Valuable for their cocoa content, which protects the health of the heart and arteries, they are also rich in fat and sugar. Which is better dark, white or milk chocolate?
Sui merits of chocolate pages and pages have been written, even if this naturally does not authorize us to eat in quantity. And, then, Easter, and surroundings, how many eggs can you eat? Given that an Easter egg weighs between 150 and 300 grams, and the permissible daily amount would be, in theory, at most 10 gramsand that it would be better to eat it no more than three times a weekit is clear that if you are alone, an egg, even a small one, should be enough for weeks, clarifies Mauro Serafini, full professor of Food and Human Nutrition at the University of Teramo who has dedicated a vast study to cocoa, and therefore also to chocolate, published in Frontiers of Nutrition e Frontiers of Immunology.
Better dark, milk or white?
But which egg to choose? Here personal tastes come into play, but it must be borne in mind that the precious element of chocolate is the cacao. In the milk one, the percentage is about 50 percent, there really isn’t any in the white one, on the other hand, cocoa butter, milk and sugar abound. The cacao – Serafini clarifies – valuable for the content of polyphenols, known antioxidants, which play a positive role in defending us against cardiovascular disease: heart attack and stroke. The cacao
lower in fact the pressureespecially in those with hypertension; protects the endotheliumthe tissue that lines blood vessels and, in addition, it promotes the dilation of the arteries and reduces the aggregation of platelets.
The food of the gods
Less certainalthough numerous studies have been conducted on the subject, the possible cognitive and immune system benefits – continues Serafini -. Chocolate also contains a substance, anandamide, similar to cannabinoids, which binds to the brain receptors for these psychogenic substances, giving feeling of well-being which, together with the mild excitation induced by theobromine (the chocolate plant the Theobroma from the Greek Theos, god, and broma, food ndr), activates the circuits of pleasure and reward. It would be this mechanism that would cause that “addiction” to chocolate that many talk about, but whose existence has never been scientifically proven.
Watch out for the label
To be sure that the chocolate is really dark – Serafini then specifies – you have to take a look at thelabel: not only there must be cocoa in the proportions given above, but must have only been used cocoa butter and there must be no more than five grams of sugar per cent of the product. In extra dark chocolate – which, however, not everyone likes – cocoa even reaches 100 percent, also considering cocoa butter, which is essential to “bind” the product.
In cup or in tablets?
As for the most effective way to ensure the benefits of cocoa, better the hot chocolate, in bars, or eggs with high quality chocolate, to be preferred to cakes, puddings, ice creams and filled chocolates because the lower fat content – suggests the nutritionist -. There are always calories, so much so that a nice “bite” of chocolate egg, of any “color”, contains approximately one hundred. To ensure the maximum benefit of the protective substances of cocoa, without “seasoning” them with fats and sugars, you should eat the roasted cocoa beans that are subjected to any industrial process.
Does it help digestion at the end of the meal?
Is it true that at the end of a meal, especially if it has been rather copious, chocolate can help digestion? Possible, given that it is rich in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory substances and could therefore reduce post-prandial stress due to an excess of calories, – says Serafini – but from here to recommend it as a digestive.
How to deal with children
How do you deal with children? And when can they start eating it? For the “when” – replies Serafini – better ask the pediatrician even if to be avoided before the age of two. Relative to “How much” e what kind”, the “rules” dictated to adults apply, i.e. cAbout one square a day or the equivalent “in the form” of an egg. Would be better to give preference to dark chocolate due to the cocoa content, rich in bioactive compounds; with all due respect to those who continue to think that milk chocolate is the most suitable for children. If true that milk is useful, better to drink a nice glass than to eat white or milk chocolate eggs. But let’s not be too harsh: children must not protect themselves from cardiovascular diseases and if they prefer non-dark chocolate, as often happens, there is no need to prohibit it completely, but limit its use also in order not to create incorrect habits in the future adult .
Stomach ache and allergies
Is it true that in the evening it would be better not to give chocolate to children? Chocolate actually contains stimulating substances, such as theobromine, and therefore it would be better to reserve it for a snack – says Serafini -. If you worry about stomach or tummy ache, in a healthy body to take risks one would really have to exaggerate: right,
a whole egg in an afternoon is nowhere near acceptable
. For those who fear the allergiesiChocolate can induce the production of histamine, although it is not common at all, as many think. In any case, common sense and experimental testing by means of a minimum dose are valid in order to evaluate its effects.
April 8, 2023 (change April 8, 2023 | 07:47)
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