Yeah! Are you surprised? First of all, chocolate is not a food: it is chocolate. Why do we highlight it and not put it in line with other products? The reason is its taste: it is so sweet and pleasant that we are ready to enjoy how it melts in our mouth until our last breath. He captivates us and we surrender without the slightest resistance. And all this, of course, because our body knows what is good for it...

Third half

The “third half” is the time after work, the third “half” of the working day. When the whole world is against us, all we have to do is eat one or two pieces of chocolate and we feel much better: chocolate is amazingly relaxing. We advise you to always keep a reserve tile in stock, because in a moment of fatigue we want one thing: to relax, even if at first glance it may seem strange. Going to bed in complete exhaustion and in a calm, relaxed state are not the same thing.

But the most amazing feature chocolate is that it can relax and energize at the same time. It contains three substances that prevent lethargy and apathy. First of all, it's caffeine. It affects the central nervous system and stimulates alertness, resistance, mental activity etc. Secondly, it is theobromine. It affects the muscles and stimulates nervous reactivity (necessary, for example, during exercise computer games). Thirdly, phenylthylamine, which has a psychostimulating effect and even acts as an antidepressant. And, of course, magnesium. Even if incompletely absorbed, it remains the most valuable mineral for nervous system. Well, of course, long live chocolate!

"White square"

When our mood is in free fall, serotonin levels follow the same downward trajectory. In such a situation, all products that can increase the content of this valuable neurotransmitter in the body are allowed. And here chocolate again becomes our assistant. Not only is it one of these foods, but it also stimulates the release of serotonin. However, do not deceive yourself: only dark chocolate can have a similar effect, in extreme cases, milk chocolate, but not white chocolate (besides, it is chocolate only in name).

Summary:

Who is right? The one who says that chocolate is a substitute for love, or the one who says the opposite: love is a substitute for chocolate? If you know the answer, you can send it to us at: colgourmande@aol. com. In the meantime, let's add that a couple of pieces of chocolate a day won't hurt you. On the contrary, it will even be beneficial. “People who regularly drink chocolate are different good health and resistance to minor diseases that disrupt the calm flow of our lives,” said the famous critic and gastronomer Brillat-Savarin.

Diet and chocolate - is it possible to combine such seemingly incompatible things? Most likely yes, because without chocolate with a cup of tea or coffee, the morning will not be so kind and cheerful.

But seriously, chocolate is very useful product, the properties of which should not be neglected in the process of losing weight. There is even a special diet that involves eating only chocolate.

Chocolate: benefits for losing weight

Chocolate must be present in dietary nutrition in the event that a person experiences a constant feeling of hunger, irritability, drowsiness, depression.

Chew chocolate treat without remorse, if necessary:

Cheer up → find strength for physical activity
Cheer up →
Pacify false hunger →

Not stored in fat deposits

Cakes and buns are fast carbohydrates that the body quickly breaks down into glucose and then stores in subcutaneous fat.

A delicacy made from cocoa beans - slow carbohydrates. To break them down, the body launches complex biochemical processes that take a lot of time. Blood sugar levels rise slowly, gradually, and are used only to fuel the muscles, brain and internal organs.

Reduces stress

Stress is the body’s response to our desire to take away the fat accumulated through overwork.

Firstly, many people begin to overeat due to nervousness. False hunger awakens and draws us to delicious buns.

Secondly, stress slows down metabolism and weight stops moving in the direction we need.

Chocolate - high-calorie product(depending on the composition, 100 grams contain 500-600 calories). But just a small piece of treat can pacify false hunger and stress.

Photo of cocoa beans. The main component of chocolate is cocoa butter. It is obtained from cocoa beans, the fruit of the chocolate tree.

Improves mood

Cocoa beans are a source of tryptophan, an amino acid that is important for the synthesis of serotonin (“the happy hormone”). Stress and a monotonous diet deplete our serotonin reserves. The result is apathy, irritability, loss of strength and... goodbye diet.

The sensitivity of the body's nervous system increases. Any, even the most insignificant, little things cause irritation or poor health. And chocolate stimulates the production of serotonin, improving mood.

Chocolate is a good antidepressant. The fact is that it contains a fairly large amount of magnesium, which reduces stress levels, improves memory and increases the body's resistance to depression.

Also on good mood influence phenylethalamines, thanks to which endorphins are produced in the body - many call them “hormones of happiness”.

All of the above conditions are known first-hand to those losing weight, so the importance of taking such a product (even in limited quantities) is undeniable.

Chocolate is especially useful in winter period. When it's cold outside, sugars help produce serotonin, which helps the body warm up and improve your mood.

