Is Dark Chocolate A Prebiotic?

At this time of year we can all go a bit over board guzzling chocolates & end up feeling crappy. However many people may not realise that there is a 'good side' to a quality chocolate hit. In fact, we're often asked 'is dark chocolate a prebiotic?' Cacao provides some truly awesome antioxidants, called polyphenols. They were once thought to be indigestible & poorly absorbed in our digestive systems, but really - all we need is for our trusty good gut bacteria to break the choccy polyphenols down into useable bits.

Is dark chocolate a prebiotic?

Cacao is an awesome prebiotic food, which means it actually provides food for & promotes the growth of some all-important friendly bacteria - namely the Lactobacillus & Bifidobacteria that are found to increase in number when we eat or drink it. We also see a decrease in some of the nastier gut bugs when eating cacao regularly (well rats do anyway, & that’s good enough for me to justify my regular dark choccy / cacao habit)! So basically - (quality, low sugar, no milk, high cocoa percent) dark chocolate or raw cacao is great for your gut bacterial balance, which results in many other good things happening as a result. Things like improved metabolism, weight loss, decreased inflammation, healthier blood vessels & heart, more youthful looking skin, the list goes on! So if the gut bugs want chocolate, give them some!! Just make sure it’s quality!