Is dark chocolate your best friend during periods?
That time of the month is difficult to ace through and all we want is to get rid of those painful cramps somehow that add on to the misery. Sweet cravings are common during this time and the best thing is that these sweet cravings can help ease most of your trouble. Yes, you heard it right! These cravings can most certainly help if satisfied with dark chocolates. Let us see how dark chocolates can be your best friends during this difficult time.
Relieves Menstrual Pain Dark Chocolate
Menstrual pain or dysmenorrhea is stiffness or cramps in the lower abdomen that is a result of menstruation and the production of prostaglandin substances that occur during or before menstruation. Dark chocolate is rich in cocoa and is a powerful source of magnesium. Magnesium is a natural pain reliever and soothes the muscles of your uterus according to a 2017 review published in the quarterly publication Magnesium Research.
Also, the potassium present in dark chocolate stops your muscles from retaining water and thus one does not feel bloated.
Dark chocolate is effective in reducing menstrual pain.
Tackles your Oscillating Mood
During periods the levels of estrogen and other hormones oscillate and the body tries to balance out the hormones. As a result, the levels of cortisol also known as the stress hormone shoot up and the body needs to balance this out by craving serotonin which is also known as the happy-hormone. Carbs, sugars, and salts serve the purpose of fulfilling this craving, but some healthy alternatives can help you achieve the same outcome. All you need to do is swap all the food loaded with carbs and fats with dark chocolate. The darker the chocolate the better it performs this function.
Relaxing throbbing muscles
Muscles hips, abdomen, and thighs may feel sore during periods. As mentioned above dark chocolate contains an ample amount of magnesium, which has been known to be effective for sore muscles and can help ease the soreness significantly.
Gives you the much-needed energy boost
Dark chocolate is a natural energy enhancer that contains caffeine and will increase the levels of endorphins to equip you with a rapid energy boost.
It is best when your energy levels are too low and you might be tempted to have unhealthy meals.
Dark chocolate can help increase the levels of nitric acid which can help regulate blood pressure, and its antioxidant properties can neutralize free radicals, that can not only cause cell damage but might even cause cancer.
Consumption of dark chocolate during your period in moderation can actually benefit you.
Helps deal with exhaustion
Satisfied that dark chocolate is surely your best friend during periods? Well, we have more. Dark chocolate is also an excellent source of iron and can help boost the hemoglobin levels in the blood and thus tackle fatigue. A 100 g serving of good quality dark chocolate with 70 to 85 percent cocoa solids contains around 11.9 mg of iron. But do not overindulge in it as overindulgence of anything can cause harm.
Relieves Stress
Studies affirm that eating dark chocolate every day for two weeks reduces the level of stress hormones in people. As stated earlier, the main stress hormone that dark chocolate counters is cortisol. It also helps reduce other biochemical changes associated with stress as well as the “fight-or-flight” hormones known as catecholamines in people prone to high stress.
Dark chocolate bars has also been found to enhance mood by boosting serotonin and endorphin levels in the brain, which are also known as happy hormones.
Dark chocolate has also been found to reduce stress by increasing the levels of happy hormones serotonin and endorphin in the brain.
Other nutrients
Besides Potassium, magnesium, and iron dark chocolate also has vitamins A, B1, C, D and E and the phenol and flavonoids are rich in calcium and a little omega 3 and 6.
Conclusion
So to sum it all up, we can conclude that dark chocolate can indeed come to your rescue during periods. So ensure to stock up to drive away the blues during those tough days of the month.
Recommended Chocolate During Periods
