Mel B has a simple strategy for indulging in chocolate without worrying too much about her health. It’s all down to being strict with portion control – but this unlocks some powerful health benefits.
The Spice Girls icon shared her typical food day during a chat with Body and Soul. She mentioned fruit-packed smoothies and meals plentiful in vegetables and filling proteins. Fans also got an insight into how she lets loose and treats herself.
She said: “I’ll have some dark rye avocado toast for lunch with a leafy green salad and grilled chicken for dinner with some stir-fry veggies. I snack on a mix of Brazil nuts, almonds and fruit throughout the day and try to keep my chocolate intake to two squares after dinner every other day.”
The singer, who is set to appear on Netflix’s Celebrity Bear Hunt with Bear Grylls and Holly Willoughby in February, smartly restricts how often she eats the treat, which is high in sugar and saturated fats. It can be all too easy to overdo it with chocolate, but that will likely lead to some lasting health issues.
But, as Mel proves, you don’t need to entirely banish your favourite treats from your diet. In fact, enjoying chocolate sporadically does more than appease your sweet tooth.
When eaten in moderation, it may actually bring some health benefits. Choosing dark chocolate can be more beneficial in comparison to milk or white varieties because of its higher cocoa content, reports the Mirror.
Eating dark chocolate can enhance several key risk factors for heart disease and may offer protection against high cholesterol. Research has shown that consuming dark chocolate can significantly reduce levels of LDL – the ‘bad cholesterol’ – and triglycerides, a type of fat that stores surplus calories and provides energy.
Cocoa is rich in potent antioxidants that have been shown to enter the bloodstream and combat free radical damage to your body. The flavanolsin dark chocolate can also decrease your insulin sensitivity.
Over time, this could result in less cholesterol accumulating in the arteries, leading to a reduced risk of heart disease. Studies have demonstrated that consuming cocoa or chocolate rich in flavanols can lower blood pressure and boost cardiovascular health over time.
The flavonoids in dark chocolate can stimulate the endothelium, the lining of arteries, to produce nitric oxide. This compound signals the arteries to relax, which decreases resistance to blood flow and consequently lowers blood pressure.
Following Mel B’s ‘rule’, it appears the Spice Girls singer restricted herself to a few squares of her preferred chocolate roughly three days a week. A study has indicated that eating chocolate over this period lowered the risk of cardiovascular disease by 9%.