If there is one chocolate you should eat every day, make sure it is at least 70% dark chocolate.
Assuming you crave and routinely eat milk chocolate, I won't be too picky about the brand. As long as sugar isn't the first ingredient.
When it comes to cravings, the body is quite smart. In general, when the body craves chocolate, it may be an indicator of low levels of magnesium and iron.
Though I can't ignore the added sugar, cacao itself is so nourishing for the skin and body.
A good quality cacao brand, like from Anima Mundi, contains 40x more antioxidants than blueberries. Antioxidants protect the cells in our body from toxic and damaging molecules called free radicals. These molecules speed up the aging process internally and can be visibly seen on our faces. Aaaand they love to attack certain structures in our skin like collagen.
Because of its colour, cacao is super rich in iron. In the blood, iron helps transfer oxygen in your blood from the lungs to your organs.
Cacao also contains minerals magnesium and calcium. Magnesium, in particular, is essential for a healthy heart, helps turn glucose (the sugar found in our blood) into energy, and relaxes your muscles.
Cacao improves blood flow, decreases blood pressure, and improves cognitive function and memory (Scholey et al., 2009).
This is the nutrition facts of 3 pieces of Lindt's 70% Dark Chocolate from their Excellence line. Notice its fibre, protein and iron content.
For healthy adults, the American Heart Association Eating Plan recommends a dietary fibre intake between 25 to 30 grams from food (not supplements).
Fibre = 4g = covers 1/6 to 1/7 (or 16%) of your dairy dietary intake
Generally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 10 to 35 percent of daily calories come from protein. Alternatively, the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight.
Protein = 3 g --> say you are a healthy 18-year-old male weighing in at 130 pounds which equals 59 kg. You'll need 47.2 g of protein throughout the day. Eating 3 pieces of this Lindt chocolate per day covers 3% of your daily RDA.
Iron allowance will depend on your age and health status. The RDA for all age groups of men and postmenopausal women is 8 mg/day; for premenopausal women is 18 mg/day (higher because of monthly menses).
Iron = 10% --> assuming you're a healthy 20-year-old female, eating 3 pieces of this chocolate covers 10% of your RDA.
If you crave chocolate, it's honestly ok. Heck, its pretty common. (I constantly crave sweets, particularly chocolate). Especially when it’s your time of the month: that blood loss means loss of iron. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2019), women aged 14 to 50 need almost twice as much iron compared to men. And if you suffer from menstrual cramps as I do, magnesium can help as a comforting food and pose relaxing effects on the body. If your body is giving you signs, it's a good idea to listen to them.
Whenever Lindt's excellence line is on sale, I always grab 3 bars! If I’m lucky, it goes for $2 a bar at Superstore and Shoppers Drug Mart here in Canada.
There is no ideal serving size per se because all brands make their chocolates differently. Best advice, I would treat chocolate like it were any other candy. I personally have 2 squares as dessert. I find that I feel satiated plus I don't crave anymore sweets after. Also, if you can tolerate a higher cacao percentage, the more nutrition + antioxidants you consume. Let me know if you can handle 90% cacao!
References
Institute of Medicine (US) Panel on Micronutrients. (2001). Iron. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK222309/.
Pendick, D. (2019, June 25). How much protein do you need every day? Harvard Health Blog. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-much-protein-do-you-need-every-day-201506188096.
Scholey, A. B., French, S. J., Morris, P. J., Kennedy, D. O., Milne, A. L., & Haskell, C. F. (2009). Consumption of cocoa flavanols results in acute improvements in mood and cognitive performance during sustained mental effort. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 24(10), 1505–1514. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881109106923
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2019, December 10). Office of Dietary Supplements - Iron. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-Consumer/.
UCSF Health. (2020, October 6). Increasing Fiber Intake. ucsfhealth.org. https://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/increasing-fiber-intake.
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