Reasons to enjoy remorseless chocolate

For many, it's the forbidden apple that Eva once bit. The sin that hurts but is enjoyed. The chocolate, that delicacy that only takes one when it's on the verge of a Bridget Jones-level depression. Well. Stop it. It's time to enjoy this adult pleasure without remorse.

Just over a year ago, experts began to draw attention to the issue: take cocoa, it's good for your health. Reducing blood pressure, an increase in good cholesterol while lowering the bad, decreasing the incidence of diabetes or improving glucose metabolism are just a few of the reasons why, according to Dr. Ramón Estruch, professor of internal medicine at the University of Barcelona, everyone should consume 50 grams of chocolate a day. "Cocoa is a natural product rich in polyphenols, compounds that plants manufacture to protect against external aggressions such as pests or droughts," this professional explains to ZEN. "By eating it, we acquired a weapon for cardiovascular or oncological diseases," he adds.

Thus, studies on a large population sample show that people who consume more chocolate have a lower rate of shell diseases. "Olive oil,fruit, vegetables or cocoa itself are flavonoid-rich foods [a type of polyphenols]. These, in addition to being beneficial for cardiovascular health, are associated with improving cognitive functions," reiterates Estruch, who sees in taste the great drawback of this superfood: "The problem is that it has a bitter taste. The industry, with the aim of marketing it, adds ingredients and fats to this product that reduce its quality," the doctor warns. To keep your healthy features intact, "ideally buy 99% chocolate. As that's impossible, I advise 70% tablets."

LESS SUGAR

Estruch is attended by nutritionist Eva Trescastro: "The chocolate that contributes the least amount of sugar is more than 50%. A tablet with a percentage of less than 40% has more milk and sugar than cocoa, so I wouldn't recommend it," she says, while noting that this food is not as healthy and should be consumed occasionally. "As for white chocolate, it wouldn't even have to be called that. It's a mixture of butter and milk and a lot of sugar," he says.

BRAIN MAGIC

In 1975, psychologist Merril Elias began examining the cognitive abilities of more than a thousand people in New York State. The goal, observe the relationship between blood pressure and brain performance. While it is true that, at first, there was no indication that it pointed to chocolate, 40 years later the study evolved.

Elias asked the participants in her report a new question: What is their diet like? After five years of collecting data, the conclusion of the analysis varied: "We found that people who ingested chocolate, at leastonce a week, enjoyed better cognitive skills," the psychologist said in an interview at The Washington Post.

Following this line, and in collaboration with psychologist Elias and Ala'a Alkerwi, an epidemiologist at the Luxembourg Institute of Health, Georgina Crichton, a nutritionist at the University of South Australia, conducted the research The Relationship Between Chocolate Intake and Better Cognitive Function. Maine-Syracuse longitudinal study, published in May 2016.

"After an extensive battery of neuropsychological tests, we found that regular chocolate consumption is related to cognitive performance," Crichton clarifies to ZEN. "A more frequent intake of cocoa is associated with a better overall composition of space or visual-spatial memory. But also, with the greatest permanence of long-term memories and with abstract and rational thinking," he adds.

This theory seems recent, but it's not. According to Crichton, its healing properties were discovered several centuries ago: "Chocolate has always been used to reduce fever, treat childhood diarrhea, strengthen physique before sex, increase female pleasure, increase natural breast milk production during lactation, promote the onset of sleep and even to clean teeth." So, from now on, when you enjoy an ounce, don't feel guilty. Your body and mind will thank you.

Source: The World. CASTILLO ANGELA