- Slimming mechanism
- Advantages and disadvantages
- Contraindications
- How to choose?
- Recommendations
- Varieties
Many are surprised when nutritionists recommend having a chocolate fasting day for quick and enjoyable weight loss. Can this sweet and high-calorie product help reduce weight? It turns out that such miracles do happen, and we still do not know much about our body. If you do not like bland fasting, this option is a real godsend for you.
Slimming mechanism
Nutritionists have developed a chocolate fasting day long ago and thoroughly studied its effect on the organism. Weight loss is possible thanks to cocoa beans, which:
- prevent the development of insulin resistance (the most common cause of obesity) and improve regulation of glucose metabolism;
- maintain a healthy gut microbiota, which promotes faster assimilation of food;
- eliminate inflammation in the body, which can contribute to weight gain;
- reduce depression, which eliminates the need to “jam” stress;
- accelerate metabolism;
- effectively break down fats, removing them from the body (although this is quite a long process, which cannot be completed in a day, but the start will be made).
Thus, it turns out that chocolate, despite its high calorie content (over 500 kcal per 100 g), helps lose weight as well as many dietary products. The results of such fasting days are the proof of that. With the right approach, you can lose up to 1.5 kg.
Origin of the name. The word “chocolate” originates from the Mayan language, where “xocolatl” meant “bitter water”.
Advantages and disadvantages
If you decide to lose weight with the help of this sweet, you need to consider its possible advantages and pitfalls.
Advantages:
- prevents cardiovascular diseases;
- reduces the risk of strokes and infarctions by preventing blood clots;
- prevents diabetes, as it regulates the process of absorption of glucose in the body;
- normalizes blood pressure;
- improves the elasticity of blood vessels;
- alleviates autoimmune diseases;
- stimulates brain activity, improves memory, and activates thought processes;
- antioxidants prevent the development of tumors;
- polyunsaturated acids remove bad cholesterol.
Disadvantages:
- damages tooth enamel;
- causes food addiction;
- high calorie content;
- minimum daily portion is hunger-provoking, which is very difficult to withstand;
- lack of dietary variety;
- nausea and dizziness as side effects;
- fainting is possible;
- often provokes gastrointestinal disorders;
- contributes to skin rashes.
Significant harm from such fasting days can be caused only in extreme cases: ignoring contraindications or increasing the recommended dosage.
Additional information. Chocolate improves the work of heart, strengthens, and cleanses blood vessels from cholesterol plaques.
Contraindications
You should refrain from chocolate fasting days if you have the following contraindications:
- allergy to cocoa beans;
- pregnancy;
- diabetes mellitus;
- obesity;
- hypotension;
- gout;
- urolithiasis;
- joint diseases;
- sleep disorders;
- metabolic disorders.
Of course, 100 g of chocolate eaten per day will not cause exacerbation of gout or osteochondrosis, but unpleasant side effects are quite possible.
Do you know that… chocolate contains “theobromine”, a substance which makes this product toxic for animals?
How to choose?
The choice of chocolate varieties is so vast that one inevitably faces the problem of choice. Porous, dessert, vegan, for diabetics, powdered, liquid… Which type will contribute to maximum weight loss on a fasting day? After all, if you make a mistake in this matter, you may gain weight instead of losing it.
- Dark / bitter
Nutritionists recommend the most optimal option – losing weight with dark chocolate. The percentage of cocoa beans responsible for weight loss is the highest: over 55%. It is better to choose options starting from 75% – they are more beneficial. It is these products that are marked as “bitter”. If the numbers are smaller, the package will say “dark”.
- Milk
Undoubtedly, losing weight with milk chocolate is much more enjoyable, as it has a soft and delicate taste and literally melts in your mouth. However, the content of cocoa beans in it is minimal, which means that all the hardships of a fasting day may be in vain. Moreover, dry milk or cream with 2.5% fat content added to it are far from being dietary products, and they provide little to no benefit. That is why nutritionists do not recommend this type.
- White
You can find anything on the Internet. Even such a paradox as a fasting day menu based on white chocolate. Although this treat does not contain a single gram of cocoa beans that start all the processes in the body leading to weight loss. So, there is nothing more useless for fighting extra pounds.
Other types also do not have any value for weight loss, so you can safely ignore them.
Interesting fact. The most expensive chocolate is “Chocopologie by Knipschildt”. It costs $2,600 for 453 g of delicacy.
Recommendations
In order to achieve the result, you must learn how to properly carry out a fasting day and get out of it without harm to health.
Preparation
Chocolate fasting is a real stress for the body to which it may respond inadequately. That is why it is so important to prepare it for this event beforehand. To this end, 2-3 days before the fasting day, take the following steps.
- Start drinking plenty of water.
- Gradually exclude alcohol, carbonated drinks, fried, pickled, smoked, fatty, salty foods, and fast food from the diet.
- Switch to a five-meal diet.
- Eat 20-30 g of dark chocolate daily.
- Get enough sleep.
- Exercise.
- On the eve of fasting, have a very light dinner and a glass of fat-free kefir before going to bed.
Fasting
- The recommended daily amount is 100 g of dark chocolate.
- Consumption scheme: divide into 5 equal portions to be eaten at equal intervals.
- The treat can be washed down with such drinks as green tea (with various additives for fat burning, such as cinnamon or lemon) and herbal teas. Kefir and milk do not quite fit in, but they are allowed as an exception if they are fat-free. All listed products should be unsweetened.
- It is important to follow the drinking regimen – at least 2 liters of pure water per day.
