Is chocolate a health food?

7 Apr

‘For if a person fatigued with long and hard labour, or with a violent agitation of the mind, takes a good dish of chocolate, he shall perceive almost instantly that his faintness shall cease and his strength shall be recovered.’ Anon, 1724

Chocolate was known as the ‘drink of the gods’, by the Maya people who cultivated the cacao pods about 2,500 years ago, and the Aztec people used chocolate to treat stomach problems and indigestion, mixing it with tree bark to cure infections and mixing it with maize to relieve fever.

Today, is chocolate just a sweet treat or is it a health food?

A 2014 study found that women who eat chocolate guilt free are more likely to achieve successful weight maintenance.

Dark chocolate 70% plus contains antioxidants and flavonoids that fight against inflammation and protect against cell damage.

The purer and darker the chocolate the greater the health benefits.

The quality of some of the research may be mixed but benefits are reported to include;

Improvements in heart health, the immune system and brain function and reduction in stress.

There is some evidence that the antioxidants in dark chocolate lower bad cholesterol and the flavonoids lower blood pressure.

Theobromine a compound in dark chocolate has similar effects to caffeine and boosts energy levels without the addictive quality and is associated with being beneficial for your heart, blood pressure and general mood.

Chocolate includes nutrients such as fibre, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc.

But not all chocolate is the same. Studies suggest that for the most benefit a piece of dark chocolate about the size of a matchbox can be eaten….I don’t think they mean the extra-long cook matches!

The downsides are that chocolate can be high in sugar so buy the best quality you can afford, don’t just buy cheap chocolate while you buying the shopping or filing the car with petrol.

When buying chocolate look for quality over quantity. Look for cocoa, cacao, cocoa powder, cocoa nibs, and cocoa butter as the first ingredient and avoid the brands where sugar is the first ingredient.

This is how I think you should appreciate chocolate. Other methods are available.

Always enjoy it, no hiding it in your handbag, no guilt, no bingeing to get it eaten quickly.

Really good chocolate deserves to be savoured.

Find your me time spot, relax, breathe deeply, break a piece of chocolate, smell it, admire it, then pop it in your mouth, close your eyes and hold it on your tongue to dissolve.

You need to be in a kid-free, partner-free zone, otherwise you be sitting with a piece of melted chocolate in your mouth and the spell will be broken with questions about pack lunches or clean pants!

So was that a better experience than normal?

I was recently lucky enough to take part in chocolate tasting with Cocoa Runners

https://cocoarunners.com/tasting-events/

I didn’t know I need to be taught how to eat chocolate but it was a fun shared experience.

Some craft chocolate is made using fermentation so your gut bugs will love it.

Easter is around the corner. My normal mantra, ‘was it worth it” can help you to decide on your treat food during the long weekend.

Hot cross buns or quality chocolate? if you want to, and it doesn’t make you feel bad both!

Happy Easter

Sending nutritional hugs

Jacxx

Ref:

https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-chocolate