One of the most recurring childhood nostalgias is that of eating sweets at our whim. More than a breath I have listened to my friends, also to me and they keep my secret, in front of the chocolates that with more or less suggestive wrappers are sold in kiosks, markets, shops, drugstores…
But that always comes to mind that chocolate is fattening and we end up looking away towards less tempting items. Surfing the internet, I have been surprised by several pieces of information, which will be a consolation or an excuse for many women, and they all conclude that the consumption of chocolate, far from being harmful to health, can also be a source of well-being.
Chocolate is fattening but it is a source of well-being
Gustatory pleasures aside, chocolate is one of the great and true treasures found by the Spanish in America. Its chemical composition makes it rich in allied substances in the fight against sadness, anxiety and irritability, thanks to its content of theobromine, caffeine and theophylline, components that have diuretic effects and stimulate physiological actions including those of the nervous and circulatory systems and they can even stop the cough.
Biochemical studies also allow us to talk about the essential amino acids that it provides, among which are tryptophan that favors the production of serotonin or the so-called neurotransmitter of happiness.; anandamide, a compound that activates brain receptors that produce pleasure and alertness and also contains stearic acid, a fatty substance that quickly desaturases to oleic acid and helps eliminate bad cholesterol .
6 percent of cocoa is dietary fiber and that helps intestinal function and also contains polyphenols, antioxidant substances that delay the atherosclerotic process, the appearance of some types of cancer and stimulate the production of prostacyclin’s, an antihypertensive substance.
The harm of chocolate
As if this were not enough, the cocoa seed provides potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. The latter is attributed the ability to improve the female mood, especially in the premenstrual period. It also gives the body iron, calcium, zinc, copper, chromium, vitamins E, B1 and B2.
What is harmful about chocolate is then in the mixture or combination of cocoa with sugars, flavorings, dyes … and other additives used by the industry in the candy manufacturing process.