Eating Dark Chocolate
Have you wondered, if eating dark chocolate for weight loss is a good idea or not? Most people in the world have tried at least one weird or odd weight loss method in their lives, now more than ever.
Binge eating during lockdowns and devouring amazing food during the festive season has left many of us feeling bloated and not ourselves. This is why, in this article, we are going to discuss and dissect, is eating dark chocolate good for weight loss or not.
We will also talk about some other talked about uses of bitter chocolate and find out if eating dark chocolate good for you.
Ingredients
The superior dark chocolate ingredients make it better than others. In all real chocolates, there are mainly five basic components.
It contains a large number of cocoa solids (often 50% to 90% depending on the brand), cocoa butter, and some form of sugar. Some manufacturers can also add some chocolate liquor and any other of their signature ingredients.
The main difference between dark chocolate and other types of chocolate is the absence of milk and unhealthy sugar, which in turn lessens the calories in dark chocolate.
What makes dark chocolate different?
The abundance of cocoa in dark chocolate makes it a very good source of minerals and anti-oxidants.
If you have bitter chocolate in moderation then it can be a great way to protect yourself from heart issues, cancer, etc. It lowers the risk of a heart attack or inflammation and helps in bettering the functioning of your brain.
Dark chocolate benefits weight loss efforts as well. One of its major helping points is reducing your cravings for binge eating.
Some studies have even stated that the mere smell of Amul dark chocolate benefits with decreasing your appetite. Simultaneously, it will also lower your hunger hormone known as ghrelin.
Types
You can differentiate between different types of dark chocolate based on the amount of cocoa and sugar in it. It is easy to find a particular brand that works well for you or even makes your very own.
These are the three main kinds of dark chocolates that you can look out for:
- Bittersweet
- Semi-sweet
- Sweet
As their name suggests, these differentiations are based on the ratio of cocoa and sugar in each of them. It also determines whether or not, is dark chocolate good for weight loss.
If you are consuming dark chocolate as a snack during your weight loss diet, then you can simply eat it directly from the bar. There are many different ways to consume it after shaving, melting, or even grounding.
Dark chocolate is a staple in baking desserts, on top of cakes, puddings, glazes, etc. However, then these are not considered to provide the dark chocolate benefits weight loss.
How to buy the perfect dark chocolate?
The most important characteristics you have to look for when buying the perfect dark chocolate for weight loss are a rough texture and bitterness.
If you want to get the desired results by the chocolate for skin, then follow these rules given below:
- Purchase the brand of chocolate that has the least amount of sugar.
- Another key component is to make sure that the percentage of cocoa is not less than 70%.
- The Amul 90 dark chocolate is a good option, which is reasonably priced and has the right amount of cocoa.
- You cannot expect any kind of weight loss results with just chocolate, it is very essential to maintain a healthy diet and regular exercise to the mix.
Other benefits
It is a scientifically proven fact that not just for weight but there are many dark chocolate benefits for skin and even mental health. Here is a compilation of the:
- One of the obvious advantages lies in the fact that it is extremely nutritious and tastes good once you can get past the bitterness. It is loaded with minerals and soluble fibres.
- Its cocoa components have loads of anti-oxidants which are good for blood flow and prevent heart issues in the future.
- A health study has proved that eating dark chocolate, containing high flavanol cocoa improves the functioning of your brain and even increases the overall blood flow to it.
- It is important to give a special mention to the dark chocolate benefits for skin. It contains bio active components called flavanols which are good for the blood flow to your skin and the anti-oxidants protect your skin from any skin damage.
Disadvantages
There are pros and cons to everything and the same goes for dark chocolate. Some people can focus too much on the benefits which can lead them to neglect that there may be potential disadvantages of dark chocolate as well.
However, we have got you covered as we list here, some of the things you must keep in mind before including the bitter chocolate in your diet:
- Cocoa is a major source of caffeine (also found in coffee) and it causes the same discomfort as you will experience after having too much coffee. These will include anxiety, dehydration, and nervousness.
- It would not be unfair to say that the chocolate is a source of calories, so unless you are maintaining the dark chocolate carbs count, you might be at risk of gaining weight instead of losing it.
- An unhealthy amount of continuous consumption can also lead to you developing an addiction as well as allergies, constipations and headaches etc.
Lastly, it will do you good to remember that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages in this case. If you consume it in moderation like a treat, then you will definitely begin noticing the dark chocolate benefits.
FAQs
Why is dark chocolate more expensive than other?
The main ingredient of this kind of chocolate is cocoa, which is expensive to get in its pure form; this is why most real chocolate or dark chocolate are on the pricier side.
What are some reasonably priced dark chocolate brands?
Originally, if you lived in India, getting an appropriately priced dark chocolate could have been difficult. However, Amul dark chocolate has been a game-changer in the industry. It has many price variations available in the market, so customers can choose according to their budgetary restrictions.
What makes dark chocolate so healthy as compared to others?
The dark chocolate carbs are on the lower side in comparison to all other chocolates. It has no milk or artificial chemicals as well as very little sugar. All this, adds to the list of benefits of chocolate for skin.
How much dark chocolate can I have on a daily basis?
Everything is good when taken in moderation, which applies to the Amul dark chocolate benefits as well. Even though the chocolate does not have milk or sugar, it does have fats in it.
Therefore you should not have more than one ounce every day in order to have visible benefits of chocolate for the skin.
Are there any side effects of eating too much dark chocolate?
As a general rule, you will not experience any disadvantages of dark chocolate as long as you do not consume too much of it.
However, having cocoa has large quantities of caffeine in it. This can lead to nervousness, increased urination, heartbeat, anxiety, and can even trigger headaches, etc.
