Transcript
Hi again, Dr Cris here with the Ask Dr Cris Show. Today’s question is about chocolate and somebody is asking ‘why do in constantly crave chocolate particularly at the end of the day?’
It is a really common question and chocolate is something which is universal and I think a lot of us do crave it. There are a few chemicals in chocolate and it certainly stimulates brain chemicals that gives us a lift in mood and happy hormones. So chocolate can be used as a little bit of self-medication. Certainly, if someone is feeling low or flat or unmotivated chocolate can give them that lift. It is not something that you want to be over indulging with every day. 60 to 100grams a day, so a couple of squares of chocolate, is recommended for health and dark chocolate is obviously better for you because of the antioxidant content but the sugar content of chocolate and the fat content of chocolate probably means that you shouldn’t be having it all the time in excessive amounts. Craving chocolate can also be a bit of a habit. So, if you are used to something sweet after your meal you might have to slowly break that by choosing chocolate that is sweetened with stevia or xylitol instead of sugar and then changing it to things like protein balls or a different sweet hit as opposed to chocolate. It is a hard one to break because obviously it has got the caffeine and a feel good chemical in it and so it can be very addictive. It is something that you will have to re-train your taste buds not to want to crave all the time. Hormone changes can also make us want to crave chocolate so if it is hormones that are making you particularly crave chocolate it might be worthwhile getting those checked by your local Doctor. Craving chocolate is not such a bad problem as long as it is in moderation.
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Dr Cris
Holistic Medical Doctor, Author ‘Healthy Habits, 52 Ways to Better Health‘
