Who can melt your heart in moments, make you go weak in the knees, trigger emotions of love and passion, and someone you can say never “no” to – it’s not your college or office crush – it’s chocolate! Men and women agree that there’s nothing that a bar of chocolate cannot fix and by no means is it an exaggeration. But chocolate is considered a guilty pleasure and a complete no-no when trying to lose weight. On the other hand, there’s a lot of buzz about how “all calories are equal” and you can have every food out there but in moderation. This kind of a theory can sabotage your weight loss goals as well as health. All calories are not equal and you cannot have “bad and unhealthy” foods in “moderation.” So, does chocolate come under the “can have in moderation” or “completely stay away” category? Also answering every chocolate lover’s question – can we eat chocolate while trying to lose weight? So, here we go:

Why Eating Chocolate Everyday is Not Good?

The problem with most chocolates that you see in grocery stores and supermarkets is that they have “sugar” as the first ingredient. And additionally, they have so much extra sugar in them, and in so many different forms (high maltose corn syrup, invert sugar, etc)., they can just not only derail your weight loss efforts, regular consumption can increase the risk of heart disease, inflammation, type 2 diabetes, etc. Sugar, as we all know, is a major reason why people gain weight and find it extremely difficult to lose weight. An addiction to anything sugary lays the foundation to obesity. Sugar not only raises blood sugar, it also heightens the level of inflammation. Tried every trick in the book to get lean, try quitting sugar 😛

Coming back to chocolate, if you have to have chocolate every single day, then you have to choose between that velvety bar of sugary delight and your goal and health. We agree that while extreme deprivation will lead to binging and unhealthy cravings, and you can go off track, we would recommend reserving regular “milk and sugar-based chocolates” for cheat days or as a rare indulgence, not part of a daily dietary habit.

But does that mean all chocolates are bad? Not at all, in fact, dark chocolate has been found to boost the whole weight loss process. Various studies have shown that that dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa (our vote is for 90% cocoa content), can actually help shed extra pounds. Though not exactly low on calories, one ounce of dark chocolate with 60 percent or more of cacao has about 170 calories, it has many health benefits, and it has been found to boost weight loss. Here’s how:

How Dark Chocolate Benefits Weight Loss?

1. It has antioxidants like polyphenols, flavonoids, catechins that fight inflammation and speed up metabolism (also read “12 Foods That Slow Down Metabolism”).
2. Curbs appetite, great snack for people who claim to have a “sweet tooth.”

3. Contain a good percentage of healthy fats that boost metabolism and promote fat burning.

4. Polyphenols in dark chocolate improve insulin sensitivity.

5. Biggest benefit of having a few bites from a bar of dark chocolate is that it can lower stress and as we all know by now, chronic stress is strongly related to weight gain and belly fat. Also read: “10 Tips to Lower Stress in order to Lose Weight.”

So, please keep in mind that you cannot have a full bar of chocolate that has “sugar” as its first ingredient and expect to lose weight. Your best bet would be “dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa” and that too two or three squares at the most. Chocolate is an irresistible thing, but then, say “yes” to the right kind of chocolate, i.e., dark chocolate. And if losing weight is your number #1 priority right now, you can check out our “Speed Slim” challenge on Rati Beauty.

12 Foods That Slow Down Metabolism
10 Tips to Lower Stress in order to Lose Weight