Snacking allowed: The positive effects of chocolate on the body

Chocolate does not fill, but also makes you happy.

The catch: Often, however, it remains in one piece. Sometimes it needs to be a whole panel. Or even more.

And prompt it is there: the bad Conscience.

But chocolate in General is unhealthy, or you will also bring positive effects with it?

The chocolate variety is crucial

“It depends on the variety,” says Prof. Johannes Georg Wechsler, a specialist in Internal medicine and nutritional medicine in Munich, Germany.

Dark bitter can have a chocolate with a cocoa content of at least 70 better 80 percent, a positive effect on the body.

Flavanols make chocolate healthier

Responsible for the cocoa contained flavanols are. They ensure that the vessels remain elastic. Moreover, they are said to reduce blood pressure slightly.

Dark bitter chocolate has in comparison to lighter chocolate with a higher proportion of Flavanols as the cocoa content is higher.

In the lighter varieties of the sugar – and fat percentage was higher than in the case of darker, so Changer, the President of the Federal Association of German nutrition physicians (BDEM) is.

“Under the pure health standpoint, you should so darker chocolate varieties prefer the lighter,” explains Wechsler. So there is scientific evidence and studies show that dark chocolate – especially if it also includes nuts – the risk of cardiovascular disease can reduce.

Chocolate contains many minerals

What also speaks for the Snacking of chocolate: often contains minerals such as iron, calcium, and Magnesium as well as vitamins.

What’s in a table, showing the nutrient table on the back of the packaging.

Changer: “It is worthwhile to take when shopping a look at and compare several varieties with each other.”

Image gallery: 20 healthy Snacks for losing weight

Chocolate is a “comfortable shooting”

However, no matter which chocolate you choose: The psychological effect when Snacking is enormous. “Chocolate lifts the mood, it is a real shooting probably feel,” says Ingrid Acker, a nutritionist in rödermark (Hesse).

The trigger for the positive effect should be contained in the chocolate amino acid Tryptophan. It ensures that in the body of the happiness hormone Serotonin is released.

However, it is questionable whether the chocolate contained in volumes sufficient ultimately, in the brain this feeling of well-being to trigger. This also applies to the ingredient theobromine, which is to act in a similar way.

For more likely to Ingrid Acker maintains, that linked eating chocolate with positive memories. “You eat it, and thinks more or less aware of the good old times, such a beautiful Situation in Childhood.”

In this respect, chocolate is doing well quite in the Psyche. You can have according to nutritional expert Changer even anti-depressive effects.

Part of a balanced diet

Some eat chocolate daily. Others reject the Treat completely, due to the comparatively high sugar and fat content in certain varieties.

However, from a strict ban on Ingrid Acker holds nothing. “Strictly speaking, there is no food that deserves the adjective unhealthy,” says nutrition consultant, is a member of the professional Association for nutritional Sciences (VDOE).

To say, sugar or fat are evil and so that chocolate was taboo, was unnatural, so arable.

Chocolate belong in a proper Mix with other foods to a balanced diet.

Even with a diet, it helps to continue it is not necessary to banish chocolate completely from the diet, so arable.

There is Less chocolate so yeah. But no chocolate – I have to say no.

“An abstinence only leads to a growing craving for chocolate,” she explains.

Johannes Georg Changer specialist is against bans in terms of nutrition. “In the end, the total energy balance of a day that is different for each individual, must be right,” he says. To eat chocolate, is not necessarily allowed in moderation and, above all, with enjoyment.

Calorie needs: Calculate your total daily turnover

Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa), editor-in-FIT FOR FUN

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