Healthy or not? What you should pay attention to when eating chocolate

Chocolate is a bane for many people. It tastes delicious and makes us feel good, but is it beneficial for your health? It can be, as long as you choose the right chocolate, he writes Washington Post In an article dedicated to analyzing the pros and cons of this treatment that few can resist.

This is because natural dark chocolate is rich in flavonoids, which are substances from a class of chemicals known as polyphenols. Flavonoids are found in many plant products, including fruits, vegetables, tea and coffee. “Flavonoids are full of antioxidants, which protect cells from harmful free radicals that increase the risk of cancer, heart disease and other diseases,” you can read in the same article detailing that these benefits are lost if you eat chocolate in large quantities.

It is important to keep in mind that most chocolate is highly processed sweets and is full of sugar, milk, and vegetable oils. Therefore, we should put the consumption of this type of chocolate aside and choose natural dark chocolate, which, eaten in moderation, “can be a healthy addition to the daily diet,” explains Uma Naidu, a physical nutritionist. Washington Post.

The best way to adopt a healthy diet is to start with cocoa. “Flavonoids are found in cocoa beans and cocoa: the terms are used interchangeably, but they are actually different. Cocoa is the raw material, the bean comes from the tree, while cocoa is the result of grinding the beans into a powder, roasting them and combining them with other ingredients, such as sugar, to make chocolate. Alleviating symptoms of depression and helping with cognitive processes.

The darker the color, says Eric Rimm, MD, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. When purchasing chocolate, you should look for brands that use at least 70% cocoa in their chocolate production. If it's 80% or more, the better, because that means this chocolate will contain less sugar.

The best rule to follow for healthy consumption is to eat only one square of dark chocolate. At most two, as recommended by some experts Washington Post. The most important thing is to limit the consumption of milk chocolate and white chocolate. White chocolate is like white bread.

If you have concerns about the sustainability of brands in cocoa production and harvesting, you should look for Fair Trade, Rainforrest Alliance or UTZ certification.