Chocolate and Gut Health: How Healthy Is It For Your Stomach?

Would it surprise you to know that eating chocolate could provide enormous benefits to your health, especially your gut? There are various types of chocolates in the store, but most don’t possess any health benefits. Your ability to identify and eat healthy chocolates is essential to improve your gut health. In particular, research studies have proven the beneficial effects of dark chocolate for gut health. 

Components of Chocolates

Chocolates are classified based on varying degrees of ingredients, such as cocoa solids, cocoa butter, sugar and milk, and artificial sweeteners. Here are common types of chocolates:

• Dark Chocolates: It contains 50-90% cocoa solids cocoa butter with little to no added sugar.
• Milk Chocolates: This possesses 10-50% of cocoa solids, cocoa butter, milk, and added sugar.
• White chocolates: They are made from only cocoa butter, milk, and sugar.

Dark chocolates are far more healthy than other chocolates because of the higher amount of cocoa solids.

Features of Healthy Chocolates

Although dark chocolates provide more nutritional value, not all dark chocolates contain the right ingredients. Before you choose to add dark chocolates to your healthcare regime, here are the significant features to look out for:

• Presence of 70% cocoa
• Unsweetened cocoa solids
• Purely organic
• Absence of added trans fat
• Low in sugar and milk

When you eat processed dark chocolate with added artificial flavors and sweeteners, it harms your gut and distorts the balance between the good and bad bacteria in your gut.

Dark Chocolate and Gut Health

When you eat dark chocolate, the good bacteria in your gut break it down, releasing important nutrients such as flavanols and polyphenols. These compounds have potent anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects and also support the gut microbes by increasing the growth of good bacteria in the intestines. This prebiotic effect reduces the risk of intestinal infections and improves gut health.

Also, when the dark chocolate is fermented or broken down by the probiotic bacteria, there is a release of short-chain fatty acids that improve the digestion of foods eaten.

According to research conducted by a group of food scientists, an analysis of the population of the good bacteria in the gut showed an increase in the study participants who ate dark chocolates.  

What about issues like “leaky gut”? 

Leaky gut occurs when the intestines become permeable to foreign substances because of a gap caused by an imbalance in the gut microorganism and inflammatory changes in the intestine wall.

Though, leaky gut may develop when unhealthy chocolates are eaten.  Unhealthy chocolates contain sugar and other artificial additives that stimulate inflammatory changes in the gut which promote the healthy growth of bad bacteria. Eating healthy dark chocolates does not cause a leaky gut because of theprebiotic and anti-inflammatory effects. To reduce your chances of developing a leaky gut, be sure to eat healthy dark chocolates.

Eat Dark Chocolate Probiotic

Consuming dark chocolate probiotic regularly to promote the healthy growth of good bacteria in your gut. This reduces the possibility of developing a leaky gut and improves the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. 

Another key way to support your intestinal and overall health, is though probiotic supplementation.  Just like there are different types of chocolate – some very healthy, others not so much, the same is true of probiotic supplements.  Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics is a superior product containing the right proportion of active ingredients that promote good gut bacteria’s growth for optimal gut health.  It is the only fermented whole-food supplement with prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics.  Plus, just like high-quality dark chocolate, Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics provide important flavonoids and polyphenols.  Try them for youself and Discover the Dr. Ohhira’s Advantage for yourself.

FAQ about Chocolates and Gut Health

Can Chocolate Help With Digestion?

Yes. The fermentation of healthy dark chocolates releases short-chain fatty acids that improve food digestion.

Does Dark Chocolate Help Inflammation?

The fermentation of healthy dark chocolates releases flavanols and polyphenols that exert anti-inflammatory effects in the intestine.

Does Dark Chocolate Have Probiotics?

Dark chocolate does not have probiotics but has prebiotic effects in the intestine by increasing the growth of good gut bacteria.  Since the breakdown of dark chocolate also provides important flavanols and polyphenols, it helps supports an improved gut microbiome.

Can Dark Chocolate Cause Gas?

The fermentation of unhealthy dark chocolate containing lots of sugar and milk causes bloating and increases stomach gas.

Is dark chocolate good for your stomach?

Yes, when you eat gut-healthy dark chocolates containing pure cocoa solids with no artificial sweeteners or milk.