Chocolate as Part of a Weight-Loss Diet?
September 6, 2011
Contrary to popular belief, studies have shown that one can adhere to a certain diet even while enjoying a daily chocolate fix.
In an experiment funded by Hershey’s, overweight and obese women who were on a strict reduced-calorie diet but still had a bit of chocolate for snacks (of course, provided by Hershey’s) on the side were still able to lose about 11 pounds within four months on average. These women had BMIs ranging from 25 to 43 and they consumed 1500 to 1800 calories per day.
Body Mass Index, also known as BMI, is the measure of weight in relation to height. A person can be called overweight when his/her BMI is between 25 and 29.9; obese is a BMI above 30. A normal BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9.
We always want what we can’t have, so chocolate cravings are often the main culprit behind the downfall of many dieters. The conductor of the research, Kathryn Piehowski, said: "Women think about going on a diet and think they have to deprive themselves of their favorite foods, but really that's not the case if you incorporate them in a portion-controlled way."
Chocolate is indeed a highly-craved food but scientists believed that there are other snacks much more satiating than chocolate, those that contain fiber and protein which help these women stay full in between meals so they don’t binge when they finally get to the next meal.
Half of the participants of the experiment were given small dark chocolate snacks to eat twice a day which counts 90 calories a day and sugar-free cocoa for breakfast. The other half had fruit-flavored licorice snacks and had a sugar-free non-cocoa drink in the morning.
After four months, all of the participants had lost 11 pounds on average. In conclusion, chocolates and other sweet snacks don’t have to be completely taken away from even those on a strict diet and involved in any weight-loss strategies as long as they have them in right proportions.
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