Chocolate may be one of the best comfort foods you don't have to make since it is readily available in grocery stores. The distinct taste of sweetness and bitterness combines and compliments each other, making it satisfy us. With the stress that COVID-19 and other phenomena taking so much on our emotional and mental health, chocolate may be one of the things you hold on to be sane, making you start eating chocolate every day.
Effects of eating chocolate every day
You still might not notice but eating chocolate every day can make changes in your body, both desirable and not. So to ease your worries, here are the side effects of eating chocolate every day that you might not notice are benefiting the body and, at the same time, is heightening some risks.
Chocolate and memory
Eating chocolate every day may benefit your memory and brain health. The List mentions a study from Loma Linda University that eating dark chocolate can increase the gamma frequency in some parts of the brain. In an interview with Healthline, associate dean of research from the School of Allied Health Professions at Loma Linda University, Lee Berk, DrPH, notes that the gamma is the highest frequency and is related to the highest level of cognitive processing for memory.
Chocolate and blood pressure
Surprisingly, even though it is not beyond human knowledge that most varieties of chocolate have added sugar in it, this sweet treat still helps lower blood pressure. Harvard Medical School reports that the flavonoids present in cocoa can lower cholesterol. It also benefits the body by increasing the good or healthy cholesterol, improving blood flow, and reducing insulin resistance.
Chocolate and Stroke
Live Science notes that chocolate eaters can clump platelets together more slowly, reducing the risk of a heart attack. Eat This Not That mentions a study found in the Journal of American Heart Association (JAHA) entitled Dark Chocolate Acutely Improves Walking Autonomy in Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease, which suggests that chocolate polyphenols can increase the blood flow by widening the blood vessels.
To experience the benefits mentioned, Live Science notes that the beneficial flavonoids are bitter. That is why commercial chocolate usually does not have it. It might be smarter to take advantage of dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. But eating it every day can still affect the body in an undesirable manner.
Chocolate and Migraines
Everybody hates this kind of pain we feel in our heads, affecting so much of our life, including our work. The American Migraine Foundation, as mention by The List, points out that chocolate is the second most triggering food for migraines. The List also added that some of the chemical s found in cocoa could cause a more prevalent migraine.
Chocolate and weight gain
The List notes that you should never substitute chocolate with fruits and vegetables even though it possesses these benefits because it is still a sweet treat, and the weighing scale won't like that so much. SO eating it in moderation is always a key to a healthy body.
Although eating chocolate every day has many benefits, it is still better to consume it moderately because it can take a toll on our body in the long run, which might be regretful. It is better to eat them as comfort food and not indulge in most of the time.
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