People of all age groups adore chocolate.
This is the number one comfort food, eaten in wide varieties too.
No one can resist a piece of chocolate cake. This is the first thing that comes into our minds when we feel low or depressed.
Why do we crave this sweet thing? Emotional eating always starts with chocolate consumption.
Being a comfort food, it is likely to get a place in the foods people eat when they feel depressed or emotionally low.
However, identification and classification of depression have been made based on symptoms developed.
Loss of appetite is generally seen in people suffering from classic depression, and augmented craving for food is associated with atypical depression.
A new approach to the symptoms of atypical depression says that these signs may not be the signs of mental illness.
This could be the attempt of the body to rebalance itself.
In more precise terms, craving food such as chocolate has deep roots embedded in physiology and mental or emotional health.
Did you know that chocolate has been around for over 2,000 years and was once used as currency in ancient civilizations like the Aztecs and Mayans?
The scientific name for the chocolate plant is Theobroma cacao, which translates to “food of the gods.”
Additionally, research has shown that consuming small amounts of dark chocolate can have health benefits, such as improved heart and brain function.
In Australia, a recent study has been done on overwhelming cravings for chocolate.
Participants of this study stated that they feel less anxious and irritable when they have a piece of chocolate.
They even feel less depressed, and this makes chocolate a great stress-buster.
Furthermore, researchers also know this craving is not a sign of depression.
It is the way a body rebalances its equilibrium of the body.
This has been concluded based on the evaluation of the participants’ personalities.
These participants have also been studied based on anxiety, irritability, sensitivity to rejection, and self-criticism.
People tend to eat comfort foods, including chocolate, to get a sense of well-being, though it is short.
Usually, depression makes one disinterested in anything they do, which is why it becomes essential to uplift the mood.
Playing games or reading a light story certainly helps the sufferer.
But it is easy to pop in a piece of chocolate to eliminate the sluggishness.
This is a time-tested method and immensely useful.
Women, too, have chocolates to reduce irritating symptoms of PMS.
Some women become depressed while going through PMS.
You will be amazed to know that chocolate contains over 350 chemicals.
Some of these chemicals are known as tryptophan, which augments the amount of serotonin.
This brain chemical, also known as a feel-good chemical, makes one happy and content.
Even though tryptophan is present in small quantities, it has excellent effects on the well-being of an individual.
Along with it, chocolate also initiates the release of endorphins and opioids.
These chemicals create a well-being feeling in an individual.
Chocolate also triggers the same brain receptors as marijuana, but this effect is almost negligible.
In a nutshell, chocolate has soothing effects on those with irritability and anxiety issues.
It is possible that chocolate craving is healthy.
However, the chemicals in this sweet temptation only affect the mind, and these have short lives.
Overeating chocolate is not good as it is related to obesity and elevated blood sugar.
