Drink water after eating chocolate Drinking water helps to wash away lingering chocolate on the teeth, and also increases the flow of saliva in the mouth, which in turn works to neutralise the harmful acids produced by the sugar in the chocolate you've just consumed.
Tea and coffee are terrific chocolate partners. Just remember the rule of contrasting rather than matching. Strong, unsugared tea is wonderful with merry milk chocolate. Sweet coffee with a touch of cream cozies up beautifully to a chunk of high-cacao dark.
Humans can easily digest and excrete methylxanthines, the half life of theobromine being 2-3 hours. However absorption in dogs is slow, with metabolism in the liver and extrahepatic recirculation before excretion in the urine. The half life of theobromine in dogs is about 18 hours.
Joshua Thurman says, “Chocolate and other candies (and ice cream) make you thirsty because of their salt and sugar content. When your body absorbs salt and sugar it also needs water to keep the overall concentration of these substances the same. It is the same reason that bars serve peanuts and pretzels.
Theobromine, which increases heart rate and causes sleeplessness, is found in small amounts in chocolate, especially dark. The National Sleep Foundation recommends avoiding chocolate — as well as coffee, tea and soft drinks — before bedtime.
Chocolate
High levels of caffeine in chocolate make it a poor choice for late-night snacking. During the latter stages of sleep, caffeine consumption can cause rapid eye movement (REM) to occur more frequently, which is why you're more likely to feel groggy the morning after the night before.
Avoid laying down after eating: Keep upright for two to three hours after meals to reduce gastrointestinal discomfort and aid digestion. Eat a well-balanced diet: Plan meals that include fruits and vegetables, lean protein and whole grains.
Experts advise drinking 6-8 glasses of water every day for oxygen to flow freely in your body and help the kidneys and colon eliminate waste. What's best, it helps in flushing out excess sugar from your body.
Drinking water while having your favourite sweet treat may give you a bigger sugar spike than what's considered healthy, says researchers.
Flush out all that sweet stuff from your system by hydrating ASAP with water or other low-sugar fluids, and foods high in water content. "Drink plenty of water and go for foods like watermelon, cucumbers, strawberries and yogurt," Seaver says.
Keep in mind that cocoa contains caffeine and related chemicals. Eating large amounts might cause caffeine-related side effects such as nervousness, increased urination, sleeplessness, and a fast heartbeat. Cocoa can cause allergic skin reactions, constipation and might trigger migraine headaches.
Theobromine is a stimulant responsible for the "buzz" you get after eating chocolate. Ramadan described this as a "buzz of energy, buzz of sharpness of mind, which will actually last for a while."
"These added sugars can give you a sugar spike of energy and then zap your energy after that spike. If you overconsume them in one sitting, you might not feel so great," explains Gorin. Another reason why sugar makes you feel crummy is because overeating it can cause inflammation in the body, according to Gorin.
One of the strongest cases against drinking water after meal is that it disturbs the digestive process, by diluting the gastric juices and digestive enzymes. This makes it difficult for the body to digest food effectively.
A spoonful of vinegar helps the sugar go down.
Nigma Talib, a naturopath who works with celebrities, has popularized the term “Sugar Face” to describe the effects that excess sugar has on the skin. Supposedly, she can look at someone's face and determine if they have a sweet tooth by the appearance and the location of their blemishes and wrinkles.
Your body is most comfortable digesting food in an upright position, as it allows for easy digestion. Lying down immediately after eating a light meal for dinner can cause the stomach contents to reflux into the oesophagus, triggering symptoms of GERD and heartburn.
You should try to not eat any chocolate after around 4 or 5 pm to give your body time to metabolize its caffeine. Generally, it's also a good idea to stop eating at least 2 hours before turning in for the night to give your food time to digest.
Scientists also recommend the best time to eat chocolate is earlier in the day (between 9am -11am), making chocolate a great choice for an elevenses pick-me-up, as your palate has not been tainted by other flavours from lunch – something only one in five (20%) of Brits already do.