Who does not love having lots of chocolates as it is one of the comfort foods, especially for women during their menstrual cycle? Although, chocolate, which we usually eat, doesn’t have many upsides due to added sugar and calories.
Dark Chocolate is the best kind of chocolate you should prefer to eat. It has so many benefits due to naturally obtained from cocoa instead of added preservatives and extra calories. Dark Chocolate has flavanols and polyphenols making it one of the best sources of antioxidants, but did you know that dark chocolate could be a reliable source if you are willing to lose some extra pounds?
You should not confuse yourself or misunderstand about the dark chocolate commercially available in the market and are synthetic material to the one which is organic and tastes bitter. Remember! not all things that taste good are good.
Here is how dark chocolate could be reliable for you in your weight loss journey.
Dark Chocolate for your Weight Loss
These are some benefits of dark chocolate, which can aid a person in reducing weight. But be mindful of your portion size when it comes to chocolate and does not rely only on dark chocolate for losing weight, and consider making changes in your daily eating habits in addition to exercising.
An excellent aid to reducing Hunger and Appetite
Several studies and trials were conducted to observe whether dark chocolate has reduced hunger and satiety in a person. After completing a trial on 12 women, it appeared that it decreased their ghrelin levels when they smelled or ate the dark chocolate.
Ghrelin is a hormone in our system that controls hunger and appetite. When ghrelin levels diminish, it led to a feeling of fullness and satisfaction, causing you to take fewer calories. Another study with 16 people showed the comparison between regular milk chocolate and dark chocolate.
The participants who ate dark chocolate felt more satisfied and full than the participants who ate milk chocolate. Since there will be fewer calories as one would feel full, it would help in the weight management process. But further research is required to know how there is a link between dark chocolate and the feeling of fullness.
Helps With Insulin Sensitivity and Mood Enhancing
If our body is sensitive to insulin, then the hormone cannot transfer the sugar from our bloodstream to the cells from where energy is produced and stored inside the body. The consumption of dark chocolate reduces insulin sensitivity in our body, reducing insulin levels in the blood and losing weight at an increased pace.
Some studies have also mentioned that dark chocolate enables you to lower blood sugar levels that prevent spikes in blood sugar levels, and make you feel full. Moreover, your mental health is another major factor that promotes weight loss. A study showed that dark chocolate could enhance brain function in the participants, which offered better weight-losing routine results.
A good mood and mental health are equivalent to good physical health, contributing to better living conditions and effective weight loss results.
The Concluding Word
It would be best if you remembered that whatever be the beneficial effects of dark chocolate, it is still high in calories and fat. 28-grams of dark chocolate contains 155 calories and 9 grams of fat, which is pretty high. These figures of fat and calories in dark chocolate differ from one brand to another.
You need to choose the best of varieties in dark chocolate that has 70 percent cocoa in it. Some brands are selling dark chocolate, which contains more added sugar on top of already present in the chocolate naturally. Dark chocolate has one-half to one-third of the amount available in a regular chocolate bar that could give rise to health conditions such as liver disease, heart disease, etc.
Hence, go for the dark chocolate, which as small cubes independently packed in a wrapper and fit a small portion once daily and are pure cocoa and less synthetic preservatives or extra sugar.
