Chocolate Cravings
Many people have an intense love of chocolate, but the female population seems to have a deeper love for it. The reason for this is allegedly connected to blood sugar levels, stress, and hormonal changes brought about by a woman’s menstrual cycle.
Chocolate contains sugar and caffeine and they are known to affect blood sugar levels. One reason behind our chocolate cravings is because the sugar in our blood is low and chocolates are our go-to for a quick sugar fix.
Chocolate always brings a different level of pleasure and this is because of the serotonin content which is a neurotransmitter that can influence the mood, which is the usual reason why chocolate is a well-known comfort food.
Days before menstrual periods, women’s serotonin levels are rather low. Also, hormonal changes that normally occur cause reduction in the minerals found in the blood, such as magnesium, which chocolate also contains. And that adds up to such powerful cravings.
However, some scientists claim that these cravings are merely brought about by cultural factors based on the findings that American women have stronger yearning for chocolate as compared to those of other nationalities, while some say that chocolate cravings are just psychological and that menstruating women feel that they are socially entitled to eat chocolate regardless of the fact that it can be very high in fat.
In addition to that, chocolate is debatably addicting. Research has shown that it contains alkaloid, compounds that make alcohol addictive. Scientists also found that chocolate contains anandamine, a compound that gets marijuana users addicted.
Phenylethylamine is another compound that chocolate contains and this can also be found in the body and its effects are rather similar to that of amphetamine. It can give people feelings such as euphoria and giddiness. These substances supposedly stimulate the pleasure centers of the brain and it peaks during orgasm which is probably the reason why some women prefer chocolate over sex. Interesting it is.
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Craving Chocolate? Your Body Needs Magnesium.
Craving chocolate? Your body needs magnesium.
A lack of the mineral magnesium in your body can actually be the reason why you crave chocolate.
The cocoa bean is one of the foods with the highest amount of magnesium in it. Therefore there can be a natural context to why people with magnesium deficiency are craving chocolate.
I give you good information on what the magnesium does for your body, why it is so important, and how you can effectively eat your way out of your chocolate hunger.
If you are often craving chocolate, it can actually be the body’s way of telling you that you are lacking the vital and very important mineral, magnesium in your body.
When your body is lacking of a certain vitamin or mineral, it will send you signals to motivate you to eat certain foods which contain the items your body needs to function properly. And when it comes to magnesium, chocolate comes to the top of the list.
Magnesium has many vital functions for your body. The lack of magnesium can cause insomnia, mood swings and nightly muscle cramps. Especially runners or highly sportsactive people need magnesium to prevent muscle cramps. Magnesium produces serotonin, which is what makes the body feel relaxed. Without it, your body will not get into balance after for example a long run, and your muscles will never relax, which will cause the cramps.
Other than this, magnesium fills out many functions in your body, and is important for your nerves, your growth, energy, digestion and brain. Together with calcium and, I would say that magnesium is THE most important mineral.
Below here is a list of 5 great foods which contain high amounts of Magnesium, that you can eat instead of chocolate and still fill your body with what it needs.
Chocolate hunger fighter foods:
Pumpkin seeds: 535 mg magnesium pr. 100 grams.
Pumpkin seeds is an excellent source of magnesium. It is loaded with all kinds of good minerals, and contains alot of vitamin E, which is a powerfull antioxidant, that helps your cells and body from catching illnesses.
Brazil nuts: 357 mg. per 100 grams
70 grams of Brazil nuts, will cover your daily intake of magnesium. Brazil nuts is also known for its high amount of selenium, which stenthens your imunesystem, and contains of the natural healthy oils that your body needs. They taste excellent in salads or as a midday snack.
Oats: 200 mg. per 100 grams.
Oats also has a lot of fibers in it, so it will keep you full for a long time. Good as breakfast.
Dried white beans: 184 mg. per 100 grams
This is an excellent food, especially for vegetarians. White beans contains just as much protein as meat, and is also high on both fibers and carbs.
Brown rice: 119 mg. per 100 grams
They keep you full for longer than white rice, and stimulates your blood-sugar.
Excellent for chocolate cravers.
Magnesium, Calcium and vitamin D are really good friends. This mean, that they will help eachother to be optained in the body. So take these three together. either as suplements or in your food. Start off your day with oatmeal (magensium), a big glass of milk (calcium) and an egg (vitamin D).
If you do decide to give yourself chocolate, make sure to eat dark chocolate, as this has 3 times more magnesium as milkchocolate. Dark chocolate is very rich in its taste too, so your body will be satisfied with much less chocolate. Dark chocolate in small a mounts, is actually good for you. A win, win situation for dark chocolate:-)
Written by kalkar
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Categories: chocolate articles Tags: Body, CHOCOLATE, Craving, Magnesium., Needs
