Eat Chocolate and lose weight. Too good to be true? Well, researchers in a latest Study claim to have identified a specific ingredient present in Dark Chocolate that may be responsible for weight loss and provide anti-diabetic benefits. It is already fairly accepted that Cocoa - the main ingredient in Dark Chocolate - has the potential to boost heart health, lower blood sugar and decrease food cravings.
Cocoa beans are the dried and fermented seeds of Theobroma Cacao, a small evergreen tree. The seeds are processed into Cocoa solids and Cocoa butter. The colour of Cocoa depends on its pH value. Cocoa powder that is slightly acidic is light brown in colour, while alkaline Cocoa powder takes a dark brown coloration; more alkalised Cocoa can even appear black. Raw Cocoa bean is nutritionally the richest fraction of a Cocoa plant. Apart from caffeine, it contains several phyto-chemicals - including calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, manganese, sulphur, zinc, copper and phosphorus. Other major constituents are B Vitamins and Tryptophan - an essential amino acid and a precursor to the making of Serotonin - a neurotransmitter that improves mood and sleep. Cocoa is regarded as a natural food with a high anti-oxidant value. In fact, Cocoa contains more anti-oxidants than green tea or red wine. But it is the Flavonol content of Cocoa that is responsible for most of its health benefits. Flavanoids are known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Flavonoid anti-oxidants present in Cocoa offer significant benefits for our cardiovascular system. As a result, Cocoa is said to help improve the lipid profile, blood pressure and insulin resistance in some cases. Some studies have found that the eating of Chocolate 20 minutes before, and five minutes after, lunch and dinner can reduce our appetite by up to 50 percent. Swiss scientists say that Dark Chocolate reduces the metabolic effects of stress and curbs the craving for sweet, salty and fatty foods alike. Dark Chocolate also contains healthy fats, which slow the absorption of sugar into the blood stream, and thus help prevent a sudden insulin spike.
Substituting Dark Chocolate for some of the sugary foods may help reduce our insulin resistance.
However, all of the above works only if you follow certain rules:
Eat Dark Chocolate that is made up of at least 70 percent Cocoa, with minimum added sugar. The darker the Chocolate, the better. White and Milk Chocolate have a lot of added sugar and milk solids.
Each helping should be no bigger than the end of your thumb; eat more than that and you overload on sugar and fat. A nibble of Dark Chocolate once in a while can slow down your digestion, so that you feel full longer and eat less at the next meal. It is important to note that the number of calories and fat grams per serving of Dark Chocolate is much higher than that of fruit juices; Dark Chocolate is therefore to be enjoyed in moderation.
Make sure you eat the Chocolate 20 minutes before, or five minutes after, lunch and dinner.
Finally, savour the Chocolate, do not chew it - which is not easy, considering that Dark Chocolate can leave a bitter taste in the mouth.
It is also important to note that the Cocoa powders, Cocoa beverages and Dark Chocolate used in the Study contained natural or non-alkalised Cocoa. The process of alkalisation not only mellows the flavour of Cocoa, but it also destroys some beneficial compounds. Spoils the fun doesn’t it? Well, who said life was fair?
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