“Why Do We Crave Chocolate? The Importance of Magnesium for Our Bodies”

Have you ever had a sudden craving for a certain food? In fact, when we have a sudden and sudden food craving for a certain food, sometimes it is not simply a gluttony, boredom or heart addiction attack, but our body lacks certain substances and needs to be replenished as soon as possible. Today, let’s talk about our most common food craving—suddenly thinking about chocolate, and craving it to such an extent that there is no other food that can replace it, and we can’t look to “chocolate” to quench our thirst. You have to take a big bite to break the curse.

When we suddenly want to eat chocolate, it is actually a warning signal that the body lacks magnesium. Magnesium is a very, very important mineral for the human body. The human body has more than 300 kinds of chemical reactions (biochemical reactions), including making protein, synthesizing bones or DNA, etc., all need magnesium to function; lack of magnesium is called hypomagnesemia (Hypomagnesemia), there will be high blood pressure, unstable heart rhythm, diabetes, osteoporosis, frequent fatigue, weakness, muscle cramps, etc. Some middle-aged friends will have the experience of leg cramps in the middle of the night. Sometimes it is just a simple movement, which is literally “stretching the muscles” and the cramps will occur immediately. This is due to the lack of magnesium in the body. Supplementing magnesium in the diet at ordinary times can quickly reduce the number of leg cramps in the middle of the night, and the effect is very significant. Also, many urbanites are afraid of osteoporosis, so they take calcium tablets every day, but in fact, they must take half the amount of magnesium at the same time, so that the body can absorb calcium. If you only eat calcium tablets without magnesium, it is like eating for nothing.

Some women also have the experience of suddenly craving chocolate a few days before the onset of menstruation (luteal period). That’s because during this period, both progesterone and estrogen in the body are elevated for a while. When these two hormones are high, the magnesium in the body is low, so the body will want to supplement magnesium. In addition, magnesium is also a very effective mood-relieving mineral. If magnesium is lacking in the body, there will be psychological problems such as anxiety, irritability and insomnia, which also explains why some people feel Eating a mouthful of chocolate will make you feel happy, because magnesium “works” in the body.

(Image source: unsplash)

Our human body does not automatically produce magnesium, it needs to be supplemented by food, and it needs to be supplemented every day. Foods highest in magnesium are: (1) dark chocolate; (2) avocados; (3) nuts (especially almonds, cashews, and Brazil nuts); (4) legumes (soybeans, peas, chickpeas, lentils etc.); (5) tofu; (6) green leafy vegetables. If you pay attention, people who are prone to cramps usually eat less vegetables in their daily diet.

(Image source: unsplash)

Finally, a warm reminder: dark chocolate is a highly antioxidant boon, but when buying dark chocolate, be sure to choose high cocoa (at least 70%), made from pure cocoa powder, and without milk (adding milk is equal to The nutrition of cocoa is discarded) and there is no added sugar at all, and it should not exceed 1 to 2 ounces or 30 to 60 grams per day, otherwise the more you eat, the more fat you will become. Also, milk chocolate and white chocolate are not chocolate, they contain a lot of sugar and saturated fat, they are just junk candies.

The content of signed and/or unsigned articles published by ET Net is the author’s personal opinion and does not represent the position of ET Net. The role of ET Net is to provide a platform for free speech.

etnet won HKEX Awards 2022 “Best Performing Securities Data Provider” and “Best Performing Derivatives Data Provider” ► Learn more