How much chocolate is too much?

[counterGOPI]

I have heard chocolate is a big no no in pregnancy in large amounts but what would that be? 1 chocolate bar? some chocolate ice cream? I'm so confused! Thanks!

[weliveintheforest]

Are you PREGNANT?


I think it's no big deal to eat some chocolate. Keep the sugar intake low and the caffeine intake reasonable... half a bar of chocolate or a scoop of chocolate ice cream here and there is not worth worrying about.

[Bokonon]

It is actually thought that dark chocolate during pregnancy is beneficial.

Where did you hear that chocolate is discouraged? It does have some caffeine in it, but not excessive amounts.

[Autumn Breeze]

Originally Posted by weliveintheforest

Are you PREGNANT?

!!!

and I've never heard that before! Perhaps go off of your chocolate intake pre-pregnancy? You know, moderation...

[counterGOPI]

(psst go see TMT).
I read it somewhere online, I can't remember where now but it made me wonder about tubs of chocolat ice cream being eaten within a couple days...

[odenata]

I've read a few studies suggesting chocolate is beneficial during pregnancy, may reduce pre-e, and there's a Finnish study saying it makes happier babies.

here are some links:
http://prenatal-health.suite101.com/...e_in_pregnancy

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Benefi...ncy&id=3729761

http://gsdl.sld.cu/collect/chocolat/...f5.dir/doc.pdf

[counterGOPI]

Oh thanks!!
I guess I am mostly worried about it in the first trimester and miscarriages, etc.

[~Adorkable~]

i think they are just worried about large amount and the caffeine it has, moderation is key so no gobbling down the whole box of truffles in one sitting, k?
the darker the chocolate the better the health benefits, milk chocolate does not really do anything good, 70% dark or better is the goal, but most women are shocked to taste what that kind of real chocolate is like!

[kalamos23]

Actually, dark chocolate has a LOT more caffeine than I at least realized - 27mg per ounce! So 2 oz of chocolate has more caffeine than a Pepsi (~40mg).

[~Adorkable~]

yeah the more good stuff in it, the more caffeine as well, it comes hand in hand.

[kalamos23]

Yeah, true that! I didn't realize it had as much as it did until I was getting so sick and jittery and having palpitations every time I had a couple of handfuls of semisweet choc chips. I couldn't figure it out - (I'm super sensitive to caffeine) I googled caffeine content of chocolate and it all came together But I still love chocolate, just have to watch how much I eat at one sitting, you know?

[m0xxie]

There are some studies that have come out recently linking miscarriages to caffeine intake, and the researchers concluded that there is no "safe" level for caffeine consumption.... if you have a history of miscarriage, or your situation puts you in a higher risk category for it, I would be very cautious about it, especially in the first trimester. Just my 2 cents...

[Lauren31]

At the PP, I think if you are going to have a miscarriage you are going to have a miscarriage, I do not think 1 oz of chocolate would be to blame. I know when I became pregnant the thought of chocolate or coffee made me sick so I did not eat it. I never drink soda anyways... I say to just follow your instincts and have it in moderation. On the days you have chocolate do not drink pepsi or coffee though!

[lillymonster]

I have never heard of this. I lived off chocolate my last pregnancy and had an 8 pound baby. I ate a 22 oz tub of chocolate pudding in one sitting. Ate candy bars almost everyday. Yeah I gained 45+ pounds, but no one ever told me there was a risk. I never had GD or anything. I never ate in the first trimester because I barely kept anything down, but after that, I shoved what I could in my face, I love chocolate.

Also drank caffeinated pepsi non-stop after I got over my aversion. I only was told to worry about coffee and since I don't drink coffee I never thought about it again. Although, my 3 sisters drank coffee at least every morning and had 9 kids between them because there was never any warning back then. There was one miscarriage I think between all 3.

A chocolate bar or ice cream isn't going to hurt you. I have been drinking chocolate milk almost everyday.

