Scientists at Syracuse University in New York recently carried out a large-scale study of 968 people aged 23 to 98. Their dietary habits were not changed.
The experiment showed that chocolate has a direct effect on our cognitive performance, and consuming it regularly can significantly improve memory and develop our abstract thinking.
Several years ago, researchers at Tel Aviv University revealed that they eat chocolate every morning. They claimed this helped them in their work. In defiance of the widespread assumption that people should cut down on eating chocolate when they’re on a diet, it was found that it can actually help a person to lose excess weight.
’When you wake up, your brain needs energy immediately,’ says Dr. Daniela Jakubowicz, whose book The Big Breakfast Diet became a bestseller. ’This is the time of the day when your body converts food into energy. Later in the day, when you eat, your body and brain are still in high-alert mode, saving the energy from food as fat reserve. This is how you gain weight even when eating less.’
Chocolate shouldn’t be eaten later than 9 in the morning. According to Jakubowicz, people who eat carbohydrates, proteins, and a 600-calorie dessert lose more weight than those who eat 300 calories for breakfast at a later time in the day.
So what’s present in chocolate that has such a positive effect? Experts say it’s a nutrient called flavonoid that’s commonly found in plant-based foods and represents up to 20% of the compounds present in cocoa beans. High levels of flavonoids are also found in tea, red wine, and fruits such as grapes and apples.
So the next time you’re agonizing over whether to treat yourself to some chocolate or not, dare to include it in your breakfast. Your brain, and even your waist, will say thank you!
