Is Chocolate (or Wine) Healthy?

Homer Homer

It’s only a matter of time before you stumble across an article or hear someone say, “Chocolate is healthy; it reduces stress and heart disease" or “Wine is healthy; it has antioxidants.” But is that really the case?

Maybe

There have been some studies that indicate this is true, but it comes with caveats. From a medical perspective, for something to be true, it must be tested across many people. An equally sized group must not be part of the study to serve as a baseline. The results must be peer-reviewed for accuracy and bias by the researchers. The study must be done long enough to determine the impact on individuals over the course of their life. The results must be compelling enough that general guidelines can be given to the mass public, and once misinterpreted (because no one reads the directions), will not result in harm from misuse.

This level of detail doesn’t exist for chocolate and wine, as well as many of the other “biohacks” that make for great clickbait articles.

A Sensible Approach

Look at it this way: cocaine is highly effective at boosting energy. It contains no added sugar, is easy to use, and is vegetarian. But no one is writing articles advocating replacing your morning coffee with an 8-ball. Why? Aside from the issue’s legality, the risk/reward ratio isn’t there. The same is true for treats like chocolate and wine. They have one beneficial property, but other properties may outweigh those benefits.

If you want to indulge in chocolate or wine, do so. Treat it for what it is: a treat. Ensure it fits your macros and doesn’t become a part of your everyday routine. Remember that everything you read aside from published, peer-reviewed clinical studies are written by someone trying to sell you something (and sometimes even those). Buyer beware.

Today’s Tasks

Don’t forget to complete today’s tasks for the challenge.

  • Drink 1 gallon of water
  • Workout for 45 minutes
  • Read ten pages from your book
  • Stick to your meal plan Once completed, head to the tracking site and mark them as completed to track your progress for the challenge. Tomorrow you’ll have your chance to earn ten extra points in the challenge in a quiz reviewing what we’ve learned in the first two weeks of our challenge. Speaking of which, how great is that? You’ve got two weeks of this challenge under your belt. How are things going for you?