Happy Easter
Well here we are at Easter again. For many people Easter means only one thing – Easter eggs! And Easter eggs are made from Chocolate! Suppose you are trying for a baby and asking yourself – is it ok to eat chocolate. Well the good news is the answer is yes! However before you rush out to buy the biggest Easter Egg ever (or get somebody to buy it for you) you do need to eat chocolate in moderation. Firstly make sure it is good quality chocolate by which I mean dark chocolate.
That’s because chocolate contains high level of resveratrol, which is an antioxidant and that is good for us. However milk chocolate contains milk which binds to the antioxidant. It also contains sugar which is bad news.
So dark chocolate is OK?
Yes and No. Life is never simple is it?
On the plus side dark chocoate contains epicatechin, which is a flavenoid. This helps prevent cholesterol from blocking your arteries. Apparently it may also help to protect the brain from damage during a stroke.
Another ingredient in dark chocolate is arginine. This is a building block of nitric oxide, which increases the blood flow to the uterus and ovaries ( just like acupuncture!)
Plus dark chocolate contains tryphtophan. This is the ingredient which gives us the feel good factor, which is why we enjoy eating chocolate so much.
So that sounds like a great reason to eat chocolate!
However be aware that chocolate also contains caffeine, just like coffee. Caffeine has been shown to increase the risk of miscarriage. However if you cut out the coffee it may still be ok to have a small piece of chocolate.
So yes you can eat some chocolate – just make sure it is good quality dark chocolate and less is more. So savour your square of chocolate. Yes you can have chocolate but only in small doses – not a whole bar – just a square – so savour it!!
Wishing you all a Happy Easter