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With Halloween creeping closer and closer, all supermarkets and grocery stores have an abundant supply of chocolate and candy on sale. Seeing all this chocolate around us is bound to result in cravings for the sweet treat, but is there more than what meets the eye? Usually, a food craving is the body telling us something; there is a physical reason for why we crave certain foods. So what is our body trying to tell us when we are craving chocolate?
One thing that the body might be telling us is that out blood sugar level is low. Chocolate has a low glycemic index, meaning that, unlike other candies, chocolate will not result in a spike of sugar level, and therefore will not cause a sudden sugar crash. Since it stabilizes our blood sugar level at a gradual rate, it is more likely that we crave chocolate over other sweets.
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Chocolate is most often craved when is feeling stressed or upset and this can be traced in the chemical phenylethylamine. For the same reason that chocolate is known to be an aphrodisiac, chocolate releases endorphins, a chemical which naturally lifts a person’s mood and often have calming effects when the body is stressed. Studies have also shown that chocolate increases the level of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that, similar to endorphins, promote feelings of well-being. As a result of these two substances, a chocolate craving may be telling us that we need an increase of substances that improve our mood.
Another reason that could contribute to why chocolate is so highly craved is the fact that it contains traces of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This substance is also found in marijuana and it reacts with cells in the brain that release dopamine, one of the neurotransmitters responsible for the release of endorphins. This is the chemical responsible for the temporary feeling of “high” in marijuana. Although chocolate only contains a small fraction, the addicting component can be a reason for the craving.
Finally, research has shown that women crave chocolate more often than men, especially before menstruation. This phenomenon can be explained with the release of magnesium in chocolate consumption. Prior to menstruation, women experience magnesium deficiency; therefore, the fact that chocolate releases the chemicals described above as well as magnesium is a reason why women tend to have a higher craving for chocolate.
So this Halloween, when you are craving the sweet taste of chocolate, don’t be frightened and treat yourself because it is simply your body’s way of telling you that you are lacking something beneficial that chocolate can restore!
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Blog post by: Deborah Lo
