Greedy and highly delicious, chocolate is loved by everyone and its aromatic notes are hard to resist. Ideal as a snack to be allowed from time to time (a small square is enough), it can also be appreciated in the form of hot chocolate, custard or in any sweet preparation.
In addition, in addition to satisfying the palate and the heart, this food also provides not a few benefits to our health. However, there are different types of chocolate and when it comes to the line, it is good to choose carefully the one that suits you.
With the help of the Gloria Rossetto, Nutritionist Biologist, let’s discover the properties and benefits of chocolate.
Types of chocolate
«According to the law, the term chocolate defines “a product obtained from cocoa and sugar products which has a minimum total cocoa dry matter content of 35%, of which not less than 18% of cocoa butter and not less than 14% of defatted dry cocoa “.
As we all know, there are some different types, the most common are:
- White chocolate;
- milk chocolate;
- dark chocolate.
In white chocolate there is no cocoa, but only cocoa butter, milk and sugars in a high percentage.
Instead, for can be defined dark, chocolate must contain at least 43% cocoa and 28% cocoa butter. In that extrafondente the minimum percentage of cocoa must instead be 75% in that extra-amaro the cocoa mass must be present in a percentage between 85% and 90%.
Chocolate owes its properties to cocoa content, therefore it makes sense to refer to dark chocolate (better if extra). White and milk chocolate, due to the use of other ingredients, contain a much lower percentage of cocoa », explains the doctor.
Nutritional components
«The cocoa bean is rich in components of nutritional interest come:
- fats;
- sterols;
- fibre;
- minerals (magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper, potassium and iron are the most represented);
- vitamins (especially those of group B);
- amino acids (such as the serotonin precursor tryptophan);
- methylxanthines (theobromine and, to a lesser extent, caffeine);
- peptides;
- polyphenols, are abundant at the origin, even if the processing modifies their content and, consequently, the nutritional impact ».
Property
By virtue of its rich nutritional component, chocolate is:
Like all foods, however, it is important to consume chocolate in not excessive doses. To fully appreciate it and prevent the balance from going too far, it is better not to overdo it. Rather, it is preferable to include it in your diet taking into account the daily energy requirement and the lifestyle followed.
Benefits
«The most recent research on the relationship between cocoa intake and derived products, well-being and health has focused precisely on role of flavanols, molecules of vegetable origin also present in fruit, vegetables, extra virgin olive oil, seeds, spices, aromatic herbs, tea, coffee. Several are attributed to these molecules protective effects for health related to a significant reduction in the risk of chronic noncommunicable diseases.
Specifically, cocoa flavanols are able to protect the elasticity and the vascular endothelial function in all districts, which influences the correct distribution of blood in the body. A property also recognized by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). This protective effect is associated with the intake of high levels of cocoa flavanols.
The high content in fats and sugars makes chocolate a food fromhigh energy density.
Instead, the presence of nerve substances, the intake of which has a tonic and stimulating effect on the nervous system, such as theobromine and caffeine, makes chocolate a food from energizing properties.
Although cocoa butter, a characteristic lipid of chocolate, is also composed largely of saturated fatty acids, this fat does not seem to have significant negative effects on the lipid profile (in particular on the “bad” cholesterol, or LDL), as the stearic acid, which represents about one third of cocoa lipids, is rapidly desaturated by the body in oleic acid », continues the expert.
How much to eat?
“According to our guidelines, the consumption of sweet foods, including chocolate, it should be occasional, precisely because the high energy density that characterizes them can contribute to weight gain and the risk of overweight, obesity and chronic diseases.
Except for specific pathologies and disorders that impose a limitation in consumption, from some recent studies it would seem that the protective action of dark chocolate (especially for heart failure and type 2 diabetes mellitus) is linked to a daily intake of about 10 g, sufficient to exploit the benefits related to cocoa flavones, without the caloric impact being excessive. Clearly all in compliance with an overall varied and balanced diet », explains Dr. Rossetto.
Does it make you fat?
«No food in itself makes you fat. You get fat only if the energy inputs (represented by the food and drinks we take) are greater than the outputs (mainly represented by our resting metabolism and the physical activity we carry out).
Certainly there are foods that, due to greater energy density, are more likely to make us gain weight, but everything it depends on the doses and the frequency of consumption. So, no, chocolate itself does not make you fat, it depends on how much we consume in relation to our general diet and our needs », concludes the expert.
In general, therefore, chocolate is a panacea for the well-being of the body as long as it is consumed in adequate doses.
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