Chocolate is a favourite for many women. Some may not be alcoholics, but they are definitely chocoholics! Personally, I am yet to meet a woman unmoved by chocolate. Tasty as it may be, it is not healthy, especially when consumed like a drug! Chocolate contains fat and a lot of sugar which only add calories, according to Gerald Ruzindana, a nutritionist from Health Inspirations, Kimironko.“Some of the ingredients in chocolate such as cocoa butter and milk are rich in fats. Caffeine, added to the content in chocolate, is bad for your health since it raises your caffeine levels,” he said.According to ezinearticles.com, the caffeine in some chocolate products is actually greater than the caffeine in a cup of coffee or even a can of coca cola. When children eat chocolate they become hyper. One of the biggest causes of ADHD in children is chocolate and chocolate containing products.The sugar contained in these chocolate products causes a number of problems including diabetes, high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries and so many other health complications, according to ezinearticles.com.According to Melinda Johnson, a dietician, chocolate is perfectly safe to eat during pregnancy, but pregnant women shouldn’t overdo it because it can drain other healthy foods and provide too many extra calories, leading to excessive weight gain.In her article published on the baby center website, the dietician advises mothers to keep their caffeine intake below 200 mg a day, adding that if one eats a lot of chocolate and drinks caffeinated beverages, the caffeine can add up.According to www.buzzle.com, excessive caffeine in the body may interfere with the iron absorption mechanism in the mother’s body and lead to iron deficiency.Heartburn is a common occurrence during pregnancy. Excessive consumption of chocolate can aggravate this problem further, according to the buzzle website.“Too much chocolate also slows down the blood flow to the uterus, which means less oxygen and nutrients reach the fetus. In the later stage of pregnancy, an increase in the amount of caffeine intake can affect a baby’s sleeping pattern,” says the buzzle website.With all the adverse effects of eating too much chocolate, cutting down on its excessive consumption is in your best interest.
