Chocolate: a Super Mood Food

Chocolate: a super mood food

We read countless articles about chocolate... some saying we need to avoid it, particularly if we want to lose weight, while other reports suggest chocolate has great health benefits. Well, of course anything consumed in excess may not assist with weight loss, but certainly in moderation, and yes, that might be a daily 2 squares, dark chocolate has been shown to not only contain powerful antioxidant properties but it has also been shown to have a distinct, positive effect on our mood.

This mostly comes down to the effect of the cocoa bean on one of our neurotransmitters called dopamine.   Having the right amount of dopamine helps motivate us so for people who struggle with low mood, especially at this time of year, if you like dark chocolate, try 2 squares for afternoon tea and see how you feel. It is better not eaten after dinner as it does contain caffeine and people with low mood often don't sleep well and you don't want the caffeine in the chocolate effecting your sleep.

To maximise the health benefits, the chocolate needs to have a high cocoa content, a minimum of 70% which not only brings to the table the health benefits of cocoa but dark chocolate contains much less refined sugar than that present in milk and white chocolate. Refined sugar has been shown to be detrimental to your immune system... not what you want at this time of year. 

This is not an excuse to eat bucket loads of chocolate! Remember an excess of anything can make you Accidentally Overweight!