Are Sweets and Chocolate Really a Bad Choice for Children?

It’s that time of year where we’re probably tempted to treat ourselves a little more than usual; the weather is getting colder, meaning we automatically want to wrap up and spoil ourselves with foodie treats. Over Christmas we will probably have over indulged on lots of great food and family get-togethers, now January is here it is probably time to consider trying to avoid overeating or making yourself unhealthy in the process of enjoying yourself!

Sugar is something that we all struggle to avoid; it’s in nearly everything but if you opt to try to follow a balanced diet, you should be allowed to treat yourself to a few sweets here and there without feeling guilty! It’s always in the news about our children having a bad diet or eating too many bad foods and becoming overweight, but there is an easy way of enjoying sweets and chocolate this new year.

Are Sweets and Chocolate Really a Bad Choice for Children?

 

Sugar fix

We’ll all get that craving for something sweet every now and again, with some of us having a strong sweet tooth and therefore a sucker for a bowl of sweets or slice of chocolate cake.

While an overload of sugar is definitely not good for you, there are ways of satisfying your sweet craving without going overboard.

As long as you exercise portion control and check nutritional values to ensure you aren’t eating multiple servings in one go, there is no reason why you can’t enjoy your favourite sweets. On top of this, looking after your teeth is extremely important if you enjoy the sweeter things in life. Rinsing out your mouth and making sure you brush your teeth properly will help to fight against tooth decay, which is extremely common in those who eat a lot of sugar.

Benefits of  Dark chocolate

Sweets and chocolate are usually classed as junk food and nutritionists around the world insist that we keep them away from our children to avoid health problems, but we bet you didn’t know that some chocolate actually has a few benefits! While this does not necessarily mean you can sit and gorge on chocolate, it means that a little bit of chocolate every now and again could do you some good!

Did you know that chocolate can lower your blood pressure? This can result in lowering the risk of heart disease, as it also lowers bad LDL cholesterol. The benefits of dark chocolate in particular can even reduce cravings for sweet foods; it also has inflammation-fighting properties which can reduce cardiovascular risk.

Regularly eating chocolate can increase insulin sensitivity, meaning you may be at less risk of developing diabetes. On top of this, dark chocolate contains antioxidants that can even protect you slightly from UV damage from the sun – don’t forget to still put your suncream on though!

Cocoa has been known to have anti-clotting properties which can act similarly to aspirin by thinning out blood.

If this has left you with a sweet tooth of your own and now you need that little sugar fix to keep you going, get in touch with Retro Sweet today to get your own selection of sweets and chocolate.

*A collaborative post*