By Not only is hot chocolate bad for you, but it is also bad for the environment. Drinking it all day and all night is a way of life, and a way of life doesn’t include the little ones. This adds up to a lot of extra calories to your diet.
In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, people started to notice that hot chocolate was affecting the environment. One study suggested that hot chocolate could contribute to global warming, and another showed that the chemical used in hot chocolate was a potent greenhouse gas. In a 2012 study, scientists showed that even low levels of hot chocolate consumption contributed to higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
In other words, I’m not a big fan of hot chocolate. I think one of the reasons I’m such a fan of hot chocolate is because it’s good for me. It’s a low-calorie, nutrient-dense beverage that can help you lose weight, aid your appetite and digestion, and provide your body with the nutrients it needs to maintain good health. That said, the science isn’t as strong about hot chocolate as it is about other foods.
One study of hot chocolate found that people who drank it on a regular basis had a 25 percent lower risk of heart disease than people who didn’t. That is very impressive, but there are a lot of other studies that suggest consuming hot chocolate may not be as bad for you as we thought. For example, one study of dieters found that they had a higher risk of heart disease for a shorter period of time if they drank hot chocolate.
Another study found that people who drink coffee at least once a day were less likely to develop heart disease over a 20 year period. So this is not the same thing as drinking a cup of hot chocolate every day; this is coffee plus hot chocolate.
While hot chocolate isn’t bad for you, when it comes to the health risks of hot chocolate, it might be best to stay away from it. For one, because it contains caffeine, which can interfere with the heart, blood pressure and other functions in the body. Second, it’s very sweet and it will spike your blood sugar and cause a sugar crash. It can also cause you to feel dizzy, and even faint.
So what’s the real reason for this? Well, one, its very rich and its not a typical tea.
You might hear about this one, but it goes beyond the coffee side. The tea and chocolate (that is, the first cup of hot water plus a little ice-cream) combination has been shown to cause an increase in the levels of a molecule called adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP), which lowers blood pressure. Also, because caffeine (also known as “theobromine”) is a stimulant, many people feel hyperactive after drinking it.
In fact, theobromine is a neurotransmitter that affects emotions and emotions are what causes you to feel hyperactive. When people think about a cold weather hangover, they tend to think of a strong stomach. But those same people also feel energized when they drink a cup of tea with a splash of hot chocolate on it. So they are probably correct that caffeine makes them feel more energized.
But the effects of a hot cup of tea are far less than those of a cold beverage. For one thing, it doesn’t suppress a person’s appetite either. This is the reason it’s so commonly consumed. I’ve seen people get out of bed in the morning but still be eating breakfast. If you think about it, you’re more likely to stay on the bed last night if you’re eating breakfast as opposed to a cup of tea.
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