10 Biggest Myths About Chocolate You Shouldn’t Believe

Valentine’s Day is a holiday that should be focused around love and relationships, but it’s a booming business for the chocolate industry. Companies such as Russell Stover, Hershey’s, Godiva, and Ghirardelli thrive on this holiday by releasing assorted chocolate boxes or increasing the cost of their goods because they know the demand will be high. Some people may prefer not even receiving chocolates as they don’t want to commit to eating something so unhealthy. If you’re in that situation, grab that box of chocolates and tell them these reasons on why it’s not so unhealthy to dive into them.

Chocolate Is Main Cause Of Cavities

A study from Japan showed that cocoa beans actually try to stop bacteria in tooth decay. Of course, it’s still advised to brush your teeth shortly after enjoying chocolate, as it is with any food.

Sugar Causes Kids To Be Hyper

Despite there being multiple studies on the issue, there is no scientific correlation between children eating chocolate and jumping off the walls. Instead, the reason why kids act crazy is chocolate is generally served more at special events, in which the situation causes kids to be nuts.

Chocolate Causes Acne

If you tried to sneak a cookie before dinner as a teenager, surely your mom has said that chocolate causes acne. No, scientists haven’t found anything to back up that theory. Pimples are simply created from grease on the skin, which doesn’t come from chocolate.

Sugar Causes Stress

Have a guilty pleasure of eating dark chocolate? Studies show that eating approximately 1.5 ounces of it each day for two straight weeks reduced stress. That’s equivalent to eating one Hershey’s Special Dark bar each day.

Chocolate Increases Blood Pressure

This one is simply false. Actually, dark chocolate has been linked to improving blood pressure and insulin resistance because of a high level of antioxidants.

High Level Of Caffeine

Chocolate gets a bad rap for increasing caffeine level, especially when it’s added in coffee. A standard Hershey’s chocolate bar has 9 milligrams of caffeine compared to just one standard eight-ounce cup of coffee, which has 163 milligrams.

Chocolate Makes People Gain Weight

Actually, the interesting thing about the dessert is that if eaten in moderation, it actually is linked to lower BMI. This myth is bad because, let’s be honest, as anybody can gain weight by eating anything.

No Nutritional Value

Nutrition can be found in just about anything you consume. For chocolate, it includes antioxidants and dietary fiber. For example, one standard Hershey’s chocolate bar has the same antioxidants as one glass of wine.

Increases Cholesterol

Contrary to belief, chocolate is not high in saturated fat. An ingredient inside chocolate, which is cocoa butter, does contain a high level of saturated fat, but an acid prevents it from increasing that bad cholesterol.

Chocolate Is Worse Than Fast Food

Believe it or not, one standard Hershey bar is equivalent to two Big Macs in terms of calories and grams of fat. Instead of making that trip to McDonald’s, maybe have that salad and sandwich at home, then enjoy some Hershey’s afterwards.