Chocolate, 9 incredible benefits for your health that you didn't know

Medically reviewed and approved by Nataniel Josue M.D.

Chocolate? There are two opposing fashions in the human lifestyle. We have just completed a decade of explosive growth in fitness activities and, in turn, in cocoa consumption.

In the year 2000, each person consumed 3.5 kilos of chocolate per year. Today, it has reached an average of 5 kilos per person in the world! In Switzerland the consume an average of 9 kilos per person!

Is chocolate part of the "junk food" mentality? What else could be called "food of the gods" and, at the same time, "food of the devil"?

Properties and benefits of chocolate

It's an excellent aphrodisiac.

Due to its natural components, it is an entirely natural aphrodisiac. It helps increase your passion and sexual desire very quickly if you eat this food.

It is a good antioxidant.

Given its composition of polyphenols, it is a natural antioxidant and perfect for reducing aging and the likelihood of suffering from bone pain and permanent wrinkles in the skin.

It reduces stress.

Thanks to its properties of sugars and pleasant increase, the chocolate reduces the stress effectively and speedily (we recommend to eat in concentrated thick quantities, to take the maximum advantage of it)

It reduces fear and anxiety.

One of the best-known effects of chocolate is that it reduces fear, distress, and anxiety. It has a high theobromine concentration. Theobromine is a natural anxiolytic that helps to reduce our anxiety.

It's nutritious.

Cocoa is food; we must not forget this. Therefore, it will give us a tremendous nutritional effect when ingested. The calorific properties of cocoa butter and sugar provide us with the feeling of satiety needed.

If you want to know more about nutritious foods, read our article "The 22 best foods for your health according to science".

 

It's enjoyable.

Chocolate manages to stimulate the brain, giving us a highly pleasant sensation of wellbeing. Chocolate gives us the necessary benefits to feel the pleasure and comfort that we so much desire when eating it.

Also, it improves blood pressure and blood flow.

One of its positive effects on health is that cocoa contains epicatechin, an antioxidant substance that helps to reduce blood pressure and blood pressure. It is also an excellent medicinal treatment against high cholesterol. (The negative)

It improves memory and brain function.

Several studies have shown that eating chocolate frequently increases the likelihood that your brain will remember better in addition to increasing your fluency of memory.

It can reduce the chances of suffering a stroke.

Since cocoa makes it easier for the blood to circulate more freely, we can see that chocolate helps combat heart and brain problems.
In this way, it increases the defenses against any deadly disease resulting from a stroke-type event.

Disadvantages of eating chocolate

Where does the truth begin and the story end? Here is a sample of the scientific principles, linked to this significant addiction.

Acne

There is no established link between the consumption of chocolate or other foods and the appearance of acne. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Journal published a study on this subject in 2013.

This study determined that acne's appearance is more related to consuming high sugar dairy products than chocolate or cocoa. (Having these low sugar levels)

Addiction

That describes people who get intense satisfaction from eating chocolate or refer to individuals who claim they cannot stop eating it.

Chocolate can provide psychological satisfaction because it evokes memories of childhood pleasures. We can eat chocolate or cocoa as a way of balancing challenging moments in our existence.

It gives us a sense of wellbeing and relief from stress, as well as improving our memory. In other words, chocolate improves our health, thanks to its properties, being a natural food and easy to prepare or lace in the kitchen.

However, as far as its value as a food substance is concerned, chocolate has no addictive ingredients.

Allergy

Having an allergy to chocolate could be very unpleasant. Fortunately, it rarely appears as a medical condition.

For a small minority of people, foods such as peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, or certain seafood can produce documented allergic symptoms: coughing, sneezing, or hiccups. But chocolate does not provide such reactions.

There is not even evidence to support the notion that cocoa could cause or increase a migraine problem.

Chocolate reduces appetite.

Our mom always told us having chocolate before we eat could spoil our appetite.

But you have to think about chocolate or cocoa as a means to control your appetite healthily.

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen determined that cocoa, being rich in fiber, has a satiating effect.

You can include it in your kitchen's basic food because of its properties to improve your health, stress, and blood pressure.

If you want to learn how to reduce your appetite, read our article "Learn how to get rid of hunger to lose weight."

