4 Dark Chocolate Desserts That Athletes Can Eat EVERY Night
Even as an athlete, there's absolutely no need to pass on rich, healthy dark chocolate desserts if you’re prepping for a big race or competition — they might actually help your stamina.
MORE: 10 Training-Friendly Chocolate Recipes for Any Occasion
Dark chocolate has antioxidant benefits (which may offer life-saving disease prevention) and can have energy-boosting properties that might power your muscles to persevere. Here's what you need to know about cocoa’s powers for endurance athletes and clean ways to indulge.
How Dark Chocolate Can Enhance Your Training Performance
1. Dark chocolate may increase nitric oxide in the body.
Recent research published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Medicine found that eating dark chocolate might help athletes have energy to exercise for longer periods of time.
The flavonoids in dark chocolate are believed to increase the body’s nitric oxide production, which — studies have shown — can reduce the amount of oxygen needed to complete your workouts. Therefore, you might have the tolerance to keep pushing yourself longer through that race or training session. However, the study was a small one, and there is still more research that needs to be done on dark chocolate and athletic performance, according to Taylor Wolfram, MS, RDN, LDN.
2. It may increase blood flow to your muscles.
“Dark chocolate has many health benefits, including increasing blood flow,” Rebecca Goodrich, MS, RDN, LDN, says. "Studies have proven its ability to get the blood pumping."
Increased blood flow to the muscles, especially during intense exercise, allows them to get more oxygen, and therefore more energy to stay in motion. More recent research states that dark chocolate can help prevent oxidative stress and muscle damage in athletes.
3. Dark chocolate contains cancer- and heart disease-fighting antioxidants.
Eating foods containing flavonoids (like dark berries, citrus fruits, and even red wine and dark chocolate) may lower your risk of certain cancers, studies have shown. The antioxidants in dark chocolate also have been proven to promote good heart health and lower blood pressure, which is important for endurance athletes.
You can also combine dark chocolate with other flavonoid-rich foods to double the benefits, dietitians suggest.
Related: This Is Why You Should Care About Flavonoids
“A great dessert can include melted dark chocolate-covered strawberries or sliced green apples with one serving of dark chocolate — about one to two ounces,” Goodrich says.
How to Make Healthy Dark Chocolate Desserts
1. Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
from Kristina LaRue, RD, CSSD, of Love and Zest
These chocolate muffins will satisfy your sweet tooth, but are a much cleaner choice than a coffee shop or store-bought muffin, thanks to coconut flour. Plus, they're natural sweetened from the banana and dark cocoa powder, and they pack protein from the peanut butter, making this muffin perfect post-workout.
2. Chocolate Avocado Truffles
from health coach Brittany Mullins of Eating Bird Food
Instead of reaching for the candy jar, whip up these simple truffles with healthy fats from their key ingredient, avocado. In fact, these dark chocolate treats only involve four ingredients all together — mashed avocado, dark chocolate chips, cocoa powder, and sea salt — but look and taste way more decadent.
3. Healthy Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Bars
from Edwina Clark, MS, RD, APD, CSSD
The secret ingredient in these fudgy brownie-cake bars is not what you’d expect: chickpeas. They pair with the peanut butter to fill these squares with protein. They’re sweetened with maple syrup and have no flour, making them not only healthier than regular brownies, but gluten-free too.
4. Vegan Dark Chocolate Antioxidant Pudding
from Leah Swanson, RDN, of Got Nourishment?
Love a cup of pudding, but choose to eat vegan? Here’s your go-to dessert. The main, protein-filled ingredient is silken tofu, which accounts for the perfect pudding texture. You can add extra antioxidants by topping the treat with cacao nibs and goji berries, which also add crunch to the rich treat.