Increases physical activity

Cocoa beans contain caffeine. In moderate doses, caffeine increases mental and physical performance, reduces the feeling of fatigue and drowsiness.

Don't have the energy to warm up or workout? Eat 20-30 grams of dark chocolate, think about your future slimness and run to the gym - burn off extra roundness.

And a few more advantages

Phenols (natural components of cocoa beans) oxidize “bad” cholesterol and promote the production of “good” cholesterol. Accordingly, problems with blood vessels and heart with moderate consumption will not be.
Also, do not forget that chocolate contains antioxidants that neutralize free radicals and thereby effectively prevent and slow down the aging process of body cells.
Other useful substances include calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, which ensure strong bones, brain nutrition and optimal cellular metabolism.
Phosphates, fluoride and theanines provide natural antibacterial “therapy” and reduce the development of caries. Therefore, do not believe those doctors who forbid you to eat chocolates.
Don’t forget that cocoa beans relieve pain and can relieve minor coughs and colds, and this happens very often if you stick to a diet in the spring, when the body already lacks vitamins and is weakened.

What kind of chocolate can you eat while losing weight?

Bitter dark chocolate contains natural cocoa beans, cocoa butter and Brown sugar. This is not the most low calorie chocolate, but the most useful.

Moreover, it must be a bitter black subspecies with high content cocoa (more than 70%), as it contains a large amount of phenols. They are responsible for that bitter taste that distinguishes a real healthy product from an ordinary dessert.

But at the same time, it is necessary to choose a quality product, and not cheap analogues like chocolate desserts.

Dairy or White chocolate during a diet is strictly prohibited. Sweet bars do not contain substances beneficial to the body, and the content of cocoa beans in them is either less than 35% or equal to zero.

Milk, flavor enhancers, flavorings, sweeteners and many other additives are added to the product. In this case, talk about what it is dietary product, no one will dare.

Delicious and no calories Tips for those with a sweet tooth: how not to gain weight from ice cream. Can I eat it for breakfast or dinner?

How to lose weight with chocolate

So, if you want to eat something sweet while losing weight, then you don’t need to deny yourself this. To avoid gaining those pounds again, just follow a few rules:

When is the best time to eat chocolate?

But in the morning or afternoon, this product is quite suitable for diversifying the diet menu.

It is healthier to eat chocolate after the main meal.

And the point here is not that it negatively affects the intestinal microflora (quite the opposite - it promotes the rapid absorption of other foods), but that after the main course you can eat much less sweets. And with two or three slices a person is completely full.

What products is compatible with?

It combines with quite a lot healthy ingredients. These can be apples, raspberries, other berries and fruits.

Also very delicious combination greek yogurt with dark dark chocolate.

In addition, you can treat yourself to a small piece of chocolate with tea or coffee. But you should make sure that the coffee is not very strong - this combination can negatively affect the stomach (especially in the morning).

Norm of dark chocolate per day- no more than 25 grams per day.

By consuming it in a reasonable amount, you can lose weight, since chocolate carbohydrates are broken down in the body very quickly and consumed just as quickly.

In this case, carbohydrates in the body will begin to be stored as fat. Therefore, take a treat daily (as a medicine), but no more than 2-3 cubes (10-20 g).

Of course, if you're not on chocolate diet– then you can eat a whole 100 g bar a day.

Possible harm from chocolate

Many may not believe it, but chocolate can be harmful even after such songs of praise in its direction. The main thing is not to overdo it with quantity.

You also only need to select quality products. It’s enough to read the ingredients to understand whether you can eat this product or leave it to your enemies.

Low-quality chocolate is all sugar and fast carbohydrates (extra centimeters on the waist and overweight on the scales), “bad” cholesterol, the risk of problems with the stomach and pancreas, because it does not accept this product.

So, all you need to know is to eat right, don’t overindulge, eat if you really want to, and enjoy life. After all, chocolate is one of the most pleasant pleasures in our lives.

There is an exit! You need to learn to choose the right sweets and eat carbohydrates correctly. And ours will help you with this practical advice. And for dessert - two golden rules.

Why do we love treats so much?

Sugar and others popular sweets belong to simple carbohydrates.

Once in the digestive tract, they begin to be absorbed into the blood, instantly and sharply increasing sugar levels. Eating chocolate bar, we very quickly begin to feel full and energized. But soon hunger sets in again: blood sugar levels drop just as sharply. That's why simple carbohydrates are also called fast carbohydrates.

This is why we love sweet treats. We ate candy, cheered up, worked fruitfully and again got tired and hungry. We eat candy again and get a new boost of energy. The body quickly gets used to simple carbohydrates and prefers them. This is how a love for sweets appears, which often leads to overweight and even obesity.

Chocolate candies

Almost all desserts and sweet pastries based on white sugar, which does not provide any benefit to the body.

