It’s the month of Easter. What better way to celebrate than to talk about chocolate’s warm, milky goodness? Everyone has a favourite, but if you want our opinion (or read up on the latest health research, which we do a lot – something of an occupational hazard for osteopaths) the darker the chocolate the better it is for you. But that doesn’t mean we recommend you demand dark chocolate and nothing but dark chocolate from the Easter Bunny. Why? Read on to find out.
Dark chocolate is generally considered better for you than other varieties because it contains a higher percentage of cocoa solids. Cocoa solids contain antioxidants called flavonoids, which research has associated with several health benefits, including:
- Improved heart health: Flavonoids can help lower blood pressure, improve blood flow, and reduce the risk of heart disease.
- Better brain function: Studies suggest that the flavonoids in dark chocolate can improve cognitive function and reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
- Reduced inflammation: Antioxidants help reduce inflammation in the body, which has been linked to several chronic health conditions.
By its nature, dark chocolate contains less sugar than the hyper-sweet stuff. Plus, we know sugar can increase inflammation in the body, be addictive, trigger bizarre insulin reactions, and contains nutritionally useless calories (oh, and it’s a nightmare for your oral hygiene too). But it’s important to remember that it still contains some sugar and fat so you should enjoy it in moderation! But what if you don’t enjoy it? That’s OK – you can get flavonoids from tea, fruit and vegetables. It’s not an essential part of your diet – after all if your ancestry is European, Australasian, African, Asian, or North American (anywhere but South America) your ancestors survived without it for tens of thousands of years!
So, I should ONLY eat dark chocolate, right?
But with all those health benefits why would we suggest you shouldn’t celebrate Easter with a dark chocolate frenzy? As osteopaths, psychology isn’t our main thing, but we do know our patients. We know that the exercises we prescribe need to be more than “good for you” they need to be achievable for where you are right now – and maybe even a little bit fun. With that in mind we suggest that the healthiest chocolate is one you enjoy: one you can take a bite or two of and feel satisfied. If you don’t like dark chocolate you’ll eat it, and then probably eat some more because you feel a bit deprived and disappointed and then you’ll raid the kids’ dairy milk stash because that’s what you wanted in the first place.
So, we suggest you ask the Easter Bunny to bring fewer, better-quality Easter Eggs with some dark chocolate and some of whatever you and your family like. And while Easter is a time for chocolate it’s also a time for family and, for many, for faith. You’ll enjoy your Easter Eggs more if you don’t fixate on them and enjoy a range of Easter foods and Easter activities instead. How about boiling eggs in water with food colouring added for old-fashioned family fun? Or perhaps the Easter Bunny could bring some craft activities for some family craft time.
Whatever you do to celebrate we hope you enjoy it. We look forward to seeing our patients again soon after the few days off to rest and reset. We’re always to here to help with your health goals. Click here to make appointment with the osteopaths at Active Osteopathy for support in living your healthiest life.
Have a great Easter everyone.
