Why You Should Eat Chocolate While Pregnant

Everything should be done in moderation, of course, but a bit of chocolate may just help your pregnancy.

“{Chocolate} vehemently incites to Venys, and couseth conception in women, hastens and facilitates their delivery: it is an excellent help to digestion, it cures consumptions, and the cough of the lungs. The New Disease, or plague of the guts, and other fluxes, the green sickness, jaundice, and all manner of inflammations and obstructions.”

Antonio Colmenero de Ledesma 1631

The Craving for Chocolate

There has been some brief debate on whether cacao or chocolate is appropriate for pregnancy. It is my belief, based on nutrition as well as observational experience, that cacao is safe for most mothers-to-be in appropriate quantities. It appears that women sometimes develop more intense cravings for chocolate after they become pregnant. There is an inherent draw for the minerals, fatty acids, neurotransmitters, and vitamins conveniently held in cacao that ease tension, feed the brain, contribute to bone formation, and protect the nervous system.

Researchers from Yale University asked 2,500 women about their dietary habits during pregnancy. The researchers found that the women who consumed higher quantities of chocolate and hot chocolate drinks were less likely to develop potentially fatal complications during pregnancy.

Preeclampsia

One of the most common causes for premature birth is a condition called preeclampsia, brought on by high blood pressure and a particular protein, and can lead to blood clotting, liver and kidney failure, and, in severe cases, seizures. This condition appears to be an immunological intolerance towards specific proteins found in the mother’s placenta. The effects of this are consistent with an autoimmune disorder where the mother’s immune system attacks the foreign proteins and tissues of the developing embryo as if it was an invasive pathogen.

It is highly recommended to avoid all conventional dairy products, especially cow’s milk as there is a direct correlation between dairy products and autoimmune conditions and blood clotting.

After reviewing the literature on this particular issue, it becomes plainly obvious why chocolate, especially hot chocolate, could be effective in greatly reducing the risk of preeclampsia. The symptoms (blood clots, liver/kidney failure, hypertension) brought on by this are due to vasoconstriction, the tightening of blood vessels thereby depleting them of oxygen. The two main nutrients to remedy this are magnesium and theobromine. It is documented that magnesium sulfate is used with good results as a treatment. Theobromine releases the constriction of the blood vessels, helping to increase oxygen uptake and reduce blood clotting. Yale University researchers recorded that the women who reported consuming more than three servings of chocolate per week had a 50% or greater reduced risk of preeclampsia. And remember that dark chocolate has the most nutrition and fewer unhealthy ingredients.

When to Take a Break from Chocolate

It is recommended you consult with a holistic health care practitioner or pregnancy expert when consuming cacao directly after giving birth. It is a good idea to cycle off it for a short period of time as the newborn’s liver has not developed yet and it may be premature to expose the child to potential theobromine that may show up in the mother’s breast milk.

Learn what else a pregnant mom should be eating!