By Nikki Phipps
Who doesn’t love chocolate? I simply cannot resist the sweet-tasting, mouth-watering stuff. No one knows exactly why we love chocolate, yet the cravings are very real. Were you aware that chocolate is the number one most craved food, and women are the ones most likely to crave it. Cravings are usually most intense in the late afternoon and early evening. Chocolate may contain addictive compounds, but no one is certain what those compounds are or why they affect us as they do.
Chocolate is not a member of any food group but is the perfect mix of sugar and fat, turning on nearly every appetite-triggering nerve chemical in the brain. The sugar in chocolate sparks the release of a nerve chemical called serotonin, resulting is a sense of well-being. The sweet taste of chocolate also releases endorphins in the brain, giving us an immediate euphoric rush. Chocolate contains caffeine, providing us with an instant mental boost as well. Chocolate also contains a substance called anandamide, which mimics the effects of marijuana, bet you didn’t know that.
Chocolate is a natural painkiller, so naturally we want chocolate in times of stress, anxiety, or pain. For me, it doesn’t matter what kind of chocolate. It can take the form of candy (Hershey’s is the best), cakes, pies, or even syrup. Chocolate is chocolate and I simply must have it! Whether or not it’s good for us is perhaps the most important issue as opposed to why we want it. However, research has shown that in limited quantities, chocolate may actually be healthy, especially when it’s time for a visit from our dreaded ‘Aunt Flo.’ It seems that some of our chocolate cravings may be influenced by a deficiency in magnesium, which chocolate is full of, and during PMS, our levels are lower. Chocolate also contains no cholesterol, which is beneficial to our hearts. However, it does have a lot of fat, and most of us probably have enough ourselves.
So what’s a woman to do? Strict dieting or food deprivation may actually intensify cravings or lead to binge eating. Therefore, many nutrition experts recommend satisfying one’s craving by eating the desired food. The bottom line is that chocolate, for whatever reason, makes us feel good. So if you crave it, go ahead and eat it, just limit how much.