During this delightful month of love, chocolate is the food on everyone’s lips. From a nutritional standpoint, it’s also creating a lot of buzz. To many people, dark chocolate is a true miracle food. What better time to take a closer look at this sizzling hot topic?
Chocolate and antioxidants
Chocolate contains flavonoids, which are highly potent antioxidants. However, these substances are only found in cocoa powder. The darker the chocolate, the more antioxidants it contains. White chocolate has virtually no antioxidant effects, since it doesn’t contain any cocoa powder.
Chocolate: a heart-healthy food
Did you know that chocolate contains monounsaturated fats, which lower bad blood cholesterol and increase good blood cholesterol? Chocolate also contains saturated fatty acids which, let’s not forget, are generally bad for heart health. The good news is that several studies claim to show that stearic acid, a fatty acid found in chocolate, has no effect on blood cholesterol!
Eating chocolate to stay awake
This is more of a myth than a fact! While chocolate does contain caffeine, it’s too small a quantity to feel any effects. You would need to eat around 300 g—almost six chocolate bars—to consume the same amount of caffeine as a soft drink. You’re better off getting a good night’s sleep… that way, you won’t need stimulants to make it through the day!
Rachelle Béry Nutritionist Team
