Just like most of you, I love chocolate 😛 But yah I am trying to cut short on that because it isn’t helping me with the gym routine I am trying to master. Below are some things that I came across that might help you in understanding the little devil we blame whenever something on our body is out of place .. the fat in other words 🙂
Statement: Chocolate is largely an “empty-calorie” food that is unhealthy and has little to offer in the way of nutrition.
Answer: False. While chocolate does provide calories, they certainly are not empty.
Chocolate also provides a variety of other essential vitamins; minerals and other substances (simply read the rest of this booklet to find out why chocolate is a healthful food.)
Statement: Chocolate causes acne.
Answer: Acne is principally a result of hormone imbalance — specifically testosterone. Diet is considered to make a very minor contribution—if any at all— to the formation of acne.
Statement: Chocolate is addictive.
Answer: Maybe. There is much debate over this topic. While it is true that chocolate does contain (or contribute to the production of) several compounds active in the brain and central nervous system, the opinions are very mixed among researchers as to the notion that
chocolate can actually be addicting.
While these compounds do produce other feelings and sensations, at least on study recently found that cocoa-filled capsules containing all the active ingredients did not satisfy the cravings in the same way that chocolate did. This would suggest that the pleasant sensory experience of eating (smelling, tasting, etc.) the chocolate is a least partly necessary to satisfy chocolate cravings or “addictions.”
Statement: Chocolate causes allergies.
Answer: Allergy or intolerance symptoms associated with the consumption of chocolate are more likely the result of an associated food or ingredient, such as nuts or milk, both of which have far higher allergy/intolerance rates. The research on chocolate suggests that intolerance to chocolate is comparatively rare, and no more prevalent that most other foods.
Statement: Chocolate has no fiber.
Answer: Maybe. Processed chocolate has no fiber; the unprocessed cocoa is a good source of insoluble fiber and soluble fiber. Both types of fiber can add to an improved cardiovascular
health and improved colon function.
Statement: Chocolate is a big contributor to cavities.
Answer: Research has shown that chocolate isn’t a contributor to cavities any more than most foods. And at least one study shows that it can inhibit the bacteria that are responsible for tooth decay.
This doesn’t mean that you should go eat all the chocolate you want and
never brush your teeth. Remember to always brush and floss—the two best
proven ways to avoid tooth decay.
Statement: Chocolate causes migraine headaches.
Answer: False. A study by Moffett looked at twenty-five patients who felt that chocolate caused their headaches. He concluded after a double-blind study that “chocolate on its own is
rarely a precipitant of migraines.”
Statement: Chocolate makes you fat.
Answer: False. Unless you eat half a chocolate cake every day, chocolate won’t make you gain weight. But it’s not really the chocolate that makes you fat. It’s the other ingredients— sugar, flour, fats, etc.—that add up to gross amounts of calories and are most responsible for
any weight gain associated with “chocolate.”
In fact, if you eat healthy dark chocolate, not only will you not gain weight, it may actually help you lose weight.
So who wants chocolate? Raise your hand!!
