Chocolate just tastes good? That’s it?
When you’re feeling a bit down, do you reach for the chocolate? I do for sure. Chocolate chips aren’t safe in my house (I usually buy twice as much as I need for baking, because I’ll snack on the rest). For a long time we’ve thought that there were "feel good" chemicals in chocolate like theobromine and serotonin and these give us a little boost in the mood department. Well, apparently while those chemicals are there … but they don’t boost our mood. In fact, eating chocolate might have an opposite effect.
From the Discovery Channel Canada …
When socked with a bad mood, many of us ice our sorrows with a bar of sweet, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate. And when you can’t drop the bar, you claim it’s ’cause the treat is just plain addictive. Now, after looking at a vast collection of studies, a group of scientists suggest the claims that the chemicals in chocolate actually lift your spirits are as empty as the calories in the treat itself.
Man, what a bummer! The study drops this lovely bombshell on us too:
And if you’re still convinced that chocolate makes you feel better when your blue, Parker points out this perk could be a product of your own mind games.
"Chocolate can provide its own emotional pleasure by satisfying cravings, but when consumed as a comfort eating or emotional eating strategy, is more likely to be associated with prolongation rather than cessation of a depressed mood," he writes.
Boy, scientists sure take the fun out of everything don’t they! Coffee, chocolate … yikes. Here is what I think. I love chocolate. I don’t have it all the time. It tastes good and if I get a boost from the sugar and the satisfaction of eating something yummy, that’s good enough for me.
Now, where is that chocolate mocha ice cream ….
Tags: chocolate, theobromine, serotonin
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