What Happens If You Eat Chocolate Everyday? | CoachSweetTooth

The idea of eating a bar of chocolate is always tempting but if you are wondering what happens if you eat chocolate everyday, let’s have a look below.

Whether you receive a chocolate from your loved one or you are simply satisfying your craving, a bar of chocolate surely brings a smile to your face. But what happens if you eat chocolate every day? While eating chocolate every day receives a lot of bad press because of its high sugar and fat content, there is a lot of research that highlights the health benefits of eating chocolate regularly.

Regular consumption of chocolate is often associated with obesity, migraines, weaker bones, and kidney stones. However, research also suggests that eating chocolate every day can boost your mood, lower blood pressure, prevent inflammation, improve memory and do a lot more good for your mind and body.

Over the years, chocolate's reputation has been on the rise. A growing number of research suggests the potential benefits of eating chocolate. Unfortunately, like with everything else, regular consumption of chocolate also has a few cons.

To give you a complete picture of what happens if you eat chocolate every day, we have collected research and opinions from experts and gathered the information in one place to find out what happens to your body when you eat chocolate every day.

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Undesirable Effects of Eating Chocolate Every Day

Let's start with some of the undesirable effects of eating chocolate every day. When you eat chocolate every day, you may notice an increase in weight and may also experience undesirable health conditions like migraines, heartburn, weaker bones, and kidney stones.

Eating Chocolate Every Day Can Result in Excess Weight

Chocolate is loaded with saturated fats and sugar, and the high sugar and fat content can lead to excess weight. While some researchers recommend eating dark chocolate even though it is a concentrated source of calories, eating dark chocolate every day means consuming too many calories in general, which can be a leading cause of weight gain.

And an undesirable effect of weight gain is an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases including higher cholesterol levels and triglycerides which can significantly increase your risk of heart attacks. So when you eat chocolate every day, you are at a higher risk of weight gain, which adds to the risk factors that can lead to cardiovascular diseases.

Eating Chocolate Every Day Can Weaken Your Bones

Eating chocolate every day may be associated with several health benefits that we will highlight later in the post; however, there are some undesirable effects of eating chocolate every day, and one of them is the compromised health of your bones.

A study in 2008 indicated that older women who consumed chocolate every day had weaker bones which were characterized by lower bone density compared to women who did not eat chocolate regularly. One of the possible reasons for the weakening of bones following the consumption of chocolate could be the use of sugar, cocoa butter, and other potentially harmful chemicals found in chocolate.

While eating chocolate every day is not great for your bones, if you cannot resist your cravings for the sweetness of chocolates, it's best to consume dark chocolate with a higher cocoa content. Dark chocolate may still not be good for your bones, but since it contains a high amount of flavonoids, it can help you a little better than regular milk chocolate.

Eating Chocolate Every Day Can Cause Migraines

When you eat chocolate every day, know that you are ingesting a high amount of cocoa which is a source of caffeine. Moreover, you are also ingesting other related chemicals. The high caffeine content can lead to a few side effects, including increased headaches and migraines.

While alcohol is a leading food trigger for migraine, chocolate follows alcohol closely and is a major food trigger for the condition. Moreover, 22% of the patients suffering from migraine have confirmed that consuming this tasty treat can trigger their condition.

Eating Chocolate Every Day May Lead to Heart Burn

As mentioned earlier, chocolate is a source of a high amount of caffeine and other related chemicals, and one of the possible side effects of eating chocolate every day is the much-dreaded heartburn. Chocolate contains a chemical known as methylxanthine, which relaxes the muscles in the digestive system, including the valve between the stomach and the esophagus, due to which the valve stays open. As a result, it is easier for the acid to escape the stomach and reach the esophagus, which eventually leads to heartburn.

The condition is more prevalent in people who already suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease as they already experience heartburn more often, which is why it is best for people with gastroesophageal reflux disease to avoid consuming chocolate every day.

You Might Get Kidney Stones

Your favorite chocolate may contain many good chemicals that may positively affect your heart health and your mood; however, it also contains a few not-so-desirable chemicals, one of which is oxalate.

When you consume chocolate every day, your body gets a higher dose of oxalate, and when oxalates combine with calcium in the kidneys, it can lead to the formation of kidney stones. Kidney stones are not always large stone-like masses, but even when you have smaller kidney stones, they can lead to a lot of pain and discomfort.

