Did you know that eating dark chocolate can curb cravings?

Did you know that dark chocolate reduces cravings for sweet, salty and fatty foods? In one study, sixteen healthy male volunteers who liked both dark chocolate and milk chocolate participated. First, the volunteers fasted for 12 hours and then were offered 100g of either milk or dark chocolate, which they consumed over 15 minutes. The caloric content was essentially the same for the milk and dark chocolate.

Two and a half hours later, they were instructed to eat as much pizza as they liked. The group that ate dark chocolate consumed 15% percent less calories when compared to the milk chocolate group. During the following 5 hours, the dark chocolate group also reported less cravings for sweet, salty and fatty foods.

This study suggests that dark chocolate may be the perfect snack to curb cravings. Just remember to keep at least 60% cacao squares on hand to curb both sweet and salty cravings.