Is chocolate good for you?
At Easter, a lot of people eat a lot of chocolate. We wanted to share a few thoughts about the benefits of chocolate. As with many foods, over-indulgence is never good.
Easter is a Christian tradition and the egg is a symbol of new life. Our SELDOC Healthcare team is diverse, and we enjoy sharing interesting information about different festivals and celebrations which take place throughout the year. Understanding each other's cultural backgrounds and traditions helps us to be an even stronger team, serving the needs of patients from all communities.
Have a look at some of the benefits our bodies can derive from chocolate - but again, let's not eat too much.
What are the benefits of chocolate?
The high content of antioxidants, chemicals that protect the cells in your body from other harmful chemicals, can help reduce your risk of heart problems and lower your blood pressure. Although the effects can be minimal – they can still help.
Chocolate can act as a stress reliever, and so can also be beneficial for your skin.
It can make you feel happy – chemicals such as phenylethylamine can mimic the feeling of falling in love!
Chocolate contains flavanols, which can improve blood flow and so brain power.
It can give you an energy boost – dark chocolate is high in caffeine.
So is chocolate good for you? It depends on the type and how much you eat – overeating any food can lead to excess weight gain and the associated health conditions. But there are some benefits, especially from dark chocolate.
We hope this post has been interesting and that it may give you some helpful pointers if you are going to enjoy an Easter egg. If you have any comments about this post or you would like to understand more about what we do, please contact us on: seldoc.enquiries@nhs.net
Happy Easter from the SELDOC team.
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