Chocolate is useful before critical days, but is dangerous in the fight against bad mood. Chocolate is the most favorite treat on the planet. Women know this especially well: a small piece of chocolate is able to change the world view, and the most unfortunate day is to make it a little brighter and more pleasant.
At the same time, the famous delicacy is surrounded by a multitude of prejudices – as they say, a figure breaks out from him, acne appears and the teeth get spoiled.
About that, what secrets, pleasant and not so, hides a tile in a foil, correspondent SHE recognized.
The birthplace of chocolate, as you know, is Central and South America. The Aztecs who inhabited it found that if the grains of the cocoa tree were crushed into a paste and cooked, a fragrant tonic drink would turn out, though not sweet at all: instead of sugar, they preferred to season the drink with pepper.
In the 16th century Europeans got to drink, and for the first time they thought of adding sweeteners, and the Swedish scientist Karl von Linnaeus gave the tree the name Theobroma cacao, which means “food of the gods”. So it was: chocolate in Europe has become an expensive product not for everyone. A more affordable treat was in the XIX century: invented the first chocolate bars, and at the very end of the century appeared milk chocolate, which immediately became the object of popular love.
Define the concepts: chocolate is made with chocolate two components – cocoa butter and grated cocoa. The more these components, the more the tile chances to be called a proud name. That is why, when talking about the benefits of chocolate, they mean dark varieties in which cocoa is not less than 60%, and cocoa butter in the composition is not diluted with vegetable fats of less noble origin. As described in the Siberian Federal Center for Healthy Nutrition,
high-quality chocolate at the break does not look like an icing glaze, it is not brittle or crunchy and is stored for no more than 4 months. Only then can you say that under a rustling wrapper you will get something useful.
Chocolate happiness
Theobromine, contained in chocolate, is a “close relative” of caffeine. This substance improves blood circulation, stimulates the working capacity and creative activity of a person. That is why chocolate is included in the so-called ration of servicemen, pilots and cosmonauts. As well as office employees suffering from long communication with the computer.
Cocoa beans are rich in polyphenols, substances of plant origin that are powerful antioxidants. There are similar ingredients in red wine, but there are more of them in chocolate. As Olga Poznyak, dietician-nutritiologist of the Center for Health and Social Development said, these substances actually improve the tone of blood vessels, improve blood circulation and reduce the likelihood of blood clots. Many women feel a special need for chocolate on the eve of “critical” days. This is due to the content of potassium and magnesium in chocolate, the lack of which strengthens the premenstrual syndrome. Because at this time to eat chocolate – it’s perfectly legal.
In addition, as the nutritionist said, the benefit of chocolate is that it helps reduce feelings of anxiety. Dark varieties of chocolate stimulate the release of endorphins – the “hormones of happiness” that affect the pleasure center, improve mood and maintain the tone of the body.
The psychotherapist Igor Lyakh also talked about endorphins, but added:
if the craving for chocolate exceeds reasonable limits, it can indicate that the woman was carried away and, instead of fighting the causes of a depressed mood, is used to eliminate his symptoms.
“This is a psychological dependence associated with the manner of obtaining pleasure. The latent avoiding behavior “I do not solve the problem, but I change my mood,” Igor Lyakh explained. So you can get addiction to any food, but from sweets especially, and from chocolate even more often – it is related to the culture of consumption: after all, as a child, it was a chocolate, not a bun or caramel.
Sweet inheritance
Here we smoothly approached the eternal problem: weight and chocolate. Surprises are not present – harmony he does not add. Chocolate is primarily fat (cocoa butter in a good chocolate – half the volume) and carbohydrates (still like the Aztecs, absolutely sugar-free, we do not eat chocolate). “Look at the grams and calories and you’ll understand everything right away. One chocolate is half the daily portion of food by calories! “- exclaims the nutritional physician Nikolai Zhevachevsky. In any case, eat more than 40 grams of chocolate at a time.
The doctor recalls that the most caloric and at the same time useless – white chocolate. There are no cocoa beans, but lots of sugar and milk powder. Milk chocolate with nuts, and especially with raisins – is also not a gift for those who keep a figure. After all, grapes are one of the most high-calorie fruits. The same applies to chocolate with fillings – some experts have them and do not consider chocolate. After all, there are solid vegetable fats, preservatives and emulsifiers. Therefore, bitter chocolate is bitter (and at the same time useful) that we get the sugar from it minimum, and the cocoa product – maximum.
Nikolay Zhevachevsky warns: you can not eat chocolate “the fifth dish”, and it is undesirable to eat it in the morning on an empty stomach – for example, with coffee.
This overloads the pancreas and can harm if it is weakened (and this is the case with so many people today). But as a second breakfast and an afternoon snack with a chocolate bar will do good. This will not overeat in the main meal. Doctors add: chocolate is not recommended for children under six years old, women with migraines and those who suffer from headaches due to vasodilation. They can affect even a small amount of natural stimulants. Do not eat chocolate and allergies – cocoa beans are the strongest allergen, especially when combined with nuts.
Finally, the question of a smile. Since childhood, we have been taught that there is a direct connection between the tile and the dark spots of caries on the teeth. Japanese scientists have denied it not long ago: cocoa beans contain substances that are plaited with dental plaque, and the fluorine contained in the beans strengthens the enamel. The whole problem is in dental care: Tatyana Kolomeets, a dental hygienist at the clinic Dental-Service, told that chocolate lovers suffer from caries no more than others. Suffer those who do not like to rinse your mouth after eating and use the thread.
After all, chocolate can stick to the teeth, and if the mouth is not rinsed, the sweet remains will serve as a good dinner for bacteria. By the way: if the chocolate is too viscous, it means that it is of low quality. “Cocoa liquor is often replaced with cocoa powder, which is prepared from the oilcake left after pressing the oil. The abundance of such very small particles (less than 5 microns) leads to the appearance of the so-called “clayiness” of chocolate, i. E. the mass becomes very viscous, “explains Olga Poznyak.
Therefore, choosing a tile, do not be too lazy to read the packaging, assess the calorie content and its capabilities. After all, chocolate is a kind of energy bomb, and it’s worth using it wisely.
