Chocolate And Health: What Are The Benefits Of Chocolate?

In general, chocolate is not recommended. Chocolate The NHS regards chocolate as a high-fat, high-sugar food that we should only eat in moderation. Many public health measures have been proposed to reduce the sugar content of foods and beverages, including chocolate. The British Diabetes Association (BDA) says chocolate should only be eaten occasionally.

However, recent reports show that chocolate has health benefits. Maybe we should be eating more chocolate, not less.

Can chocolate really be good for you?

This question depends on the definition of the word "chocolate".

A small amount of dark chocolate with lots of cocoa solids can provide health benefits. Studies show that dark chocolate can lower blood pressure, improve the function of blood vessel walls, and reduce platelet aggregation. Flavonoids in cocoa have been shown to improve cerebral blood flow. However, the health benefits of chocolate are unproven.

Most chocolate studies are small, short-term, created and funded by chocolate manufacturers who want to sell more chocolate!

Independent, large, long-term, well-conducted studies are needed before anyone can truly recommend the health benefits of chocolate.

A healthy difference between milk and dark chocolate

The "goodness" of chocolate comes from the percentage of cocoa in the product because it contains "flavonoids," plant substances that appear to be beneficial to human health.

But - the average chocolate bar isn't made from dark chocolate - it's made from milk chocolate - which means more fat and sugar are added to the cocoa solids. Also, many of the health-promoting flavonoids are filtered out during the manufacturing process, which is what gives dark chocolate its bitter taste.

Dr. Michael Moseley recommends 2 cubes of dark chocolate a day; But milk chocolate can only contain 25% cocoa. The milk in milk chocolate also reduces the absorption of flavonoids from the gut into the bloodstream. So milk chocolate is a completely different type of chocolate than the type of chocolate that Michael Moseley is talking about.

Unfortunately, eating regular milk chocolate every day won't make you healthy, it might just make you fat! 

What ingredients in chocolate can be harmful?

Both milk and dark chocolate contain other substances that cause adverse health effects.

• Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant that can make you wake up and cause insomnia, especially when it's bedtime.
• Theobromine is also a central nervous system stimulant that can cause sweating and tremors, as well as loss of appetite and headaches. It also relaxes the lower esophagus and relieves stomach irritation. People vary in their natural sensitivity to theobromine.
• Saturated Fat – About 60% of the fat in chocolate is saturated fat, mostly palmitic acid, which is known to raise total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.
• Allergy to chocolate - cases of allergic reactions to chocolate have been reported.

Other possible reasons to give up chocolate

Chocolate is a food high in fat and sugar - a processed food - not recommended for any of us, but especially for children. This may outweigh the limited benefits of chocolate.

Foods high in sugar, such as chocolate, cause a sudden spike in glucose, but levels quickly drop, leaving you hungry and reaching for another candy. High GI foods like chocolate make us overeat and gain weight. You'll be better off eating foods with a low or medium GI because they release energy more slowly and keep you feeling full longer. Brown bread, black rice, and whole wheat pasta are good examples, or a medium-sized baked potato.

Although chocolate is not addictive, it certainly creates cravings and affects the levels of dopamine, the brain's neurotransmitter.

How much chocolate is safe to eat?

Dr. Michael Moseley recommends 2 cubes of dark chocolate a day. However, 2 cubes of 70% cocoa and dark chocolate contain about 120 calories. That's 6% of a woman's recommended daily calorie intake and 5% of a man's - all in a short amount of time!

If you want to get the benefits of chocolate, you need to make sure that these calories are included in your daily diet if you want to eat chocolate every day and not gain weight.

When you consider that you have to walk a mile (over 4,000 steps) to burn 100 calories, it puts those 2 candies into perspective!

What can you eat instead of chocolate?

Try to fight your sweet tooth by eating more protein, drinking more water, using more herbs and spices in your cooking, and eating fresh fruits and vegetables. Desserts are allowed, but can cause sugar cravings and are usually much better. A spoonful of honey is a good option, or maybe a few drops of vanilla extract.

• Make healthy granola bars with oats, nuts, brown rice and dried fruit. It can be prepared with only a small amount of sugar or syrup.
• Make your own popsicles or popsicles with natural fruit juice without added sugar.
• Try making chia pudding; Chia seeds are very healthy, rich in protein and fiber and very low in calories.
• How about some homemade popcorn, maybe cinnamon flavored?
• Hot chocolate can be an option as long as it is not made with unsweetened cocoa powder and contains plant-based milk such as almond.

A great snack, even if it's not sweet, is a small portion of cottage cheese, full-fat Greek yogurt, or a handful of nuts. If you can train your taste buds to not expect sweets all the time, that's for the best.

How much exercise do you need to burn off the calories in a bar?

A 229-calorie Mars bar requires 42 minutes of brisk walking or 22 minutes of running on a treadmill.

Half a Cadbury's Dairy Milk Family bar contains 521 calories. So if you can easily find yourself in front of the TV like me, it will take you over 2 hours of walking to turn it off the next day!

Latest thoughts on diet and nutrition

You are what you eat, and adding flavonoids to your diet is definitely a good thing. But it cannot be mixed with fat and sugar.

Eating 2 cubes of dark chocolate a day is perfectly reasonable as long as it's part of your daily caloric intake. But dark chocolate has a bitter taste, and many people do not like it. Milk chocolate is a completely different product and can only worsen, not improve, health, so it cannot be replaced. The healthiest dark chocolate contains at least 70 percent cocoa solids, suggesting that chocolate's benefits may come from the dark, not the processed chocolate.

There are other ways to get more flavonoids in your diet. You just need to eat more beans, grains, fruits and vegetables that will help you learn to taste at the same time.

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This piece was written and contributed by Dr. Deborah Lee, MD Fox Online Pharmacy.

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