Good news everyone! So chocolate is officially a superfood.
Chocolate contains high levels of antioxidants, polyphenols, theobromine, and flavonoids.
The health benefits of chocolate have recently been linked to;
– Lower blood pressure
– Reduced risk of heart failure
– Reduce the potential for insulin resistance and therefore diabetes.
– Solar protection
– Stress reduction
– Boost blood flow to the brain, potentially increasing performance and alertness in the short term.
– Relief from diarrhea
– Relieve cough symptoms
There have been several university studies, particularly in Europe and the United States, on the health benefits of chocolate, many of them with surprisingly positive results. However, you must ask yourself who is funding much of this research. Wouldn’t they be large corporations like chocolate makers by chance? Only one batch of research was from the Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition. In no way biased then, right?
It’s also worth noting that most of these studies are based on short-term effects and not long-term research.
So, before drinking the Milk, let’s weigh the evidence …
Dark chocolate is anti-inflammatory. So it makes sense that it helped reduce heart-related problems like strokes. However, the rest of the ingredients that our chocolate normally presents us may not be so positive. Standard chocolate bars are loaded with fats, milk, sugars, emulsifiers, and other artificial ingredients.
The theobromine found in chocolate has been found to reduce the action of the vagus nerve, which is linked to frequent or persistent coughs. However, increased activity of the vagus nerve has been found to reduce epilepsy. In fact, elevated levels of theobromine can cause epileptic seizures. And dark chocolate contains more than three times the amount of theobromine as milk chocolate, so it is not suitable for everyone.
Interestingly, it is the theobromine in chocolate that makes it so toxic to dogs.
Theobromine can be our friend and our enemy. It can help with insulin sensitivity, asthma, blood vessel dilation, and vascular performance. However, there is some evidence that excessive consumption of theobromine during pregnancy can have negative effects on the development of the fetus.
Theobromine has effects on the body similar to caffeine, so it can be addictive.
Chocolate is also rich in oxalic acid which can inhibit calcium absorption and general mineralization in the body. Also, it can aid in the production of kidney stones. Therefore, it should be avoided if you have ever suffered from kidney stones.
It also contains vasoactive amines, which can dilate brain vessels, stimulating headaches and migraines, so it should be avoided if you suffer from it.
In your favorite, chocolate is rich in magnesium. It would appear that most “chocoholics” are actually lacking in magnesium. If you suffer from chocolate cravings, it may be worth trying a chocolate detox and boosting your magnesium levels with other magnesium-rich snacks like avocados, cashews, seeds, almonds, or eggs.
I really can’t go much further talking about chocolate without discussing the other C word that most women think of: calories! My personal opinion is that our thoughts on our daily diets shouldn’t focus on calories per se, they should focus on nutrients. However, that doesn’t mean we should ignore them completely. And chocolate can be very caloric compared to its nutritional value. So less is definitely more. Just 4 squares of chocolate a day can add up to 76,000 calories to your annual intake!
So if you still want to enjoy your chocolate. My recommendations would be;
– Try not to become a habit, rather an occasional treatment.
– The biggest benefit comes from the cocoa levels in dark chocolate, so go for really dark chocolate (70% is a good marker)
– Avoid highly processed brands, as high heating levels destroy some of the potential benefits.
– Be on the lookout for the other unpleasant ingredients in the bars, it is these ingredients that can really affect the caloric value of the bar.
– Crude test
Right before I left, I thought I’d leave you with one of my favorite Chocolate Muffin recipes, with no flour or added sugar.
“Joyless” cakes, or Chocolate and Aubergine Muffins recipe
Enjoy!
Jules