Always control how many sweets you eat.

By eating foods that contain a lot of simple carbohydrates, we risk overeating during the day, exceeding daily norm calories. And the root of evil here lies in the fact that overeating occurs unnoticed by us!

Calories we don't notice

100 grams of white sugar contains 99.8 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of protein and 0 grams of fat, the calorie content of sugar is as much as 379 kcal!

By drinking 4 cups of tea with three spoons of sugar a day, we get an additional more than 300 kcal. And 300-400 kcal for an adult is almost a full dinner. Add your favorite cheesecake or a chocolate bar to your tea - and after a month or two, the dress treacherously doesn’t fit at the waist.

Try to avoid foods that contain hidden sugar.

The truth is that most everyday products contain hidden sugar: instant cereals and muesli, diet bars, yoghurts, juices, various sauces, beer, liqueurs, smoked meats, frozen foods and even semi-finished meat products!

soda

Don't believe me? Carefully read food labels the next time you go to the store and right choice. The closer sugar is to the beginning of the list of ingredients, the more of it there is in the product. It is better to find a replacement for such a product. For example, 250 ml of soda may contain 6-8 teaspoons of sugar!

Try to gradually give up white sugar altogether.

By nature, our body is designed in such a way that we need carbohydrates, but do not need white sugar. You may find this difficult or even impossible. I’ll tell you a secret: you can overcome your addiction to sweets in just 2-3 weeks! By gradually reducing the amount of sweets in your diet, after some time you will be surprised to note that you have become more indifferent to your favorite desserts.

But sweets are a little feminine weakness that you want to indulge in even during a diet. And we are not always ready to give up treats completely. There are two rules, following them, you will not have to completely give up sweets and at the same time you will be able to get positive results from the diet.

Golden Rule No. 1

Be sure to eat foods rich in complex carbohydrates - starch and fiber (legumes, grain bread or bran bread, buckwheat, oatmeal, rice, vegetables). If you often crave sweets, your diet is low in complex carbohydrates!

Such products maintain a constant blood sugar level, do not allow it to spike, and you will not suddenly be drawn to an unplanned cake or chocolate. The amount of complex carbohydrates should be about 50% of your daily diet.

It is best to consume complex carbohydrates, especially starches, early and mid-day. Breakfast must include healthy porridge, bread. In the evening, it is advisable to give preference to protein foods and fiber (meat, fish, poultry, fresh or vegetable stew). A complete or partial refusal of complex carbohydrates guarantees a breakdown, health problems and excess weight gain.

Golden Rule #2

Choose the “right” sweets.

Replace sugar with honey. Honey is rich minerals, organic acids, vitamins, it gives long-lasting energy, protects against colds and strengthens the immune system.

Combining nuts and honey results in something so simple yet amazing. delicious dessert! For an adult, about 80-130 grams of honey per day in several doses is allowed, if other sweets and sugar are excluded.

Start using brown cane sugar. Unrefined brown sugar has a pleasant caramel flavor and is very good for homemade baked goods. With almost the same calorie content as white sugar, brown sugar is a source of magnesium, iron, calcium, phosphorus and potassium.

Healthy sweets include marshmallows, marshmallows, jelly and marmalade. They are made on the basis of pectin - natural soluble fiber, and they have reduced calorie content: marshmallows are about 300 kcal, while chocolate is over 500 kcal.

Dried fruits and fresh fruits You can eat them on their own or use them in various homemade desserts and cocktails. Grind the dried fruits, dissolve gelatin in milk or kefir and mix the ingredients. Leave in the cold until completely hardened. This dessert will allow you to quench your sweet tooth.

Choose chocolate with the highest cocoa content possible. Dark chocolate is better absorbed by the body and gives greater satiety compared to milk chocolate. About 25 grams of dark chocolate per day will not harm your figure.

You can choose fructose as a sugar substitute ( fruit sugar). Fructose is found in berries and fruits, but it can also be purchased in specialized sections of grocery stores. The calorie content of fructose is approximately the same as that of sugar, and its sweetness is approximately 1.5-1.7 times greater. Use it as you would white sugar, should be done in moderation.

And for gourmets there is Japanese exquisite delicacy- wagashi. It is prepared only from natural ingredients: nuts, dried fruits, chestnuts, seaweed, rice or bean dough, flower nectar. This dessert contains minimal amount sugar or, most often, does not contain it at all.

It is best to consume any sweets in the first half of the day.

Finally, I suggest healthy energy bars recipe for those with a sweet tooth- an ideal alternative to sweets!

