7 facts about Valentine’s Day chocolate

Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to enjoy one of the most popular sweets: chocolate.

If you pay attention to your diet, you don’t have to give it up completely. However, overdoing it can have consequences for your health. Before you open the box, here are seven facts you should know about Valentine’s Day chocolate.

1. The serving size of a chocolate box is approximately two pieces

Yes, that’s right, the standard portion size for a box of Valentine’s Day chocolates is smaller than you might think: just two pieces, or about 30 to 40 grams.

“You should Limit your intake According to the latest regulations, added sugar should not make up more than 10 percent of your total calories Dietary Guidelines for Americanssays Amy Gorin, MS, RDN and owner of Amy Gorin Nutrition in the New York City area.

(Remember what we’re talking about added Sugar sugars that do not occur naturally here, for example in an apple.)

For example, if you’re eating a 2,000-calorie diet, you should be careful not to consume more than 200 calories of added sugar per day, she says. That’s equivalent to 50 grams. However, “the American Heart Association has stricter guidelines,” says Jennifer Glockner, RDN and founder of Smartee plate.

The AHA says added sugars should balance no more than half Your discretionary calories, which are the calories left over after you reach your goal daily nutrient requirements.

For most American women, that equates to about 100 calories per day from added sugar, or about one ounce (or 28 grams) of chocolate per day.

However, keep in mind that added sugar isn’t just found in candy. They are also found in foods like salad dressing and white bread – this is always important Read your labels.

2. Chocolate contains antioxidant compounds

If you’ve heard that chocolate is healthy, you’re not entirely wrong. Chocolate – more precisely cocoa – contains antioxidant compounds This can help mitigate cell damage caused by free radicals in the body.

Research suggests flavonoids have antioxidant propertiesand the flavonoids and flavanols found specifically in dark chocolate can have health benefitssays Glockner.

However, eating dark chocolate does not automatically improve your health. “To get the full benefit of flavanols,” says Glockner, “you may need to consume large amounts of chocolate, which means you’ll also consume more sugar and calories.”

3. Dark chocolate contains less sugar than milk chocolate

“Chocolate is made up of cocoa beans, cocoa butter, and additives like sugar,” says Glockner, but “dark chocolate contains more cocoa beans and usually less sugar.”

In addition, “cocoa beans also contain protein, fiberand minerals such as iron and magnesium,” says Glockner. “The darker the chocolate,” she adds, “the more health benefits there are.”

So if you want as few additives and less sugar in your treats as possible, look for chocolate that contains at least 70 percent cocoa, says Glockner.

4. Chocolate boxes can be loaded with additives

Valentine’s Day chocolate, like most sweet treats, contains ingredients like added sugar and additives. Some added sugars are obvious, others contain more confusing names You might miss in the ingredient list:

• Corn sweetener
• corn syrup
• glucose
• Fructose
• glucose
• High fructose corn syrup
• lactose
• malt syrup
• Maltose
• molasses
• Sucrose

Other types of added sugar include: sugar alcohols such as sorbitol and maltitol, as well as artificial sweeteners such as saccharin and aspartame.

5. Overdoing it can potentially affect your hormones

Can eat chocolate trigger the pleasure and reward centers in your brain to make you feel good, but it’s a tricky path.

If yours Blood sugar spikes For example, if you eat half a box of chocolates at once, your body releases insulin, says Glockner, which can then cause your blood sugar levels to drop within a few hours. This decline is called an energy crash.

When that happens, “low blood sugar can make you feel very hungry, shaky, nervous, tired, sleepy, and unable to concentrate,” she says.

Over time, Gorin adds: eating too much sugar can also increase your risk of weight gain, tooth decay, and other health problems. “Plus, consuming calories from added sugars takes up space in your diet nutrient-rich foods“, she says.

To keep blood sugar levels stable and prevent crashes, Glockner recommends consuming sugar at the end of the meal along with some protein and fiber. This slows the rate of sugar absorption, she says.

6. Some chocolate treats are healthier than others

There’s no one type of chocolate that’s best for Valentine’s Day – what you treat yourself to depends on your preferences and dietary needs.

However, a general rule of thumb is to look for dark chocolate that lists cocoa as the first ingredient instead of sugar, says Glockner.

Also think about other types of chocolate treats, such as: E.g. dark chocolate bark with almonds or coconut flakes. Nuts in chocolate offer some protein, fiber and more healthy fatssays Gorin.

Strawberries dipped in dark chocolate are also a good choice, she adds, as “the strawberry contains fiber and antioxidants, as well as the health benefits of dark chocolate.”

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7. An occasional indulgence won’t ruin your diet

The general takeaway: Yes, you can fit some Valentine’s Day chocolate into your diet without getting freaked out, but you want to avoid going through half a box in one go.

“Try to preserve a box of chocolates—and really enjoy the chocolate when you eat it,” says Gorin. She suggests enjoying the candy, paying attention to its taste and texture, and not multitasking while eating—all good tips to help you practice mindful eating.

And try not to feel guilty when you indulge, says Glockner. “It’s more important to maintain a healthy eating pattern overall than to focus on (the impact of) one snack or one day,” she says.