits of dark chocolate:

• Dark chocolate is a great source of antioxidants (in fact, one of the best sources on the planet)
• Dark chocolate can improve your blood flow as well as lowering your blood pressure
• Dark chocolate can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease

While everyone has heard about how great dark chocolate is, is it the only tasty treat that's not bad for us? This brings us to raw chocolate, which is often touted as a 'superfood' and has many people interested in food and nutrition touting its advantages. Is raw chocolate much different from dark chocolate?

Chocolate is made from Cacao beans (this is where cocoa comes from), which are picked, fermented, roasted, ground and pressed before being mixed in with fat and sugar. Raw chocolate comes about when manufacturers decide not to roast the cocoa beans. Instead, they use cacao beans that have been dried out naturally in the great outdoors, which is apparently a better method for preserving all of the nutrients and maintaining higher levels of antioxidants.

Raw chocolate is rich in the following nutrients:

• Magnesium
• A whole range of vitamins
• Heart-healthy essential fat
• Protein
• Fibre

While it's not quite the same as dark chocolate, it does share some of its health benefits, with studies suggesting that raw chocolate can also lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. There are a couple of extra bonuses too, with raw chocolate being good for aiding digestion and the components of cacao can help to improve your mental wellbeing.

Of course while dark chocolate has a pretty dedicated following of fans at this point, people are still unsure about raw chocolate, especially when it comes to taste and quality. That being said, it is starting to gain some momentum and more and more people are switching on to it, which means that we will soon be seeing better quality control and better quality raw chocolate products, and you can already buy some fantastic organic chocolate online.

For instance, Chocolat Lovers sells a range of organic raw chocolate along with other more specialised chocolate products. As a luxury chocolate vendor, you won't have to worry about the taste or the quality because you'll be getting the best out there.