Chocolate bar

Necessary:
3-4 soft bananas
1 tbsp. puffed brown rice
1 tbsp. raisins or dried cranberries
1 tbsp. oatmeal
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp. pumpkin seeds
1/2 tbsp. sunflower seeds
1/4 tbsp. sesame
2/3 tbsp. chopped almonds
4 tbsp honey

How to cook:
1. Grind bananas into puree.
2. In a bowl, mix rice, raisins, cereals, cinnamon, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, sesame and almonds.
3. Add honey and banana puree, stir the mixture until it becomes homogeneous and fairly dry.
4. Level the mass to baking paper, having previously laid it on a baking sheet.
5. Preheat the oven well. Bake for 12-14 minutes at 180°C.
6. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and use a knife to mark (cut) the mass so that you get bars.
7. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for another 12-15 minutes.
8. Cool the bars, cut them, pack them in cling film and store in the refrigerator.

Choose the right products, be energetic and beautiful!

Best regards, Natalie Lissi

What is the best time of day to eat chocolate?

Throughout the whole time chocolate product There are debates - at one time they said that chocolate is harmful to the body, whenever you consume it, then suddenly scientists discovered that chocolate is not so harmful. The main thing is to use it correctly. It has a beneficial effect on brain cells, namely, it causes the same reactions in a person as falling in love. You can’t argue with scientists: those who like chocolate will eat it and enjoy it, but those who don’t know how to love this product will replace it with others.
They don’t eat chocolate quickly, but try to keep it in their mouth longer. It melts there and the person enjoys taste qualities. By the way, eating chocolate this way helps you not to eat it in large quantities. Saturation comes quickly. You won't eat much this way and will enjoy it more.

Well, when do you eat it? It seems to me that it is possible at any time of the day, except for evening and night hours, although those with a sweet tooth can also satisfy their need for chocolate by putting a piece in their mouth and holding it until it melts)).

★★★★★★★★★★

If you are not overweight and do not have diabetes.

If you believe that chocolate contains happy hormones and helps you lift your mood, eat it whenever you want.

Just not with cognac. Snacking cognac with chocolate (as well as lemon), it turns out, is bad form. Another thing is with tea.

But if you only consume natural chocolate, and not the cheap substitutes that the stores are filled with, with its help you can even help your health.

It has long been known that chocolate contains substances that are beneficial for our hearts and brains. And the latest research by British scientists has proven that consuming natural, dark chocolate at night improves sleep. And, if you need to get a good night's sleep, relax before a hard day, or just go to bed early, eat natural chocolate at night.

★★★★★★★★★★

There are different types of chocolate: bitter, semi-bitter, milk, white, and also with the addition of nuts, raisins, orange zest, mint, coconut, lime juice crystals, salt and pepper, ginger, etc.

Not every type of chocolate can be eaten at night, since the combination of chocolate with different ingredients and products sometimes give the opposite effect. So, for example, chocolate with nuts may not soothe, but invigorate, because in this combination the body will produce serotonin and endorphin (euphoria at night is not good). Serotonin is a product of the conversion of tryptophan, as is melatonin, but if the latter contributes good sleep, then serotonin, on the contrary, improves mood and causes bursts of cheerfulness. Chocolate with nuts is eaten in the morning, not at night.
For the same reason, it is better not to eat milk chocolate at night.

Chocolate, in particular bitter or semi-bitter, contains a lot of magnesium, and magnesium reduces heart rate and promotes good sleep. Dark chocolate is eaten at night to help you sleep better.

Dark chocolate with apple is beneficial at any time of the day.
This is a favorable combination, since apples are rich in the bioflavonoid quercetin, which has an anti-inflammatory effect and copes well with problematic blood vessels, and chocolate helps it with its catechins, preventing the development of atherosclerosis and even cancer. Combining apples with dark chocolate helps prevent thrombosis, and in principle has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system.

Most healthy chocolate- dark, with a cocoa content of 50% or more, and if the presence of caffeine bothers you, then just compare the sweet treat with coffee - a cup of coffee contains 3 times more caffeine than a whole bar of chocolate.

★★★★★★★★★★

It's better to eat chocolate in the morning!

As you know, chocolate gives us “joy” and a boost of energy. Therefore, it is best to eat half a chocolate bar in the morning before " important work“to stock up on energy for the whole day and lift your spirits.
The main thing is that the chocolate is “favorite”, that is, the one that you love, and not the one that is “healthy” (according to other people), because in order for chocolate to act as it should, it must remain “pleasant” for you.
And the best thing is that you always have a chocolate bar “at hand”; as soon as you feel like you want a chocolate bar or you suddenly feel sad, eat a couple of slices and everything will be fine!
And what does chocolate do to the body... of course it gives Joy!

Conclusion: You can eat chocolate whenever you want, most importantly “optional”!