The best way to avoid kidney stones while eating chocolate every day is to increase the calcium intake in your diet so that the oxalate in the chocolate can combine with calcium in the stomach and not in the kidney. The early combination of oxalate and calcium in the stomach will prevent them from turning into painful stones in the kidney.

Positive Effects of Eating Chocolate Every Day

While we have already highlighted several undesirable effects of eating chocolate every day, let's not forget that your body also experiences several positive effects when you eat chocolate every day. In the section that follows, we look at in this section at some of the positive effects of eating chocolate every day on your mind and body.

If You Eat Chocolate Every Day, You Could Prevent Inflammation

Inflammation is the body's natural response to fight off germs; however, chronic inflammation in the body is a leading cause of several health conditions, including diabetes, arthritis, and even cancer.

The good thing about eating chocolate every day is that it naturally helps reduce inflammation in the body, lowering your risk of several health conditions, including cancer. The antioxidants found in chocolate contain anti-inflammatory properties that can help regulate the immune system and prevent inflammation.

Eating Chocolate Every Day Can Lower Blood Pressure

While it is commonly believed that the consumption of chocolate is linked to higher blood pressure given its high-fat content, there is something that might surprise your doctor too.

Regular use of chocolate can aid in lowering your blood pressure. Chocolate contains cocoa, a source of flavonoids that aid in reducing blood pressure. However, to get the most of the positive effect of lower blood pressure, you should opt for dark chocolate containing the highest amount of cocoa. And of course, chocolates with higher cocoa amounts are healthiest as they contain the most flavonoids, which can help lower blood pressure.

If You Eat Chocolate Every Day, You May Improve Your Memory

It might come as a surprise to many, but if you eat chocolate every day, it can positively affect your memory. The yummy treat that’s a pleasure for your taste buds is also a great way to boost your brainpower.

One of the researches suggests that when you eat chocolate every day, within half an hour following the consumption of chocolate, you can experience an increase in the gamma frequency in a major area of your brain, which can aid in processing new information and boosting memory. The effects are better following dark chocolate consumption than milk or white chocolate. Moreover, the effect is not short-lived. Instead, it lasts for hours following the consumption of chocolate.

So the next time you are looking for ways to boost your brainpower, try some dark chocolate and boost your brain function.

You Could Get Heart-Healthy Antioxidants

Do you "heart" your chocolate? Turns out that your heart loves it too. Eating chocolate, especially dark chocolate, makes a good snack for your heart as it contains antioxidants that keep your heart and cardiovascular system in great shape. The antioxidants in dark chocolate can often be compared to the antioxidants found in berries and many other fruits. Moreover, dark chocolate contains five times more flavonoids compared to apples. Of course, that doesn't mean you should replace your plate portion of fruits with chocolates but keep in mind that eating a square of dark chocolate every day may reduce your risk of having a heart attack or developing other coronary heart conditions. And while you eat a piece of dark chocolate every day, let’s not forget that your sweet treat tends to be high in calories, sugar, and saturated fat, which is why moderation is the key.

Eating Chocolate Every Day Can Help Ward Off Stress and Depression

Your favorite sweet treat is great for your heart, and often, what is good for your heart is also good for your soul. Chocolate is not an exception.

Research suggests that eating chocolate every day can positively affect your mood as it helps lower anxiety and stress. Again to get the most of this benefit, you should be eating dark chocolate as research indicates that people who consumed dark chocolate regularly reported feeling less stressed.

Let’s look at the scientific relationship between eating chocolate as a tool for managing stress.

Research suggests that the hormone cortisol is responsible for causing stress. The constant release of cortisol stirs up stress and can also lead to an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Eating chocolate, specifically dark chocolate, leads to a decrease in the hormone cortisol, which has a positive effect on stress levels as well as aids in maintaining a healthy heart.

 

About THE AUTHOR

Lori Gilmore

Lori Gilmore

Lori has been a Culinary Arts instructor for twenty years. She has taught in the public school setting, at the collegiate level and through adult continuing education as well as running several cooking and baking camps for children. She has participated in several cooking, cake & chocolate contests and has been well recognized. She has raised thousands of dollars for charities using the byline “Saving the World one Cupcake at a Time”. Additionally, she has had several articles regarding food published in various magazines.

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