Chocolate Cures Anxiety!
Filed Under (Anxiety) by Cynthia on Feb 16, 2009 5:23 pm
Tagged Under : Anxiety, Physical Health
Well, I wish it did, anyway. 
I’m just back from a three day agility trial… well, it was local, so I didn’t really go anywhere, but I’m home finally. The days were long and I am very tired. We had fun though, me and the dogs. Chase did great, Levi had fun, and Tatum got some fun work in too. It was up in Farmington Utah, not Westgate.. not sure there is a Westgate around here anyway!
Oh, where was I…? Anxiety is cured by chocolate? Well, not really. However, I get anxiety when I’m doing the dogs sports. Probably because there are so many people around. And in order to handle it, I eat. I have a really hard time staying away from the treat table. I snack on sugar and chocolate mostly. I think it helps to keep the anxiety at bay. Probably I am addicted to the sugar, too, which is probably a bad thing. I think the taste of the chocolate in my mouth, as well as the sugar rush, pushes the anxiety back so I can’t feel it as much. Self-medicating…? Probably.
So I ate way too much chocolate and candy this weekend, once again. Bleh. Well, we’ll see how my weight turns out tomorrow. Not sure it’ll be down at all. I hope so… I’ll be good again this coming week, and the next few, because I won’t be at a trial or tournament with food all over the place to much on constantly. I did move a lot this weekend, and so I’m dead tired… but I don’t think I moved enough to burn off all the sugar I ate.
On this day..
- Spring Yet? - 2010
- Tired Again - 2010
- Camp and Cruise - 2008
Cocoa contains tryptophan which is a precursor for serotonin in the brain – the ‘happy hormone’ and other substances linked to anxiety-removing brain activity. It does contains tiny amounts of caffeine, but also a similar stimulant called theobromine.
So yes, chemically it DOES have an effect. And, it needn’t be unhealthy. The best dark chocolate does not have the sugars or unhealthy fats found in cheaper types of chocolate confections. The purer the better it is for you and you will need far less to give you the ‘chocolate buzz’ – just a couple of little squares per day is enough – let it melt sensuously on your tongue, don’t munch or chew it. Go ahead and enjoy it in moderation and don’t feel guilty
Mmm that is good to know! I’m going to have to go look for some good dark chocolate. I like milk chocolate better than dark, but I like dark too.
TEASE! LOL
Hi, I was going to say exactly what Jenny Fletcher has already commented on about chocolate.
I eat 2 squares of dark (70 to 85% cocoa) chocolate per day and feel it does benefit my health. I can’t say what it does for my mood but overall, it feels like health food. Maybe it also has a bit of a placebo effect too?
P.s. love your dog pictures…they’re very cute dogs.
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