Chocolate is a delicious sweet treat that so many of us cannot resist. The way that it smells as soon as you open the package followed by that melt-in-your-mouth feeling is unlike any other. Whether you enjoy dark chocolate, milk chocolate or white chocolate, the effects of eating chocolate remain the same and there are some real scientific reasons why we crave chocolate.

Feel good hormones

Your body naturally produces a wide variety of hormones based on your environment and emotional state. The hormone dopamine is released into the bloodstream as soon as you experience anything that brings you joy. It can be a smell, taste, the feel of something or any kind of feel-good trigger. Chocolate is one of these triggers. As soon as it hits those taste buds, your body realises what is happening and you get the effects of that feel good hormone. So our bodies learn to crave chocolate to feel good.

It’s also worth noting that ingesting the ingredients found in chocolate is not enough to satisfy cravings. According to studies, it was the actual experience of consuming the chocolate that was the greatest dopamine trigger.

Deficiencies

Magnesium is an important part of our diet yet there are so many people out there with magnesium deficiencies. Women, in particular, suffer from this deficiency and it is largely due to their monthly cycle. Along with lower iron levels, it’s no wonder women feel sluggish around that time of the month. Dark chocolate is praised as a fantastic fast solution to this magnesium deficiency. However, it should not be seen as the main or only solution. Including magnesium-rich foods in your diet is essential but dark chocolate can help curb cravings if this does not suffice. Remember, dark chocolate offers far more beneficial properties than milk chocolate or white chocolate. It is also important to consume chocolate in moderation since it does contain saturated fat and plenty of sugar.

Whether you are buying chocolate for yourself or sending a chocolate gift to somebody special, remember that quality is very important. The better the quality of the chocolate, the more pleasure it will give you when you take a bite. Poor quality chocolate has a very artificial flavour and it can leave an almost buttery feeling on the roof of your mouth and tongue. Avoid these chocolates and opt for quality chocs instead.