Happy Easter NUWers! Easter as you all know is a Christian festival but putting religion aside what makes easter so special and sweet is the celebration of Spring and the chocolate. Loads and loads of chocolates.
Have you ever wondered why we eat chocolate eggs at Easter? Let us explain.
It is a tradition that an egg was given as a gift for the celebration of spring and easter. As eggs across different religions symbolize rebirth, just like what spring is all about. In the Victorian era, oval egg-shaped gifts started to develop, at around the same time France and Germany started to develop chocolate eggs too. As it evolves, it becomes what it is today. A festival that celebrates spring, rebirth and eating chocolate.
As a kid, you might have a love-hate feeling towards this festival. You are so happy that you get to eat chocolate, loads of them; but at the same time, your parents might prevent you from eating a lot and get sugar high. Not just that, chocolate has its name written for a few of the bad things to name a few:
- It contains a large amount of calories and is a key to weight gain
- It has always been associated with diabetes, coronary heart disease, and hypertension
- Contains a lot of unclear ingredients, which can be a cause allergen
- Contains unclear toxic elements such as cadmium and nickel, these heavy metals can cause permanent damage to our body
Now to the good news, experts say chocolate is not as bad as we think, and it contains some good elements too. To be precise, the main ingredient in chocolate, Cocoa, the higher the content the better it is for you. In order words, dark chocolate is the one giving off the healthy benefits.
Healthline has identified 6 benefits of dark chocolate, let us explain:
1) It is very nutritious
A decent quality dark chocolate bar with a cocoa content of 70-85% can be very nutritious, as it will contain high levels of fibres and minerals.
Thus in a 100g dark chocolate bar, it will contain the following:
- 11 grams of fibre
- 67% of the DV for iron
- 58% of the DV for magnesium
- 89% of the DV for copper
- 98% of the DV for manganese
Although it is beneficial, 100g of the dark chocolate bar is not something that should be consumed daily as it still contains some levels of sugar, and it is still associated with weight gain. It also contains caffeine, although the dose of caffeine is small compared to coffee and should not keep you awake all night, it is still something to keep in mind, as kids consuming it late at night can have sugar high and might be the reason that keeps them up all night. Therefore, it is suggested that dark chocolate should be consumed moderately. After all, as we always say too much of something is never good.
2) Powerful source of antioxidants
Research has shown that dark chocolate has a powerful source of antioxidants, and the antioxidant activities in dark chocolate are even higher than in some fruits such as blueberries.
Antioxidants are substances in our body that can prevent or slow damage to cells caused by free radicals. Radicals are unstable molecules that the body produces as a reaction to environmental and other pressures. Thus it is something nice to have when your stress level is high.
3) Can help improve blood flow
Elements in dark chocolate can stimulate the endothelium, which produces nitric oxide.
One of the Nitric oxide functions is to send signals to the arteries to relax and lower the resistance of blood flows, as a result, it helps reduce blood pressure.
However, research has shown that it only causes a mild effect, therefore patients with high blood pressure might not see an impact after consuming dark chocolate.
4) Improve several important risk factors for heart disease
Studies have found that cocoa powder can significantly decrease oxidized LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) in men. For those with high cholesterol, it also helps increased HDL (the good cholesterol).
Cocoa contains powerful antioxidants that can get into the bloodstream and protect lipoproteins against oxidative damage. The compounds in dark chocolate can also reduce insulin resistance, which is a common risk factor that causes heart disease and diabetes.
The fatty acid in cocoa and dark chocolate consists mostly of oleic acid, stearic acid and palmitic acid which is a heart-healthy fat that can also be found in olive oil.
5) It's great for your skin
The bioactive compounds in dark chocolate can be great for your skin. As the compounds can protect against sun damage, improve blood flow to the skin and increase skin density and hydration.
6) Improve brain function
It can also improve the function of your brain.
As mentioned, cocoa can improve blood flow to the brain, thus it can significantly improve cognitive functions. It can improve verbal fluency and several risk factors for disease. Additionally, cocoa contains stimulant substances like caffeine and theobromine, which can improve brain function in the short term.
7) Reduce periods cramps
To our female NUWers, another good side of chocolate is how it helps relieve period cramps. Studies have shown that eating 40-120g of dark chocolate during your period can help reduce pain. Therefore, it is nice to keep dark chocolate handy during your periods. A good note to their partners too, have dark chocolate ready during those uncomfortable few days.
In addition, what is important is to retain a healthy food relationship with what you eat. Chocolate has its good and its bad. Do not overconsume them, as overeating can still cause diabetes and other health risks. If you are craving it, do not feel bad about it and just have a small treat. After all, it does help release stress and makes you feel better. But don’t sit with an endless bowl of chocolate, just be mindful of what you eat.
Studies have also shown that those who are trying to lose weight should not completely avoid chocolate, those who consume chocolate occasionally during their diet have shown to have a more successful weight loss compared to those who try to cut off chocolate completely. As they also end up suffering from unhealthy eating behaviours, reduced quality of life and feeling lost.
Maintaining a good relationship and being mindful of what you eat is the key. And why not take this time just to have some lovely chocolates.
