I consider myself to be a fairly health-conscious eater most of the time, but it has been difficult to miss the abundance of easter treats currently in store, even for those of you who do not celebrate this occasion. Not only is it difficult to miss these treats, it’s even more difficult not to be tempted by them. On a recent grocery expedition with my teenage daughter, she loudly and exasperatingly inquired why chocolate could not fall into the category of healthy foods. Since I am always looking for an excuse to eat more chocolate, I decided to dig into this idea a little deeper.
It turns out that we are not the only household with a sweet tooth. According to the most recent Stats Canada data, In April 2022, the industry manufactured and shipped nearly $200 million worth of chocolate and chocolate confectionery goods. According to the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture; the average Canadian eats about 6.4 kilograms of chocolate per year, or the equivalent of 160 bars.
You may have heard that chocolate (specifically dark varieties) does have some mental health benefits. In fact, consumption of chocolate is linked to increased serotonin levels and positive mood regulation. Serotonin is a chemical produced in your brainstem that sends messages between nerve cells in your brain and throughout your body. Serotonin is associated with a variety of functions in your body including; sleep, bone health, breathing, body, temperature, digestion, fear, stress response, memory, appetite, blood clotting and sexual desire. It is also responsible for regulating mood and behaviour. Our bodies naturally produce serotonin, but we can also boost serotonin levels through exercise, massage, sunlight and food consumption. It turns out that chocolate contains tryptophan (an essential amino acid), when we eat chocolate, our bodies use tryptophan to make serotonin. Serotonin is known as the happiness chemical, so eating chocolate can in fact boost our moods and make us happier. That’s not all, according to John Hopkins Medicine “flavonols in dark chocolate have a positive impact on brain function including better reaction time, visual-spatial awareness and stronger memory.” Research also supports that the polyphenol content in cocoa is associated with lower levels of stress hormones (epinephrine and cortisol).
There have been a number of studies with mixed results on how much chocolate and what percent of cocoa consumption one would need to eat to improve mood and if this outweighs the potential negative side effects of overconsumption, however, study participants in many cases reporting feeling better (less anxious and depressed) after consuming dark chocolate. This got me wondering, even if this is a placebo effect, does that matter if participants felt better? Dark chocolate typically has a higher cacao content and less sugar than milk chocolate. It is recommended that you look for chocolate containing a minimum of 70% cacao to reap the health benefits of this treat. While this does not technically support my daughter’s desire for chocolate to be considered a health food, it does present a strong argument for consuming more chocolate and feeling less guilty about it, just in case you needed a reason to treat yourself!
https://canadiangrocer.com/more-just-treat-consumers-are-turning-chocolate-boost-their-mood https://www.statcan.gc.ca/o1/en/plus/1345-sweet-data-bite-canadas-love-chocolate http://verywellmind.com https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-benefits-of-having-a-healthy-relationship-with-chocolate https://www.siloamhospitals.com/en/informasi-siloam/artikel/7-benefits-of-dark-chocolate-for-physical-and-mental-health
Lisa Bell
Contact Me
