How useful is chocolate? Debunking the myths about this popular dessert

Many adherents of proper nutrition refer to sweets as forbidden food, because they can harm the figure and the state of the body. Often the list of desserts includes chocolate, which is considered the cause of excess weight, problem skin, diabetes and tooth decay. But, believe me, such judgments are wrong, if we are talking about the right product: natural, not containing flavor enhancers and chemical additives. Together with nutritionist and nutritionist Anna Berseneva we tell you how to choose a good chocolate and what it is good for your body.

Types of chocolate: dark, milk and white chocolate

There are three types of dessert: dark, or so-called bitter chocolate, as well as milk and white. In addition to color and taste, they differ in the ratio of ground cocoa beans, cocoa butter and powdered sugar in the composition.

In dark chocolate cocoa predominates, its amount is usually indicated on the package: from 50 to 99%. That is why the taste of the product acquires a slight bitterness, and the color becomes rich and dark. Such chocolate has a lot of antioxidants and the least amount of sugar – so it is the most useful. It is better to choose a bar that contains more than 70% cocoa. In this case, the dessert is made of good quality beans, otherwise the flavor is slightly sour.

Milk chocolate has less cocoa, but milk fat in the form of cream or powder is used. Thanks to it, the bar gets a soft, delicate flavor and is especially liked by children, but it does not have any health benefits.

Ana: Milk chocolate often uses milk powder, in which there is no obvious benefit even for children who are calm and digest dairy products well. That is, milk powder is the most empty product of the group of dairy products. Therefore, I would not recommend milk chocolate using this ingredient to children. There are chocolate with oat milk, coconut milk, with kerob – these are options that have a milder flavor. In fact, chocolate, especially for children, is ideal to make at home, using the same coconut milk powder or oat milk, if you want to make a more delicate creamy flavor, as well as grated cocoa and cocoa butter.

In white chocolate, grated cocoa beans are not used at all, which is why it turns out so light. The dessert is based on powdered sugar, milk powder and cocoa butter, which has no taste, but has a pleasant smell.

What kind of chocolate is better to give preference?

Of all the listed types, dark chocolate is the most beneficial for the adult body. But its choice should be treated carefully: to study the composition in detail and make sure that it really did include ground beans and cocoa butter. Instead of them they may contain powder, which cheapens the dessert and reduces its positive properties, and vegetable oils. For example, palm oil and coconut oil – a product containing them cannot be considered real chocolate.

Ana: The most important thing in chocolate is grated cocoa and cocoa butter. These are the two ingredients that are of great value for our body: they prevent premature aging and rejuvenate the body at the cellular level. We need to be very careful with healthy or pseudo healthy foods, pseudo healthy chocolate. Where it says “cocoa butter substitute” or “cocoa butter substitute” – all these are not good for us. It’s better to choose bitter chocolate with a percentage of 80-85% grated cocoa.

In addition, it is important to make sure that there are no flavorings, dyes, flavor and odor enhancers in chocolate. Only then it can be called high-quality. Nevertheless, and good desserts should not be carried away, because 100 grams of bitter chocolate contains more than 500 kcal. Therefore, nutritionists recommend limiting yourself to 30-50 grams a day.

In addition, even good dark chocolate contains sugar. But, according to our expert, it is not harmful to the body. And if you are determined to exclude this product from your diet, it is worth paying attention to alternatives to classic bars.

Ana: Even if there will be ordinary sugar, it is quite acceptable as a percentage per slice, per serving of chocolate. And we will still benefit from the high percentage of cocoa mass and cocoa butter. So either we choose chocolate with healthy, quality alternatives to sugar: kerob, coconut sugar, topinambur syrup, erythritol and stevia all qualify. Or choose a quality classic chocolate, but where there is a high content of cocoa grated, thanks to which the percentage of sugar is so insignificant that the benefits of cocoa will override it.

Benefits of good chocolate for the body

If you have managed to choose good quality chocolate and you consume it in moderate quantities, then you can start talking about the benefits of the product for the whole body. The positive properties of the bars are really a lot!

Variety of useful substances

Chocolate contains the valuable substance flavanol, which is a natural antioxidant and promotes health. In addition, dark chocolate with 70-90% cocoa includes a sufficient amount of fiber, iron, magnesium, copper and manganese.

It lifts your mood and relieves stress

Sure, the taste and smell of chocolate alone can make you smile, but the tryptophan in the dessert does a much better job. It’s an essential amino acid that stimulates the production of serotonin, a natural antidepressant or, as it’s otherwise known, the happy hormone. It turns out that we don’t just reach for chocolate in a stressful situation – it’s a normal reaction of our body.

In addition, experts from the Nestle research center in Lausanne found out that dark chocolate removes cortisol and catecholamines from the body. These hormones are involved in stress reactions. Therefore, a quality product drowns them out and makes you less susceptible to nervous situations.

Energizing

Bitter chocolate also has a small amount of caffeine, and its properties are known to everyone. A small piece of a bar can replace a cup of coffee in the middle of the day and make you feel more active.

Lowers blood pressure

Researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia proved that chocolate reduces blood pressure in hypertensive patients by 5%. This is probably due to the flavonoids we’ve already mentioned. These substances stimulate the production of nitric oxide, and this leads to the dilation of blood vessels.

Equalizes the level of cholesterol and prevents the formation of thrombosis

Cholesterol is usually divided into “harmful” and “useful”. The first settles on the walls of blood vessels and arteries, making them narrow and less flexible. And the second removes from them formed plaques, blocking the actions of the “bad” component. So thanks to flavonoids, bitter chocolate can reduce the level of “bad” cholesterol, increase the amount of “good” and prevent the accumulation of platelets. This effect reduces the risk of blood clots.

Stimulates brain function

This happens, again, thanks to flavonols. According to studies by the University of L’Aquila in Italy, dark chocolate improves brain activity, visual perception processes and helps to cope with age-related memory disorders.

Cocoa, like green tea, also contains the substance epicatechin. It can help protect the brain from the formation of sticky proteins or amyloid cells. These, in turn, develop in Alzheimer’s disease.

Reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease

Consuming cocoa in moderate amounts has a positive effect on heart health. Studies by a number of medical institutions in the United States have proven that including chocolate in the diet reduces the likelihood of coronary heart disease by 57%. It is enough to eat a small amount of the dessert five times a week.

Calms coughing attacks

Good bars contain the antioxidant theobromine, a substance that suppresses coughing fits by acting on the vagus nerve. It relays messages from the central nervous system to the brain. Therefore, a couple of squares of dark chocolate may well calm a nighttime coughing fit.

Protects the skin

Consuming flavonol-rich chocolate protects us from UV rays. In addition, this beneficial substance improves blood flow in the skin, moisturizes it, makes it firmer and prevents wrinkles.

Improves the condition of gums and teeth

When people talk about harm to teeth, they mean white and milk chocolate, which contain a lot of sugar. Dark bars, on the other hand, relieve gum inflammation and protect teeth from decay. This is where theobromine comes in: it protects the enamel and participates in its remineralization.