Can Chocolate Help You Lose Weight?
You might feel that eating chocolate and losing weight simply don’t go together. Even though the chocolate diet might sound too good to be true for the seasoned dieter, it is completely possible to lose weight while enjoying chocolate. There is nothing that can beat this sensational delight. In recent times, numerous studies have found that dark chocolate has many health benefits and will help you to get back in shape. Here’s how you will be able to lose weight with the help of chocolate.
Table of Contents
Decreases Body Fat
Cocoa is known to be rich in flavanol. It is due to this that chocolate is considered to be natural body fat deterrent. Flavanol is a natural ingredient of cocoa. You will notice that flavanol has an impact on the flexibility of the blood vessel. This augments blood flow and also truncates the blood sugar level. Since there is an increase in blood flow, you will burn fat more rapidly for sustaining the amount of energy that is exerted. As a result, the stored fat in the body is reduced to great extent. However, you should note that this property is only true of dark chocolate. Milk chocolate or any other chocolate with added sugar will not work this way. Also, being moderate is the best course of action.
Reduces Unnecessary Food Cravings
This might seem a bit out of the ordinary but chocolate will help in cutting down your craving for food. One of the best things that you can do is take a cube of good quality chocolate and allow it to melt on your tongue. Take this right after a meal and have it slowly. In this way, the endorphins present in chocolate will slowly dissolve and be absorbed by the body. This, in turn, will lead to a chemical reaction that will send a neurological message to the brain saying that you are full. Thus, once you are full, there will no room for any other food.
Reduces Stress Level
Chocolate has brain-boosting properties which are linked to the stress-level reduction. Increased levels of stress have been linked to a number of diseases and are a known cause of cardiovascular issues and heart attacks. Moreover, this can also lead to obesity. Chocolate can help here! Eating chocolate in smaller portions will release dopamine that relaxes the body and promotes a sense of happiness. Thus, the next time you are sad, you should have a bite of chocolate that is rich in cocoa. This is a much better option to binge on than salty and fatty snack.
Increases Metabolism
Chocolate will also increase your metabolism. It stimulates the hormones and the neurotransmitters have a psychological impact. Thus, the body starts transforming food into energy at a faster rate. As a matter of fact, it also increases the pace of dissolving unnecessary fat. You should use chocolate during the most important meal of the day. If you have it with breakfast, it will not only help you to lose weight but will also energize the mornings.
However, make sure that you get the best quality dark chocolate to get the maximum benefits. Also please note that all these advantages are to be had only if chocolate is consumed in small quantities!
