Sport and chocolate: a compatible or incompatible duo to achieve your fitness goals?

Despite popular belief, dark chocolate is a healthy food that is full of benefits for our health . Cocoa contains a multitude of components, including energizing agents that reduce fatigue. During sports training, this energy can be an asset to push your limits and improve your performance . Sigoji, a Belgian-Cameroonian artisanal chocolate maker , explains whether chocolate and sport are a good match for your health.

Chocolate and sport: yes or no?

Obviously, not all types of chocolate are conducive to physical exercise and weight loss . White chocolate and milk chocolate are, in fact, sweeter and are therefore not necessarily recommended when practicing sports. Dark chocolate , however, contains much less sugar, but many beneficial nutrients . If you want to benefit from all its virtues, it is essential to select quality dark chocolate with a minimum of 70% cocoa.

The Sigogi chocolate factory offers you its dark chocolate with 80% cocoa , from fair trade and sustainable agriculture .

Dark chocolate prevents cramps

Dark chocolate helps prevent cramps in athletes by reducing cortisol levels, which are responsible for these discomforts and performance declines. In addition, its high concentration of magnesium makes it a valuable ally for combating fatigue and improving endurance . A magnesium deficiency can have serious repercussions on your training sessions: nervousness, tremors, intense fatigue... These symptoms weaken the body as a whole, reduce recovery capacity and significantly increase the risk of injury .

Dark chocolate boosts metabolism

Thanks to its vegetable fats (monounsaturated), dark chocolate boosts the metabolism and allows the body to burn calories and fat more efficiently. Very rich in nutritional terms, dark chocolate contains more than 40% lipids , often referred to as the "good fats" beneficial for our body .

In addition, it contains proteins , essential for athletes and especially for bodybuilding . These nutrients help maintain healthy bones and tissues , while promoting muscle recovery after exercise. They allow muscles to gain volume and strength more quickly.

Dark chocolate reduces stress

Dark chocolate helps reduce stress by promoting the production of serotonin in the brain, improving mood and reducing feelings of stress . High levels of stress can lead to increased cortisol and stimulate appetite , making it important to manage it effectively.

Additionally, the antioxidant properties of dark chocolate help to significantly reduce stress-related muscle damage in athletes.

Chocolate improves mood and increases motivation

Dark chocolate promotes good mood and boosts motivation by increasing the production of endorphins. These substances, also called " pleasure molecules ", have a positive impact on one's morale . One of them releases norepinephrine, which promotes attention , sleep and learning, as well as dopamine , which influences productivity , motor control , enthusiasm and memory.

Dark chocolate helps reduce body fat

Dark chocolate helps reduce body fat thanks to the flavonoids it contains. This component has anti-inflammatory, immunostimulant, antioxidant qualities . It has been shown that people following a diet rich in flavonoids have observed a decrease in their body fat percentage.

Contact Sigoji Chocolate Factory for more information on chocolate

Sigoji, a Belgian artisanal chocolate maker , offers you a very wide choice of dark chocolates from sustainable and controlled agriculture. For more information, we invite you to contact us via our online form or by telephone .