Calories

Fat and sugar are the main components of calories in chocolate. A 50-gram bar can provide about 500 calories.

That is why we always recommend drinking chocolate of at least 70% purity and no added sugars. This cocoa has about 110 kcal per 20 grams, so take it with care.

As you get used to its intense flavor, you can increase the purity of the chocolate you eat. I drink 90% chocolate that has about 100 kcal per 20 grams. Remember that even though it's healthy, take it as a treat, not as something too frequent.

Carob connection

Carob looks like cocoa, but it comes from a different source, that typical Mediterranean tree that also grows in hot and dry climates. Carob tastes somewhat different from chocolate and contains no stimulants and only half the calories of chocolate.

However, manufacturers often add sugar and saturated fats (usually coconut and palm oil) to them. These additives make carob an alternative to chocolate, although it is not necessarily healthier.

Caries

If considered in isolation, cocoa or dark chocolate does not produce tooth decay (due to its sugar composition. But most cocoa products – chocolates, special candies, cakes, etc. – contain sugar.

Sugar and other fermentable carbohydrates are the principal dietary factors related to tooth decay. Human and animal studies do not put chocolate at the top of the list of caries-causing products.

The fat content of bitter cocoa may even offer some protection against tooth decay. Sugar can be wellness, given its pleasurable properties and benefits.

Cholesterol

Cocoa does not contain cholesterol, but the fat in cocoa butter is predominantly saturated. Most of these types of fat tend to raise blood cholesterol levels or lower blood pressure.

However, the type of saturated fat in cocoa butter may be an exception. Human and animal studies have shown that chocolate and cocoa butter have a neutral effect on blood cholesterol levels and blood pressure.

Why? The neutral effect may be due to the high levels of stearic acid in cocoa butter. Also, the digestion of stearic acid maybe not complete as that of other types of fat.

Chocolate as an aphrodisiac  

For the Aztecs, chocolate was an aphrodisiac. In the early 1980s, researchers discovered that cocoa contained phenylethylamine (PEA). PEA is a kind of amphetamine present in the human brain, which helps to release emotions. Can cocoa make us more loving?

Cocoa has a delightful taste and texture, but cocoa has insufficient PEA to alter our emotions. The absorption of ADP through cocoa consumption is minimal. E Stimulants Chocolate contains caffeine but in tiny portions.

It would be best if you consumed a quarter kilo of cocoa per cup and almost half with milk to achieve the same effect as two cups of coffee. For the few people who cannot tolerate caffeine, drinking too much chocolate at once can be a cause for concern.

Cocoa also contains theobromine, another stimulant, but this substance in chocolate does not influence our nervous system. It also has a concentration of polyphenols, which are an extraordinary antioxidant.

Because cocoa contains the right amount of these polyphenols, their antioxidant effects will help you to age more slowly. Below, if you want to cook a healthy dessert, I leave you a video with healthy recipes with chocolate.

CONCLUSION

It is good we consume cocoa sometimes, as part of our healthy lifestyle. The virtues of chocolate have often been over-emphasized, as have their shortcomings.

If you like it too much, you should enjoy it, but don't overdo it because everything in excess is wrong; overeating cocoa can increase your weight and make you obese.

Decrease the amount of chocolate you consume daily. You will see good results if you only eat a little at a time.

[author] [author_image timthumb='on']https://buildyourbody.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Nataniel-Josue-Alvarez.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]The article was reviewed and approved by Nataniel Josué Alvarez. Medical Doctor graduated from Medical School Universidad Nacional Experimental Francisco de Miranda. Área Ciencias de la Salud. •Awarded winner IV Science Fair of Research Methodology - April 2012 •Recipient of Asesor Estudiantil Institucional Scholarship •Thesis: Relationship Between Parasitosis, Anemia and Hygiene Habits in patients aged 20 yo 70 years old in Amuay, municipality of Los Taques, Falcón State, Venezuela •Thesis: Intervention Plan in Rural Healthcare in Monte Verde and La Puntica sectors, of the Amuay Community, Los Taques parish, Los Taques municipality, of the Falcón State, Venezuela. During the period March 2018 - July 2018[/author_info] [/author]