Everything Is Good If It’s Made of Chocolate
Some people have an overwhelming craving for sweets that will never go away. Although it’s unusual, there are people who actually don’t like sweets, or at least pretend as if they don’t.
If you’re the type to regularly indulge your sweet craving, you probably not only enjoy chocolate, but adore it. It is said that we develop a preference for chocolate because of the fat/carbohydrates balance in our bodies, which is established early in life.
Why do so many of us find chocolate so appealing? Why chocolate is one thing we can’t say “no” to? Contrary to popular belief, this tasty indulgence may have positive effects on your health beyond just aiding you gain weight. In this article, nutritionists partnered with Sirwiss explain the benefits of chocolate, so you can enjoy a piece of chocolate without feeling too guilty.
What Is Chocolate?
According to History.com, the history of chocolate dates back roughly four thousand years. According to Britannica, cocoa trees (Theobroma cacao) require a warm, humid environment in order to produce the cacao bean, which is then used to make chocolate. Later on, Spanish explorers and colonizers learned about the valuable crop and brought cocoa pods back to Europe. It was eventually exported to Spain, France, and Britain. Studies of Indigenous people who consumed significant quantities of cocoa beans (often dried and crushed into a lightly sweetened drink) showed a decrease in cardiovascular illness, hence the food developed a healthy reputation notes the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of USA.
Types of Chocolates
All chocolate and cocoa products originate from cacao beans, which are formed by cocoa trees (Theobroma cacao). The beans are contained within enormous, elongated, reddish-brown, and bumpy pods. Chocolate manufacturers gather cacao pods and separate the cacao seeds from the white pulp contained within (the pulp is edible, and has a sweet, tropical fruit taste).
Similar to coffee, the cacao seeds are fermented and dried before being roasted and ground. According to the Princeton Institute of Chocolate Studies, the resulting paste is melted into chocolate liquor, a nonalcoholic liquid that can be sweetened and re-solidified into consumable chocolate, or separated into cocoa solids and cocoa butter. Ground cacao seeds yield cocoa powder. You may also be familiar with cacao nibs, which are merely crushed, roasted cocoa beans.
During the chocolate liquor phase, the procedure differs slightly depending on whether you are creating milk chocolate or dark chocolate. Cost-reducing constituents such as sugar, cocoa butter, soy, and other bulking agents are frequently added to chocolate liquor in mass-produced chocolates.
1. Milk chocolate is created from chocolate liquor, powdered milk, and sugar. The average milk chocolate sold in the United States has at least 10% cocoa.
2. Dark chocolate has some of the same basic elements as milk chocolate, but in different proportions. Dark chocolate does not contain any milk powder. According to the Princeton Centre for Chocolate Research, most dark chocolate has between 35 and 85 percent cocoa. The greater the flavor, the higher the amount of cocoa.
3. White chocolate is created solely from the fat found in the cocoa bean, known as cocoa butter. To make cocoa butter, separate the chocolate liquor from the cocoa solids, leaving only the butter or fat. Hence, while it does come from a portion of the cocoa bean, white chocolate is not the same as normal chocolate. White chocolate contains sugar and flavoring in addition to cocoa butter, according to the McGill University Office for Science and Society in Montreal.
Chocolate Nutrition Facts
The following nutrition information is provided by the researches for a 1.4-ounce bar (41g) of sweet or dark chocolate.
1. Calories: 216
2. Fat: 13.6g
3. Sodium: 8.2mg
4. Carbohydrates: 24.7g
5. Fiber: 2.6g
6. Sugars: 20g
7. Protein: 1.8g
Why Does Chocolate Make Us Happy?
Psychologically speaking, chocolate’s characteristics are known to induce the production of dopamine, the brain’s natural feel-good component, which is why people may seek chocolate in stressful situations or when they need comfort or reassurance.
According to the results of some research, one more important reason why people enjoy eating chocolate is the way the fat content of the outer layers melts in their mouths while they chew. The interaction between the fat in chocolate and the tongue and salivary glands or saliva is thus probably responsible for the pleasure we experience when eating chocolate.
Potential Health Benefits of Chocolate
Despite its lack of certain nutrients, including chocolate into your diet (in moderation) may have some positive effects on your health.
1. Improved Heart Health
Cocoa is a good source of the polyphenol flavanols, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and are found in the flavonoid family of flavonoids. Flavanols, in particular, are a naturally occurring chemical in plants that increases blood flow and decreases blood pressure. When cocoa beans are processed, their nutritional value decreases. This is why it’s preferable to go for dark chocolate that has been processed as little as possible. If you’re going to eat chocolate, opt for dark chocolate.
