It seems that everyone thinks chocolate is a sugar food without nutrition, but chocolate is a highly nutritious sugar food. Moreover, chocolate can provide a considerable amount of nutrients that the human body needs every day, as well as alleviate mood swings and make people excited. So, what about pregnant women? Can pregnant women eat chocolate? Will it harm the baby?
Can pregnant women eat chocolate?
Pregnant women should eat less chocolate because it contains caffeine, with each standard sized chocolate containing 50 milligrams of caffeine; Pregnant women who consume more than 300 milligrams of caffeine per day may experience miscarriage and fetal weight loss. But the copper element contained in chocolate plays an important role in the normal development of embryos.
The benefits of pregnant women eating chocolate for their babies
Finnish scientists wrote in the journal "New Scientist" that children born to mothers who regularly eat chocolate have less fear of new environments compared to those born to mothers who do not eat chocolate.
Scientists at the University of Helsinki asked 300 pregnant women to record their chocolate consumption and stress levels, and found that consuming chocolate had a positive impact on fetal behavior. The report also pointed out that after 6 months of birth, mothers who consume more chocolate will have more positive behavioral responses in their children.
Finnish scientists also acknowledge that they have not yet determined whether chocolate consumption and infant behavior are associated with other factors. They speculate that the effects they observed stem from the chemical components in chocolate that are associated with positive behavior, and these chemical components are transmitted to the fetus through the uterus.
Is it better to eat dark chocolate or milk chocolate?
Dark chocolate has different flavors from pure chocolate and milk chocolate. The difference between the two is that dark chocolate has lower fat content than milk chocolate (dark chocolate contains 24 grams of fat per 100 grams, while milk chocolate contains 33 grams), and dark chocolate contains less salt (12 micrograms vs. 84 micrograms) and more sugar (64 grams vs. 55 grams). People who really know how to eat chocolate only like dark chocolate, but for pregnant women, it should be noted that an equal amount of dark chocolate contains more caffeine than milk chocolate.
So, the question is, how much chocolate is suitable for expectant mothers to eat? Eating no more than 100 grams of chocolate per day during pregnancy is very beneficial for health! However, it should be noted that consuming more than 300 milligrams of caffeine per day may lead to miscarriage, loss of fetal weight, and premature birth. In addition, excessive consumption of chocolate can lead to a deficiency of some essential nutrients, which can affect the physical health of pregnant women and be detrimental to the growth and development of the fetus. Although you can eat, you can't be too greedy.
