Will eating chocolate make you fat? 5 principles to lose weight and protect your heart! Nutritionist: Look carefully at sugar content and zero trans fat labels

When it comes to eating chocolate, people may have the myth that "eating chocolate will make you fat". Is all chocolate bad? Nutritionists say that dark chocolate contains cocoa butter, which stabilizes blood pressure and eases mood, and is involved in the body's metabolism, as well as cocoa polyphenols and flavonoids that are beneficial to the cardiovascular system. Therefore, as long as you carefully choose dark chocolate according to the five principles, you can eat it healthily!

It is best to choose dark chocolate with a high cocoa butter content

Nutritionist Lin Licen said that the raw materials for making chocolate come from the cocoa beans in the cocoa fruit, and the process of making chocolate from cocoa beans has a lengthy process. The cocoa beans must be fermented, exposed to the sun, baked, peeled, and ground into cocoa paste, which is liquid chocolate. After adding sugar, it is shaped by molds to become the common cocoa bricks; or the cocoa butter in the cocoa beans can be extracted using a machine and further processed into chocolate. The cocoa butter in cocoa beans is very precious, so it is recommended to choose dark chocolate with a high cocoa butter content.

There are many types of chocolate on the market. You will find that if the chocolate contains palm oil, coconut oil or other oils, the cost will be much cheaper than chocolate containing only cocoa butter. Why is this? In addition to giving chocolate a smooth taste, cocoa butter also brings positive benefits to our body, highlighting the value of chocolate containing a high concentration of cocoa butter.

The cocoa butter in cocoa beans is very precious, so it is recommended to choose dark chocolate with a high cocoa butter content.

Cocoa butter is rich in antioxidant vitamins, which helps delay skin aging

Nutritionist Lin Licen said that cocoa butter is rich in many vitamins, minerals and fats that are beneficial to the cardiovascular system. In terms of vitamins, it is mainly B complex and vitamin E. Vitamin E itself is a very strong antioxidant vitamin that can slow down the damage of free radicals to cells, accelerate cell regeneration and repair, delay skin aging, and improve the problem of rough skin cuticle. It is undoubtedly good for cardiovascular care.

Cocoa polyphenols and flavonoids reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease

In addition to the antioxidant vitamin E, there are also unique cocoa polyphenols and flavonoids, which protect the cardiovascular endothelial cells from the attack of free radicals, thereby reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Cocoa butter is also rich in magnesium ions, which can stabilize blood pressure, ease emotions, and participate in the body's metabolism. Therefore, the quality of chocolate depends on the cocoa butter content!

Cocoa butter is rich in magnesium ions, which helps stabilize blood pressure and relieve mood.

In addition, cocoa butter is also rich in magnesium ions, which can stabilize blood pressure, ease emotions, and participate in the body's metabolism. Therefore, the quality of chocolate depends on the cocoa butter content!

In addition, the epicatechin in cocoa can promote the body's mitochondria to produce more energy, accelerate calorie burning, and thus help dieters lose weight faster.

However, if you choose chocolate with a low cocoa butter content or even no cocoa butter, you may not have the benefits described above. In Taiwan, in order to make the information of filled and non-solid chocolate products transparent, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on March 2, 2011 to amend the "Regulations on the Name and Labeling of Chocolate", with the following key points: a product can be called "dark chocolate" only if it contains at least 35% total cocoa solids (all solids in cocoa), at least 18% cocoa butter, and at least 14% non-fat cocoa solids (solids in cocoa other than fat). If more than 5% of vegetable oil is added to replace cocoa butter, the words "cocoa butter substitute" must be indicated near the product name.

If you want to eat good chocolate, you must open your eyes and read the nutritional information on the food label and choose chocolate that is good for your health. Here are 5 principles for choosing good quality dark chocolate:

Dark chocolate should have a total cocoa solids content of at least 35% (the higher the percentage, the better, and the more health benefits it has).

5 principles for choosing good quality dark chocolate

1. Dark chocolate should have a total cocoa solids content of at least 35% (the higher the percentage, the better, and the more beneficial it is to health).

2. Contains no "cocoa butter substitute" ingredients.

3. Pay attention to nutrition labels such as "sugar content", "0 trans fat", etc.

4. Choose "Clean Label": four major principles: reducing or eliminating additives, simple formula, simple processing, and transparent information.

5. Choose your favorite flavor, such as fruity, nutty, etc.

Nutritionist Lin Licen recommends the following "dark chocolate nut snack" that you can make yourself:

Dark Chocolate Nut Snack

Ingredients: 96% Ove's dark chocolate (or 77% or above), mixed nuts and dried fruits, and a piece of baking paper.

practice:

1. Heat the dark chocolate over water until it melts.

2. Use a spoon to spread the melted dark chocolate on the baking paper into a circle with a diameter of 3 cm. Before the dark chocolate solidifies, place an appropriate amount of nuts and dried fruits on the dark chocolate circle.

3. Place in the refrigerator and wait until it solidifies before enjoying this delicious afternoon tea snack.