2. Benefits on Mood
Moods can be lifted thanks to the methylxanthines and flavanols found in cocoa and chocolate. According to some research, people who indulge in chocolate regularly have a 57% lower risk of developing depressive symptoms than those who abstain completely. Want to maximize your chocolate experience? If you savor chocolate consciously (as opposed to mindlessly or “on autopilot”), you’ll reap even more of the mood-boosting benefits that this delicacy has to offer. So, relish each and every bite.
3. Improves Brain Power
In one experiment, half of the sleep-deprived participants were given chocolate while the other half served as a control. The chocolate eaters were able to mitigate the negative physiological consequences of sleep loss on memory function.
4. Decrease in Cholesterol
Cholesterol levels might be lowered by eating certain chocolates. Lycopene-containing dark chocolate reduced total cholesterol and “bad” cholesterol after 28 days of consumption compared to a control group that consumed plain dark chocolate (30 grams). In addition, their levels of serum triglycerides dropped.
5. May Aid in Weight Loss
There have been some promising findings from the scientific investigation of chocolate’s potential efficacy as a weight-loss aid. Dark chocolate, for instance, has been linked to satiety, according to one study. The fuller you feel, the less you might eat overall, creating a calorie deficit. Chocolate eaters were shown to have a lower body mass index (BMI) than those who didn’t eat chocolate in a separate study. Associating chocolate with joyous occasions rather than guilty ones appears to be an important factor in the weight-loss benefits of this meal.
6. Easing PMS
In the days leading up to your period, reaching for chocolate may be a smart move, according to some studies. One small study with women aged 18 to 25 found that those who ate dark chocolate three days before to their period and on the first day of their period experienced significantly less severe menstrual pain and anxiety than a control group. Additional studies on young women indicated that those who consumed 1.5 ounces of dark chocolate each day for the first three days after the onset of menstruation experienced significantly less discomfort compared to a control group who consumed milk chocolate.
7. Reduced Risk of Certain Cancers
A meta-analysis found that people who ate the most chocolate had a 13% lower chance of dying from cancer compared to those who ate the least. This may be due to the disease-fighting flavonols found in chocolate. However, other studies have failed to find any link between chocolate and either colorectal cancer or overall cancer mortality.
Choosing the right chocolate: Cheat sheet
To make chocolate selections that are healthier:
1. Opt for dark chocolate rather than white chocolate
2. Strive for 70 percent cocoa content in your chocolate products
3. Select options with less sugar whenever possible or employ portion control
4. Stay away from white chocolate
Options containing less cocoa (such as milk chocolate) typically have a higher sugar content and provide few health benefits. And despite its designation, white chocolate does not contain cocoa and does not belong in the same category as milk or dark chocolate, so it has no health benefits.
For those affected by type 2 diabetes, dark chocolate has more health benefits than other chocolate varieties. People with diabetes must be mindful of the portion sizes and carbohydrate content of the chocolate they consume, and they may have lower blood sugar levels when they consume chocolate products with protein, such as cocoa-dusted almonds.
How to Eat (and Drink) Chocolate
Chocolate comes in so many varieties that there’s no shortage of ways to indulge. For a quick and easy dessert, eat a square of dark chocolate. You could also dip strawberries or other fresh fruit into chocolate. Cacao nibs and cocoa powder are also delicious when added to foods like chia pudding, oats, and smoothies. Cocoa powder, baking chocolate (unsweetened chocolate), chocolate chips, chocolate discs, and chocolate melts are just a few of the various kinds of chocolate that can be used in the kitchen.
Be wary of using the wrong kind of cocoa powder in a recipe, both natural cocoa powder and Dutch processed cocoa powder (also known as alkalized cocoa powder) exist. Research shows that the acidity of cocoa powder is reduced through the Dutch processing method, reducing the amount of flavonols that are beneficial to health.
In addition to its prominent position in sweets like German chocolate cake and chocolate chip cookies, chocolate also has a prominent role in savory dishes like the world-famous Mexican mole sauce. Chocolate drinks like hot chocolate (also known as cocoa) and chocolate milk are also available. Yet, cocoa and milk tastes bitter without sugar.
While too much of anything is unhealthy for you, eating chocolate is no exception. A nutritionist can help you figure out the best way to work chocolate into your diet.