Easter is coming – a time to relax at home or get away for a mini-break. It’s also traditionally a time to eat chocolate! It comes in many shapes and sizes at Easter and we tend to eat a bit too much of it. Is it good or bad for us?
The verdict is out but there are a lot of reasons to indulge a little. Dark chocolate is the winner – the darker the better. Here are some of the ways chocolate has been claimed to make our life better:
- Reduce cholesterol – cocoa can help reduce bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol;
- Help circulation – polyphenol in chocolate may help with blood flow;
- Provide minerals like zinc, selenium and potassium;
- Provide flavanols which may protect our skin from sun damage (but don’t stop using sunscreen);
- Lose weight – well, this doesn’t sound right but a study found that if you melt a square of chocolate on your tongue 20 minutes before a meal it can trigger ‘fullness’ hormones which makes you eat less. This one is worth a try!
- Make you feel good – chocolate contains phenylethylamine (PEA) which is the chemical you produce when you fall in love. It’s good to know there is some science behind this.
Should we indulging in chocolate every day? Well, chocolate has been found to give you more energy – which may help you do a bit more exercise and burn off the chocolate. Sounds like a chocolate recipe for success!
(Photo by Giftpundits)