[kittywitty]

Everything in moderation. That said, I've eaten a box of brownie mix in one sitting (ok, more than once) and had perfectly healthy babies and no problems from it.

[m0xxie]

Here's a whole article about a recent study: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0121080402.htm

Some relevant quotes:

Women who consumed 200 mg or more of caffeine per day (two or more cups of regular coffee or five 12-ounce cans of caffeinated soda) had twice the miscarriage risk as women who consumed no caffeine, said Li. Women who consumed less than 200 mg of caffeine daily had more than 40 percent increased risk of miscarriage.

The increased risk of miscarriage appeared to be due to the caffeine itself, rather than other possible chemicals in coffee because caffeine intake from non-coffee sources such as caffeinated soda, tea and hot chocolate showed a similar increased risk of miscarriage.

"The main message for pregnant women from these findings is that they probably should consider stopping caffeine consumption during pregnancy because this research provides clearer and stronger evidence that high doses of caffeine intake during pregnancy can increase the risk of miscarriage," said Li.

The reasons that caffeine can harm a fetus have been suspected for some time. Caffeine crosses through the placenta to the fetus, but can be difficult for the fetus to metabolize because of the under-developed metabolic system. Caffeine also may influence cell development and decrease placental blood flow, which may lead to an adverse effect on fetal development.

So what's a fatigued mom-to-be supposed to do for her daily energy jolt?

"If you definitely need caffeine to get you going, try keeping it to one cup or less a day. Avoiding it may be even better. Consider switching to decaffeinated coffee and other decaffeinated beverages during your pregnancy," said Tracy Flanagan, MD, Director of Women's Health, Kaiser Permanente Northern California. "Learn to perk up instead with natural energy boosts like a brisk walk, yoga stretches, snacking on dried fruits and nuts."

[Galatea]

"Twice the risk" can be VERY misleading, though. It depends on what the actual percentages are. If the regular risk of miscarriage is 0.2%, then twice that is 0.4%, which is still miniscule. If the risk is 40%, then twice that is 80%, and both are a big deal. KWIM?

FWIW, I don't restrict anything in pregnancy and have been totally fine every time. I stop morning coffee only b/c it makes me sick, but I still drink pop (probably 3-4 cans a day.)

[terra-pip]

If chocolate is bad in pregnancy I definitely screwed up these last three pregnancies!!! LOL.


My personal take while pregnant is to avoid all coffee, sodas, tea with even a little bit of caffeine. But I don't avoid chocolate. I also don't eat cookies or cake or chocolate bars or ice cream every day either. I wouldn't do that anyway, pregnant or not. But I love chocolate and sweets. I did have a nice hot chocolate drink nearly every morning in my first and second trimester if the mornings were cold. I feel that completely abstaining from something is going to set up in a persons mind the desire for it anyway. You're more likely to binge on that whole carton of ice cream if you deny yourself a few scoops periodically. I think the risk from a can of soda or cup of coffee is more than the risk from a bit of chocolate or cookie or slice of cake. Pregnant or not.

[CherryBomb]

Geeze now we're not allowed to have chocolate, either?

"Twice the risk" can be VERY misleading, though. It depends on what the actual percentages are. If the regular risk of miscarriage is 0.2%, then twice that is 0.4%, which is still miniscule. If the risk is 40%, then twice that is 80%, and both are a big deal. KWIM?

[odenata]

Originally Posted by m0xxie

There are some studies that have come out recently linking miscarriages to caffeine intake, and the researchers concluded that there is no "safe" level for caffeine consumption.... if you have a history of miscarriage, or your situation puts you in a higher risk category for it, I would be very cautious about it, especially in the first trimester. Just my 2 cents...

Actually, there's research showing that chocolate helps reduce the risk of miscarriage.

Honestly, I'm not pushing chocolate. I just think that there is too much emphasis put on the dangers of food in pregnancy, and that exercising moderation is the key.