Valentine's Day, The Perfect Excuse to Eat Chocolate

Valentine's Day is all about love, and that is what it should be! Whether you're single or in a relationship, there is always an excuse to celebrate! One may celebrate the love within a relationship, a marriage, a family, or even a friendship. Being in a long-term relationship and having close family and friends, I have much to celebrate. For me, Valentine's Day has also become the perfect excuse to eat chocolate!! And by that, I mean lots of chocolate!

One of the main reasons that I don't feel bad about eating all of the chocolate in the world today is that there are indeed benefits of eating chocolate, it is not completely bad!!

Benefits of chocolate:

1. Chocolate is delicious!!

2. Chocolate is good for the soul

3. Chocolate helps support the production of dopamine in the body that makes us feel good

4. If it is good chocolate, it melts in your mouth

5. Chocolate is actually an anti-depressant

6. Chocolate is high in antioxidants and more are released when it's heated up

7. Antioxidants help prevent heart disease, cancer, and ageing

8. Chocolate and cocoa are high in magnesium which is essential for over 500 function in your body including heart health and muscle function

9. Hot chocolate increased the blood flow and oxygen to the brain aiding one's thinking

10. Cocoa contains plan nutrients called proanthocyanidins that have been shown to protect against carcinogens and nervous system toxins

11. Chocolate lowers blood pressure in people whose blood pressure is high

12. Cocoa or high amounts of chocolate lowers LDL cholesterol and raises HDL cholesterol, the good cholesterol

13. Dark chocolate may help reduce pain by increasing the levels of endorphins

14. Eating dark chocolate causes the release  of hormones called phylethylamines that are also released when we are in love, helping us to feel happy