Chocolate being bad for you

Although there have been a lot of articles lately depicting the advantages of eating chocolate, I was wondering if consuming too much can mess with your hormones.  I have been having several tablespoonfuls of cocoa every day lately to satisfy cravings or whatnot, and I heard that it can affect the menstrual cycle.  Is this true?  It may explain for my amenorrhea lately.

Define several.

UD

Can't answer that question, I'm not a doctor, but I suppose it depends on your total intake.  Too much of anything can be bad for you.   I commend you though for using real cocoa instead of consuming sugar laden, fat laden, chemical laden commercial chocolate bars.  Have you ever tried carob powder?  I read about it a long time ago and finally got around to trying it recently and it tastes almost exactly like chocolate.  Like cocoa, it is the ground up seed of  a tree. Cocoa powder is roughly one third fat, fibre and protein whereas carob powder is about 15% protein, 30% fibre and the rest naturally occuring sugars.  At around only 8 calories per tbsp it has less calories than cocoa powder and best of all, because of it's own natural sweetness, doesn't need as much sugar, if any at all, to make it sweet enough to eat.  Cocoa usually needs some sweetening because it has a natural bitterness to it.

If you haven't tried carob powder, give it a shot, even if only to substitute part of your cocoa intake.  Variety is the key!!

Carob powder is DELICIOUS! Try carob covered raisins if you can get your hands on them as well...mmmmm (try health food shops).

I also have a recipe for carob brownies as well - made with dried fruits, carob powder, nuts and flax seeds if you're interested.

I would say it is highly unlikely you got amenorrhea from eating cocoa. One is much more likely to get it from not eating enough or from not eating enough fats. How is your eating in general?

I ate chocolate (and a bunch of other garbage) every day for the past few years (read 20 years+) I just slapped myself in the face 4 weeks ago and stopped cold turkey.

It took me about 7 days before I stopped craving it and another 2 weeks to completely feel disgusted when I see someone else pigging out.

After 3 weeks, I fould laugh inside when I shopped for food and looked inside other peoples baskets. THe fatter they were, the more candy, cookies, garbage they had in their carts. THey also had a minimal amount of healthy food.

You don't need chocolate to live, so just don't eat it anymore.

Too much of anything can get to a point of it being unhealthy.  I highly doubt that chocolate is the cause of your amenorrhea.  I would suggest seeing a doctor because you don't want this to continue for long.  If your having to eat several scoops of chocolate to satisfy a craving you are probably missing some key nutrients to your dietary intake.  See a professional and be honest so he/she can tell you what you need to know.

If I recall from your prior posts, last year you were at a healthy BMI but looking to lose...if you in fact followed thru with weight loss, you are far more likely to have lost your period (again, right?) due to an unhealthy BMI than because of cocoa!  What are your stats now?  How many cals a day are you eating?

Mikelentini, there is a big difference between pure cocoa powder, which is the result of ground cocoa beans which is low in calories and has a good nutritional profile, and commercial "chocolate" which is usually laden with tons of sugar, milk fat and artificial ingredients.  It's not the cocoa that's bad in a chocolate bar, cocoa is what gives it the chocolate flavour,  it's all the other stuff they add to it. It's not hard to find various ways to add cocoa powder or carob powder to a healthy, balanced diet, and still enjoy chocolate flavour, without all the unhealthy calories.  Cocoa and carob powder are both less than 15 calories per TBSP an a TBSP goes a long way to add flavour.  

I have usually from 2-4 tablespoons of cocoa per day. And I don't really CRAVE it - it's just a way for me to have a treat without having to resort to buying huge tubs of ice cream that I would probably finish half the carton of, or unhealthier candy bars. And no, I did not really go through with further weight loss and have stagnated at about 118 pounds and 5'3" for several months now. I recently got off the pill to help me get my period in late November, and my period came late by about a week by skipping December into early January. However, that only happened after I had a week of no chocolate, and was wondering if that was the factor.

What I was trying to say is if she keeps giving herself low doses of chocolate, the cravings will never go away.

It took me about 2 weeks of NO chocolate before I was able to not think about it constantly. After almost 4 weeks, I no longer have any chocolate cravings, or fast food, junk food cravings whatsoever.

THe main problem is most people cannot do anything for 3 to 4 weeks straight, let alone change their eating habits.

I treat junk food additcion the same as an alcholic treats alchohol addiction. I stopped cold turkey and did not allow myself 1 single bite. My body adapted in less than a month, and now I feel I will never go back.

Just give this a try. What do you have to lose otherthan bodtfat, diabetes, heart disease, etc.

I understand what you are saying Mike, but I am trying to make a clear distinction between cocoa or carob powder, and commercially made chocolate.  I love chocolate too, although I never went nuts about it, so I just incorporate some cocoa or carob powder my healthy diet and I'm happy.  I think if a lot of people realized that carob or cocoa powder was delicious and low calorie, they would use it too, and avoid the whole chocolate bar thing altogether.  Why would I avoid a certain taste or flavour just because Nestle or Mars ruins it by adding sugar and fat to it?

Because most people are stupid lemmings that will follow others off the cliff.

(I have been one for 38 years)

I tried to cocoa thing, but everytime I found myself in front of real chocolate, (parties, vacations, dinner out, etc) , my brain told me it was OK even though I knew it was not. THen I would eat the junk, and spend the next 3 days feeling sorry fo myself and depressed.

 It is really an uncontrollable urge that many of us have. Our bodies start to rely on bad food, so just flush it all out and don't go back.

I have take a small issue with this. Real chocolate is not junk! It is a delicious (and I would argue healthy) TREAT. I have to say mike you have a somewhat unhealthy relationship with food, judging from your last post.

Now the key to my statement above is real chocolate. If the first ingredient is sugar it is not a chocolate it is chocolate flavored candy. Personally I enjoy Trader Joes 72% or Bitter Sweet chocolate. One or two pieces go quite nice with afternoon tea, and are only 70-140 calories.

UD

I agree with umneydurak.  I buy the best-quality dark chocolate I can find (La maison du chocolat when I can get it, otherwise Scharffen Berger or Michel Cluizel) and only eat one or two squares at a time.

The key is to eat it very slowly and savor the nuances in flavor rather than scarf it down to sate a sugar craving. 

I don't really have cravings - it's just the idea of satisfying myself with a treat.  And chocolate is a treat, at least for me.