Nutrition: Dark Chocolate Caffeine Overdose!

 

Are you eating dark chocolate at night, a few hours before you go to bed?

Do you know there is more caffeine (100mg) in 100g (3.5oz) of dark chocolate than in a 250ml can of red bull (80mg).  Even if you only eat a few chunks of dark chocolate at night  it is still likely to affect your deep and REM sleep.  As caffeine has a half-life of between 6 to 8 hours.

For comparison purposes there is about:

• 32mg in a can of Coca-Cola; 
• 45mg in a diet Coke;
• 75mg in a single espresso shot.  

Getting a cup of brewed coffee from a coffee chain such as Starbucks - will range from 180mg to 415mg of Caffeine depending on the size.

Short - 180mg

Tall - 260mg

Grande - 330mg

Vente - 415mg

Caffeine one of the only legal performance enhancing drugs not banned by (WADA) World Anti-Doping Agency.

Nutrition: Eating Dark Chocolate At Night?

Are you eating dark chocolate at night time, just before you go to bed?

Do you know there is more caffeine (100mg) in 100g (3.5oz) of dark chocolate than in a can of red bull (82mg).  Even if you only eat a few chunks of dark chocolate at night  it is still likely to affect your deep and REM sleep.

Put it this way, would you take a few sips of Red Bull before going to bed and expect to get a good night's sleep?

Nutrition: Chocolate Facts - Good or Bad?

Nutrition: Chocolate Facts - Good or Bad?

Researchers have shown that there are significant health benefits in eating chocolate.  It reduces blood pressure, lowers blood cholesterol and lessens the risk of blood clotting.[1]  This means the risk of cardiovascular disease and strokes may be reduced by the consumption of chocolate, but why?  Well first a little background on chocolate:

Chocolate Facts:

Chocolate is based on the cacao tree native to South America.  Cocoa is the end result of the process of roasting, fermenting and producing a paste from the cacao seed, chocolate is then made from cocoa.[3]  The darker the chocolate, the higher the ratio of cocoa to milk.  Most commercial chocolate contains little to no cocoa, instead replacing this core ingredient with low quality saturated vegetable fat and fat reduced powdered milk or milk solids.

Macro Nutrients:

It contains saturated fat in the form of stearic and palmitic acid,  (these have been shown not to adversely affect blood cholesterol), carbohydrates (mainly starch based) and proteins.  

Vitamins and Minerals:

It contains the essential micro-nutrients potassium, magnesium, calcium, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese, iron and the vitamins A, B1/2/3, C, D and E.

Antioxidants:

Cocoa contains polyphenols (similar to those found in green tea) which are beneficial to health in the form of flavonoids.  Flavonoid rich foods have been proven to reduce inflammation and protect against cardiovascular damage by reducing blood pressure in those suffering from hypertension .[2]

So onto the stuff that matters, what type and how much?

What type should I get?   

• First make sure it is dark chocolate, the quantities of milk and sugar in milk chocolate will negate the health benefits of cocoa.  
• Aim for the highest quality you can find, one of my favourites is the Green & Black's range.  They manufacture organic, free trade chocolate and have a 70% and an 85% cocoa based chocolate in their range.  100% cocoa I find too bitter.  For reference their milk chocolate contains only about 30% cocoa.  Remember some commercial brands may not contain ANY cocoa at all but will still be referred to as chocolate.

Is it a paleolithic type food?

In simple terms no, the Olmec Indians of South America were believed to be the first to crop Cacao in 1500BC.  Which is in the neolithic era.  But it offers so many health benefits, it's not a show-stopper for paleo diet followers.

How much should we eat?  

As with most things moderation is key - for some the above will be an excuse to eat as much as possible.  However the Italian study [2] recommends no more than 20g of dark chocolate 2-3 times a week i.e. a couple of small blocks of chocolate.  Its effects on serotonin levels in the brain is one reason why eating chocolate makes us happier.  That's probably why eating chocolate in moderation is so difficult.

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References:

[1] Karin Ried, Thomas Sullivan, Peter Fakler, Oliver R Frank and Nigel P Stocks. "Does chocolate reduce blood pressure? A meta-analysis." BMC Medicine

[2] Di Giuseppe R, di Castelnuovo A, Centritto F, et al. "Regular consumption of dark chocolate is associated with low serum concentrations of C-reactive protein in a healthy Italian population." Journal of Nutrition 2008

[3] http://orcharddelsol.com/Farm_Production/Cocoa_-_Chocolate/cocoa_-_chocolate.html