Good morning! We had a wonderful, refreshing holiday break. We hope you did too! Our team is back from the holidays and back to work, excited to usher in a new year with more health tips and news.
We know the new year is when most people talk about “New Year, New Me” plans. We’re all for making healthy lifestyle choices. If the calendar is what prompts you to make changes, that’s great! Whatever motivates you is excellent. But, we think it’s essential to remember that you can shift your behavior any time of the year and not put too much pressure on January. Telling yourself that there is an immediate deadline can make you feel like you’re failing and undermine your goals and confidence. We want to be partners in your health journey. It’s important to speak to your doctor and find a plan that works for you. Some people thrive with New Year’s resolutions. Others find them stifling. Do what fits your style.
If you still have a lot of sweets in your house from the holidays, some research might be of interest to you! A study found that chocolate impacts your body differently depending on what time you eat it.
The study looked at the impact of chocolate on women’s metabolism. It found that eating chocolate in the morning lowered blood sugar throughout the day. It also reduced the desire for other sugary things, increased their metabolism and decreased hunger. The women in the study ate about 300 calories less after eating chocolate. The chocolate itself had 542 calories, so it wasn’t enough to offset it. However, if that chocolate would have been an evening dessert, it did remove 300 additional calories. Eating chocolate in the evening didn’t change the women’s metabolism.
While evening chocolate didn’t impact the women’s metabolism, it did impact their sleep. Eating 100 grams of chocolate and night improved sleep quality and helped them achieve a regular sleep schedule.
The study used dark chocolate because it’s lower in sugar and higher in cocoa and antioxidants. So, if the candy in your house is milk chocolate, it’s better to give it away when you are looking to make healthy changes. Chocolate is always something to be careful with. And, if you do want to make it part of your daily life, read the nutritional information and account for it in your day: don’t just add it as an extra!
We’re looking forward to 2022. We are excited to take the next healthy steps into the future with you. Let’s make it a “sweet” year!
