Have you ever heard someone say that they just have to have chocolate at certain times? Maybe they are stressed or wanting something sweet. The first food they reach for is made of chocolate. There is a reason and a good one (besides loving it intensely).
In recent years, chocolate has been studied as more than just a satisfying dessert fare. Researchers have found that chocolate also has health benefits. Eating dark chocolate can help reduce cholesterol and high blood pressure.
You don’t need much. About an ounce of chocolate a day will help you receive these benefits without packing on the pounds. And, this is best accomplished with dark chocolate. It contains the highest percentage of cocoa. This is where the benefits derive – the cocoa bean.
The cocoa bean contains antioxidants. The specific one is a flavonoid called flavonol. As we know, antioxidants do wonders for the body. They combat the signs of aging on the inside so we look and live better on the outside.
The Conundrum
Cravings usually begin in the brain. Whether real or imaginary, self or chemically induced, they are a fact of life. That’s our story anyway and we’re sticking to it. Chocolate does contain substances that mimic the effects of endorphins. Those are the “feel good” substances that we get from sexual contact and also exercise.
Since the cocoa bean is the source of the antioxidants and other beneficial compounds, it would stand to reason that eating a purer chocolate would fuel cravings right? Actually the opposite is true. Eating darker chocolate has been shown to reduce cravings. While it is chocolate, darker chocolate is less sweet than the candy bar variety we usually eat. It takes less to fill us up and keep us satisfied.
With milk chocolate, there are other ingredients added. You have sugar, milk, added fats and other little odds and ends. It can be theorized that we are addicted to the sugar and fat instead of the chocolate itself. It’s just a coincidence that when combined with chocolate, these other things have a wonderful taste that we can’t seem to get enough of.
The chocolate that people eat to satisfy their cravings is indeed milk chocolate or other varieties that have a low percentage of cocoa solids in them. That could also be another reason why our beautiful craving leaves us wider around the middle. But, that’s another story.
So, why do we crave chocolate? Experts say it has nothing to do with chocolate itself physiologically. We see chocolate advertised for most major holidays in some form or fashion so our brains say different.
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