Food of the Week: Dark Chocolate
Are you sick of healthy foods that don't taste good? Then try a little dark chocolate!
Dark chocolate has numerous health benefits, and some of them could specifically benefit those of us with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.
- It contains serotonin, which tends to be deficient in us;
- It stimulates endorphin release in your brain, which elevates the mood, kills pain and may boost the immune system;
- It may lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol, which protects the heart (some research links chronic fatigue syndrome to cardiovascular irregularities);
- It contains antioxidants (in the form of flavinoids), which some experts recommend for these conditions.
This doesn't mean that we should all binge on chocolate regularly -- we do still have to worry about the fat and calories! However, research shows that we only need about 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate a day to get the benefits. The best way to add dark chocolate to your diet is to eat it in place of a less-healthy snack.
It also has to be dark chocolate, and the darker the better. Milk chocolate won't have the same impact on your body.
About.com Guide to Longevity Mark Stibich, Ph.D, has a great article on dark chocolate and how to get the most out of it: Health Benefits of Chocolate.
I don't eat dark chocolate on a regular basis, but I do generally keep some around for those days when I feel like I need a serotonin boost, or when I want something sweet. I figure it's better than a lot of other choices I could make. I do notice a difference when I eat it, too. I'm lucky -- I dark chocolate to milk chocolate, so it's an easy choice for me.
Do you eat dark chocolate for the health benefits? How do you compensate for the extra calories? Have you had to adjust to the taste? Leave your comments below!
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Dark chocolate is GOOD for me!?!?!? Oh my goodness – I love it, and now I have an excuse to eat it regularly . . . The only time I’ve ever had an issue with the flavor is when my former boss brought some back from Europe with him that was 97% pure (that one was just a touch on the bitter side.) I can even eat unsweetened baking chocolate if I don’t have anything else in the house.
Here is EVERYONE’S dream come true. HEALTHY CHOCOLATE! go to http://www.eatinghealthychocolate.com
I eat this chocolate 3 times a day and it has helped me with my inflammation, energy and sleep problems.
None other like it!
Much prefer milk chocolate, but in a pinch dark chocolate is ok. I tend not to over eat dark chocolate.
What about peanut butter? I find lowfat peanut butter helps my moods. If no one is around I drop the pretense and forget the bread.
True. Dark chocolate (70% cocoa content) seems to help “fibro” folks–and I include this info in my new book on chocolate cures.
Fibromyalgia? I believe I have a few tender points. I know if I swim regularly, eat right, destress, get good sleep–and get a bit of quality chocolate–whether it’s cold outside (also a trigger for me) or not, I’m good to go.
author of The Healing Powers of Chocolate
I have ME and have found dark (over 70%) chocolate to be helpful – its not a cure but does seem to even out my days. I have a strip off a big block every night as dessert.
I eat the “right” kind of chocolate 3 to 4 times a day. Because it is cold-pressed, I am getting the equivalent of 10 – 12 servings of raw fruits and vegetables for a little over 100 low-glycemic calories. As a result, I no longer take ibuprofen twice a day for the arthritis in my hips, and I no longer get the ugly bruising we get as we age. Check out all 8 decadent products at: http://cocoa101.com.
I have a heaping tablespoon of the highest percentage (60% or more) chocolate that I can find – usually chocolate chips or baker’s unsweetened. The less sugar the better. I have mine after lunch as I try to avoid any sugar before bedtime.
I like chocolate, but I would be more interested in real treatments.
I think these kinds of stories trivialize the devastating impact of CFS. (If chocolate is a “treatment”, how bad can it be??)
Support research…
I find that two squares of dark chocolate (72% cocoa) gives me a needed boost when a wave of fatigue hits (usually in mid-afternoon). I don’t feel any need to “compensate” for the calories, because two squares of chocolate is quite a small amount. This isn’t a “treatment” but it is a way of coping with symptoms until the day we all look forward to when there is a really effective treatment for fibromyalgia without killer side effects. (P.S. Anything over 80% cocoa is bitter-tasting.)
i always eat two squares of trader jo’s dark chocolate before bed. it’s my treat for getting through another day.
3.5 oz??? That’s a LOT of chocolate. Not that I’m complaining, mind, but is there a typo there? If one (baking) square of chocolate is one ounce, I don’t think even my chocoholic self could get through that much… Still, nice to think that I couldn’t possibly eat enough chocolate in a day to meet my nutritional and medicinal requirements, but I can keep trying!
I heard (or read) that 1 oz. was the “ideal” amount. Since chocolate has caffeine, I try not to eat it in the evening. Sleep is hard to come by as it is.
What about caffeine ?? it’s not good for FM isn’t it?
How funny. I eat a couple of squares of dark chocolate before going to bed as well. It is also a special treat for eating right all day. I let it sit in my mouth and slowly melt.
Xocai is a healthy dark chocolate,no fillers,cold pressed,
I am an eater & distributor #30177
you are welcome to contact me for more info judyandlinda@gmail.com
The Center for Flavonoid Research has an excellent White Paper study on the benefits of Dark Chocolate: http://chocolatewealthnetwork.com/flavonoid.pdf
Dark chocolate does wonderful things for Fibromyalgia and the pain associated with it but you are right not all chocolate is the same. There is one chocolate being sold that is high in anti oxidants and Flavonids and I have used it and it works. It is also helping with weight loss and diabetes. don’t take my word for it. the author of the o2 diet recommends it in her book. and you should check out the web site. http://www.newlifehealthychocolate.com and testimonials at http://www.careenoughtoshare.com
See my blog for official study’s about chocolate.
And media site http://www.xocohealth.eu
Succes
Peter
Hi choclate of any type makes my fybromyalgia pains rearly bad i suffer the next day if I eat choclate or anything with caffine
les
I accidently found that 1-2 squares of the 85% (Lindt) dark chocolate helps my fibromyalgia achiness. I would occasionally use it as a snack and realized that every time I did this my pain or achiness would lessen drastically within the hour. It happens every time so I don’t think it’s a coincidence! Who knows though – maybe I just needed to up my blood sugar. I’m gluten, dairy and corn free which also helps tremendously, so I only use a little bit of the chocolate once in a while when needed.