Chocolate – Pros and Cons

A sheer mention of the word chocolate makes your mouth watering and you feel like having one! Now the good news for the chocolate-lovers is that it has been officially proved that eating a chocolate is beneficial for your health. But still many questions remain unsolved.

First, let us consider the benefits of eating a chocolate so that you may remind people when they say NO to chocolate due to some myths that are associated with this dark sweet bar.

The researchers have called chocolate healthy because it contains big quantities of antioxidants – chemicals. These anti-oxidant chemicals help to neutralize those harmful chemical reactions which  occur because of the metabolic activities of our body. Sometimes these chemical reactions also occur because of exposure to pollutants. What is more important is that the chocolates, through their antioxidant quality, check us from going rusty inside. This means that we remain more mobile and active. Scientists say a quantity of 40g of chocolate has nearly 300mg of polyphenols. These polyphenols are a kind of antioxidants that we get from red wine. Also, if you are eating a dark chocolate then be happier to know that it contains twice as many polyphenols. This is equal to the amount of anti-oxidants which are found in a cup of fresh green tea. Moreover, the anti-oxidants which are found in these chocolates are of a very high and healthy quality. Some of these anti-oxidant elements are so rich in their healthy quality that they even prevent the harmful LDL-cholesterol from becoming oxidized.

 

I know many of you must be surprised to read this that chocolates may actually help to cut the risk of heart diseases. But it is true as the recent research which was published in the British Medical Journal say that a meal which combines several other things with chocolate can really help you in controlling your heart diseases.  The meal that contains chocolate should be combined with fish, fruit, vegetables, almonds and garlic and this would definitely cut the risk of coronary heart disease. This in turn may increase the average life expectancy by six and a half years for men and five years for women. Apart from this fact, the scientists also say that eating a certain amount of dark chocolate can be really beneficial. They say that 100g dark chocolate that is consumed on an every day basis can help in reducing the blood pressure. Again, this may reduce the risk of a heart attack.

 

The recent studies also say that chocolate contains certain elements which make you feel happy all of a sudden. It is also said that if you are feeling a little low or depressed then you should have a bite of a dark chocolate and this will help you come out of your depression. When we eat chocolate, we also feel very good and energetic. Eating a chocolate also produces a mild and confidence-instilling feeling. The scientists say that chocolates also help you in lifting your mood.

 

Why do we feel full of energy when we eat chocolate? This question has got its answer in the fact that chocolates contain some quantity of caffeine also. Just as we feel stimulated after having coffee, we feeat kind of stimulation after eating chocolate. Also the good point is that coffee or tea or some other drinks contain high amount of caffeine which may be harmful to our health but the amount of caffeine that is found in a chocolate is harmless for our health. This much of amount of caffeine is rather beneficial for us as it improves the fat metabolism and also saves us from fatigue.

 

So these were few of the benefits that we gain from eating a chocolate. Now let us discuss the cons for the same.

 

We often notice that fat kids eat more chocolates or those who eat a lot of chocolate are fat! In fact, fatness and amount of chocolate are related to each other.  The reason ,why people who eat more chocolate are fat, is that chocolates contain a lot of calories. We may even analyse various chocolates for this fact. Take for example, the milk chocolate bar of 100g. it contains 520 kcals. Now the 100g of dark chocolate contains 510 kcals. Similarly the  white chocolate contains 529 kcals. Now the point is that if you consume big amounts of chocolate every day that means you are getting lot of calories each day and that is why you also start gaining weight if you do not do any physical activity and keep on sitting idle.

 

Chocolates are sweet and they are so sweet because they contain a lot of sugar in them. This high amount of sugar is responsible for more glucose which makes  you feel tempted for eating more. This high amount of sugar is also related to the risk of developing  obesity and the diabetes of type-2 kind. Again, it is a noteworthy fact here that comparatively, the dark chocolates contain less amount of sugar . that is why a dark chocolate should be preferred over the milk and white chocolate. And yes, do not think that you eat chocolate in form of a bar only, even if you are consuming chocolate through chocolate cakes, that means you are consuming chocolate in a different form.

 

Chocolate can also effect our mood. The reason is that the chocolates contain a lot of sugar and these increased levels of sugar can disturb the levels of endorphins in our brain. The endorphins are the chemical of brain which are the main reason behinf our mood. Eating a chocolate on a regular basis and that too in a big amount can really affect your mood from time to time and you may become too happy or too sad without any reason.

 

Chocolates contain  fermentable sugar and this sugar may trigger tooth decay. Also if you want to have a chocolate but want to keep your teeth safe then make it a habit to have an apple after you eat your chocolate. The apple acts as a scrubber on your teeth and it may remove the harmful chocolate particles from your teeth that stuck there. Also try to avoid eating a chocolate in night. In any case, do not forget to brush your teeth before you go to sleep at night.

 

 

I know, a check or control on eating chocolates can be difficult for many of us. That is why I suggest you few points related to them so that you remain safe even when you consume chocolates.

 

* Do not eat a chocolate before your meals. If you do so, you will consume more. First have a healthy meal and then have few bites of chocolate.

 

* Whenever you buy a chocolate, buy a small bar of it. Do not buy big family packs which let you forget that you have eaten a big amount yourself.

 

* Always eat some fruit once you are finish your chocolate. This will help you clean your teeth naturally. 

 

* Enjoy every bite of chocolate so that you start feeling satisfied at an early stage. this will not let you consume big amounts.

 

* And the most important point is that “excess of everything is bad”, so keep yourself in control. Do not consume chocolate on a regular basis. Also take a little amount of it whenever you eat it.  And yup! Now you may go and have a bite of that dark chocolate which is waiting for you, in your fridge!