Why Do We Need To Eat Chocolate?

Chocolate is one of the foods that most people eat when they feel sad, disappointed, anxious, sad, irritable, tired, etc. Eating chocolate on these occasions is more than normal.

Is it a simple whim or can chocolate really provide us with what our body needs? Its content in vitamins, minerals, fiber, phenolic antioxidants can make it beneficial for health.

In this article we explain why our body asks us for chocolate, what we get when we eat it and how we can give it to it so that it provides us with its benefits.

Chocolate or cocoa?

It is possible that when we urgently need to eat chocolate, what our body is asking for is actually cocoa. It is important to highlight this point, because cocoa is a food that can give us some benefits in itself, as confirmed by research such as the one published in 2017 by the journal  Frontiers in immunology . On the other hand, some fats and sugars in chocolate are not so healthy, especially milk chocolate or white chocolate, chocolate ice cream, creams, etc.

That is why we recommend opting for the purest possible chocolate, with a high percentage of cocoa (at least 70%) or for cocoa powder.

How do we use cocoa?

The first step is to get a quality cocoa, as pure as possible. With this cocoa we can cook many recipes in which we used chocolate before and even new ones thanks to its texture:

• Milk with cocoa and honey, a delicious drink both hot and cold.
• Cocoa or marbled cakes.
• Banana, walnut and cocoa smoothie for breakfast and start the day with energy.

• Cocoa sauce, lemon juice and brown sugar to replace hot chocolate as a garnish.
• A cream, mixing the cream of nuts (for example, almond or peanut), cocoa and brown sugar.
• Cocoa infusion, a relaxing and remineralizing remedy.

What are the benefits of eating chocolate?

Does eating chocolate improve our mood?

Chocolate could improve our mood. This is confirmed by research such as the one published in 2013 by the journal Nutrition Reviews.

However, although it is commonly known that the benefits of eating chocolate reside in its psychoactive properties, the fact is that this is not entirely the case. And it is that, apparently, the amounts that the chocolate we eat usually contains are too small to infer our behavior.

A large body of research has shown that individual factors could have specific influences on the craving for chocolate.

Is eating chocolate beneficial against stress?

Research such as that published in 2014 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology agrees that eating dark chocolate could protect us against stress. This would be thanks to its high flavonoid content.

Contains magnesium

Cocoa is one of the foods richest in magnesium, a mineral that nourishes our nervous system and our muscles and that we should obtain every day.

To strengthen bone health

The cocoa powder and the flavanols and minerals in dark chocolate can help preserve bone health. This is confirmed by studies such as the one published in 2019 by the journal Nutrition. However, a decrease in bone density was also seen in postmenopausal women who drank chocolate on a daily basis.

As you have seen in this article, cocoa can be very beneficial as long as it is taken in moderation. So add cocoa to your daily routine and take advantage of this tasty and pleasant food.