The good
news is that you don’t have to say goodbye to your favourite sweet treat while
expecting. In addition to mood-boosting qualities, chocolate packs a powerful
punch – and it can be a healthy part of your pregnancy diet, with benefits for
you and your baby.
But there’s
also reason to pay attention. Read on for the potential benefits of chocolate
and all the fine print to help you make the best choices when treating
yourself.
Potential
Benefits
Chocolate is
rich in flavonoids. In addition to having potent antioxidant
qualities, research shows that these flavonols have other potential influences
on vascular health, such as lowering blood pressure, improving blood flow to
the brain and heart, and making blood platelets less sticky and able to
clot.
The
theobromine content in cocoa, used to make chocolate may help to prevent
pre-eclampsia. Researchers at Yale University found that pregnant
women who eat chocolate regularly are 50% less likely to suffer from the
condition during pregnancy. Theobromine may also contribute to the proper
regulation of blood pressure in pregnant women. (For more info on this
research,
click here.)
Researchers
in Finland found that women who occasionally indulge in chocolate are more likely
to have happier, livelier babies. The babies were found to show less
fear, and to smile and laugh more at 6 months. The results are linked to
chocolate components like phenylethylamine that reduce stress and are
passed onto the child in the womb.
Chocolate
also contains nutritional contents such as iron and magnesium which can
aid in lowering blood pressure, preventing hypertension and lowering the
risk of iron deficiency.
The Fine
Print
But before
you bit into that chocolate bar – beware. Most commercial chocolate is
highly processed. While it was once believed that dark chocolate had the
highest levels of flavanols – this is not necessarily the case, and depends on
how the dark chocolate was processed.
The
naturally strong taste of cocoa comes from flavanols. When cocoa is processed
to make chocolate, it goes through several steps (fermentation, alkalising,
roasting, etc) to reduce this taste – the more processed it is, the more
flavanols are lost. While manufacturers are looking for ways to preserve the
flavanols in the process, you will have to make some smart choices.
Make Good
Choices
Choose dark
chocolate over milk chocolate (especially those loaded with other fats
and sugars). Pick the cocoa powder that has not undergone Dutch processing (cocoa
that is treated with an alkali to neutralize its natural acidity). And look
into natural / raw chocolate at your health food store.
Indulge in
moderation
While
chocolate is perfectly safe to eat during pregnancy, you don’t want to overdue
it or crowd out healthier foods. Remember that chocolate is also high in
calories and fats that could lead to excessive weight gain.
Keep in mind
that chocolate also contains caffeine, which should only be consumed in
moderate amounts during pregnancy. 9 Hershey’s Kisses, for example, contain
only about 10 mg of caffeine. But keep in mind that it all adds up, especially
if you are also consuming caffeinated beverages. Aim to keep your caffeine
intake below 200 mg a day.
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