Chocolate alleviates sadness, anger and boredom but also creates physiological dependence

We have had a day that was as dark as a wolf's throat, we arrive home and think we will solve it with chocolate. It is not the first time we have turned to it, and it has worked for us. That is why we thought of it quickly. Perhaps even when we were already imagining ourselves sitting on the sofa eating it, we started to feel better. We eat it and manage to make the sadness, anger, and boredom of the day go away with that piece that we know perfectly well we have stored away. Behind this action there is a reason. Science says that chocolate stimulates a pleasant state because it has phenylethylamine, and linked with the memory we have of it, it makes us seek it out to leave behind an unpleasant mood.

There is another component of chocolate that makes us eat it often, which is physiological dependence, which does not mean addiction, they are different concepts. "But it is true that our neurons are stimulated by its consumption, because cocoa creates an exciting effect, similar to that caused by coffee," states the dietitian-nutritionist and doctor of biology Anna Costa, who adds that all this is due to an organic compound, theobromine, and also because cocoa contains a little caffeine.

With the very name, we feel better

Once the existence of theobromine and phenylethylamine is explained, chocolate lovers already understand what happens to us when we eat it and I would even add when we think we are going to eat it. Just by pronouncing its name we already look better.

Since we are looking at its anatomy, we must explain that chocolate provides fats to the body, those which in nutrition have been qualified as good. “The predominant fatty acid is stearic acid, which can help lower bad cholesterol and, therefore, would not increase cardiovascular risk (as palm oil would)”. The so-called bad cholesterol is LDL, which acts as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Another fatty acid, less abundant but also present in chocolate, is oleic acid, which in this case reduces total cholesterol levels. In other words, “regular cocoa consumption could help reduce bad cholesterol levels in the blood,” states Dr. Anna Costa.

There are even more good things in chocolate, such as minerals. Eating it means ingesting magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, and vitamins such as B9, which is folic acid. All beneficial. But there is a nuance. “Many of the benefits of dark chocolate can also be found in vegetables and greens,” says Anna Costa. That is why she emphasizes that chocolate intake must be occasional, including dark chocolate. It is not worth believing that if we eat dark chocolate we are doing it right, because it is the one that has the most benefits. If we are looking for magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, we will find them in vegetables and greens, which are the priorities in our daily diet.

To finish, a piece of advice when choosing a bar of dark chocolate. If the wrapper says it has a high percentage of cocoa, it does not necessarily mean that it contains a high percentage of cocoa solids; it could be that it contains more cocoa butter than actual cocoa. That is why it is always important to read the ingredients and not just look at the percentage number stated on the label.