Don’t you just love the Easter season? You could of gone without chocolate
as your sacrifice for "Giving Up" something for Lent or eaten more
fish during Lent than you would have ever eaten in a year. You could have even
been on the brink of insanity because you have ALSO chosen to GIVE UP all alcoholic
beverages during Lent. Either way, Easter Sunday reaches its climax at 5.30am
when the sounds of what resembles a stampede, is followed by a sensation which
can only be described as a mini earthquake when you are being shaken to wake up
and screams of "THE EASTER BUNNY CAME LAST NIGHT.... GET UP, GET UP ITS
EASTER!!"
What comes next in our household might shock those of you whom know me well.
The chocolate hunt begins and it ends with everyone (including myself and
hubby) eating chocolate for breakfast. I can see myself being in my 60's and
still doing that, BUT then washing it all down with freshly squeezed orange juice
and a shot of vodka. Chocolate for breakfast is allowed and not monitored at
all during the day. I pass it as being acceptable just for this one special day
in the year.

BUT what about the after effects?
Chocolate is fantastic for your health. It’s one of nature’s God given ingestible
gifts to the human race. There are so many health benefits that comes from
eating chocolate and I am not talking about the varieties that come wrapped in
packages and mixed with nuts and filled with Caramel. Raw chocolate itself is
bitter and it is hard. What make it so delicious and addictive are the milk
fats and solids combined with a generous amount of sugar. My friends, it is the
marriage of these ingredients that makes chocolate toxic to our health and our
bodies react with the side effects.
The first and most immediate side effect felt when the body has had too much
chocolate is a
headache, especially when consumed with red
wine. Children will often suffer with this towards the end of the day due to the sugar overload and not enough water. Therefore, lots of
water and perhaps some electrolytes won’t hurt. This will aid in the event of dehydration.

Excessive chocolate consumption and or a constant daily intake of chocolate
can lead to
weight gain. Unless you are a
marathon runner or stay on your feet and constantly moving and burning calories
and fat, you are going to put on weight.
Sugar complications will arise. Without
sugar, chocolate would not be enjoyable for a lot of people to eat and
excessive amounts of sugar can cause dental problems. For diabetics, their blood sugar
level becomes so high that it is almost a meals worth of sugar and this can be extremely
dangerous.
Intestinal upset and
discomfort
due to high levels of caffeine and also being that chocolate is very acidic.
Caffeine stimulates the bowel and can trigger IBS attacks. The high acid level
in chocolate can lead to heartburn, stomach ulcer inflammation and acid reflux
all accompanied by pain in different severities depending on the consumption of
chocolate and the overall statues of the persons health to begin with.
Chocolate can cause
over stimulation in
people with high blood pressure, irregular hearth rhythms, anxiety, insomnia,
nervousness and mental issues. Even those taking prescription medications
should check if they are allowed to ingest chocolate and or coffee with whilst
taking the prescribed medication. Cocoa in itself is a natural stimulant and
therefore make these symptoms seems more pronounced.
NOW FINALLY.. WHAT EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW...
NO!! Cocoa does NOT NOT NOT cause acne, breakouts and bad skin. In fact it
is a good remedy to treat those suffering with these skin conditions. BUT what
DOES cause all these nasty things appearing on our skin like a curse is the
INGREDIENTS MIXED with the cocoa to make the chocolate bars that we love...
LIKE CAFFEINE, MILK SOLIDS/FATS and SUGAR!! ( I know you didn’t want to hear
that and as you are reading this blog you might be eating chocolate, quietly
drooling for it or in 30 minutes time after freaking out about what I have written go
and attack your - or your children’s - chocolate stash)
Excessive caffeine intake promotes acne growth whilst the sugar aids the
multiplication of bad bacteria in the stomach (leading to an imbalance there
too). Sugar itself causes a spike in acne-inducing hormones. As caffeine is a
diuretic, if water isn’t consumed to replace the fluids leaving the body, there
will be a build up of toxins as water is required to remove the toxins from the
body. Food with a high glycemic index contributed to skin inflammations like
acne, rosacea, psoriasis and eczema. Caffeine affects the stress levels and
triggers the hormone cortisol which in turn activates the oil products in the
sweat glands. An accumulation of oil may clog pores and without appropriate
water levels in the body as I said earlier, excretion of these toxins is
inhibited, leading to acne breakouts.

Ok BAD NEWS out of the way. The GOOD NEWS is that you can still enjoy eating chocolate as well as reaping the health benefits that come with its consumption. The higher the cocoa percentage the better the chocolate is for you. The best chocolate to eat is 80%, 85% and 90% chocolate (this is the dark variety). It might take a little getting used to, but once you aquire a taste for it, it is very delicious. It works wonders on sugar cravings, gives you a natural burst of energy, treats shock and helps to calm the body down quickly after a stressful situation, works wonders on your skin and is jam PACKED with healthy antioxidants.
Now that Easter is over, I hope
that everyone has gotten their chocolate fixes under control. Water and exercise
will help to reverse any damage that has been done and perhaps cutting back a
little on unnecessary sugar intakes will slow and even inhibit any weight gain. GOOD LUCK!! (I'm off to nibble on some Organic Cocoa Nibs....!)
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