“There’s nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate.”
-Linda Grayson, The Pickwick Papers
Being a Registered Dietitian (RD) does not confer immunity to comfort
food and chocolate cravings, and like many, I have my fixations with
some Southern chocolatiers. When in New Orleans, I will always visit Southern Candymakers for their Mississippi Mud bark and Laura's Candies for their chocolate-covered apricots and turtles. I will run someone over to get a tiger paw from the Charleston Candy Company in Charleston, South Carolina. It is also no secret as to the lengths I would go for chocolate truffles and fudge from the Savannah Candy Company in Savannah, Georgia.
Why is chocolate a top comfort food? Eating chocolate releases the
same calming brain chemicals (endorphins) that are released during
exercise, falling in love, or taking certain drugs. Chocolate influences
serotonin levels in the brain, which influence mood and appetite.
Phenylethylamine in chocolate affects dopamine and pleasure centers in
the brain. Mood instability is one reason people experience carbohydrate
cravings. It is also part of the reason many women experience intense
chocolate cravings during PMS; serotonin levels are typically lower at
that time of the menstrual cycle.
All chocolate is not created equal. Milk chocolate is much lower in
flavanols (antioxidants) than dark chocolate. White chocolate is
basically faux chocolate, consisting most of cocoa butter. Avoid white
chocolate because it contains no cocoa solids (cacao), and lacks the
ability to stimulate euphoria-inducing chemicals that “real” chocolate
does (like the mood-regulator serotonin).
An increased percentage of cocoa solids (cacao) means higher
bitterness in dark chocolate, but also less sugar and more heart-healthy
flavanol levels. Though Americans overwhelmingly prefer milk chocolate
to dark, the bitter-tasting stuff is simply better for your heart.
Click here to continue reading about the health benefits of dark chocolate in my latest article for OKRA magazine (on its new website). For an archive of my nutrition articles at OKRA, click here.
