CHOCOLATES FOR PCOS

Chocolate is the devil’s food, it is full of sugar, high in fat and calories.

Though dark chocolate should not contain milk, there may be traces of milk from cross-contamination during processing, as the same machinery is often used to produce milk and dark chocolate.

Firstly, let’s take a few steps back. We all have cravings for something sweet and when you have PCOS, you are no different. When you are diagnosed with PCOS, you are most likely told to stay away from anything containing sugar, which means no sweet foods. However, there is a way around this ban and dark chocolate is the answer to all of your questions. Dark chocolate not only offers a whole host of health benefits, it is also delicious and can satisfy your sweet tooth.

What is it that makes chocolate healthy?

Chocolate is made from Cocoa Beans. Cocoa is a rich source of dietary polyphenols and it is the polyphenols that are good for human health and disease.

What are Polyphenols?

Polyphenols are phytochemicals, which means these nutrients are found prolifically in natural plant sources and are known for their antioxidant properties.

What are the Benefits of Chocolate?

Increases insulin sensitivity

A group of patients took flavanol-rich dark chocolate (100 g/day for 15 days) and results showed a decrease insulin resistance and an increase insulin sensitivity. Flavanols from chocolate appear to increase nitric oxide bioavailability and research suggests that it is nitric oxide that regulates insulin.

Reduces Stress

A study found that individuals who rated themselves as highly stressed had lower levels of stress after eating chocolate for a period of two weeks.

Reduce symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome

Research results show participants that took polyphenol-rich chocolate showed a significant improvement. Data was gathered by using different scoring methods, such as the Chalder Fatigue Scale and Hospital Anxiety and Depression scores.

Increases serotonin helping with Weight Loss

Cocoa stimulates the production of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin regulates your mood and helps suppress your appetite, which in turn will help you eat fewer calories overall.

A study tested the weight loss results of three groups, chocolate group (low carb with lots of chocolate), low-carb group and control group. The results showed both the chocolate group and the low-carb group lost weight, whereas the control group gained weight during the study period. Participants in the the low-carb group lost 3.1 percent of their body weight in 21 days and the chocolate group lost 3.2 percent.