Over
indulged on chocolate this Easter? Here are a few surprising reasons not to feel so bad,
- Chocolate can make you more intelligent - A study in 2009 showed that chocolate can help people do maths calculations more accurately. Compounds found in chocolate, called flavonols, have antioxidant-like properties which are thought to improve circulation, including blood flow to the brain.
- Chocolate fills you up - Did your Mum ever warn
you of spoiling your dinner by eating sweets beforehand? Well she was
right! Danish researchers report that people who ate a tiny bit of dark
chocolate before a meal consumed 15 percent fewer calories than those who
didn't have a pre-dinner treat. Eating it also lessens cravings for sweet, salty
and fatty foods.
- Chocolate makes you feel better
- It contains phenethylamine, which triggers endorphins. This reaction is
similar to the one that people experience when they fall in love!
- Ever felt stressed and in need of a chocolate fix? There’s a reason for that. Chocolate helps you relax. A study found that people who rated themselves highly stressed to begin with had lower levels of stress hormones after eating dark chocolate every day for two weeks.
- It can help you live longer - A study showed
that participants who ate chocolate one to three times a month had a lower
mortality rate than those who abstained from the sweet treat. It was
concluded that this was most likely due to the antioxidants in chocolate.
Yes, there are underlying
health benefits and yes, it’s delicious but it’s not advisable to eat it by the
pound ... however tempting it may be!
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