Can chocolate help your gut health?

New science has shown that the things we consume can have a big impact on not only our guts but also our brains and bodies. But what should you be eating to stay healthy?

Nutritional psychiatrist Dr. Uma Naidoo recently spoke with CBS News about the things you should be eating to boost your health and you may be affected by the things she suggested. 

Photo Credit: Twitter @DrUmaNaidoo

The first important thing Dr. Naidoo recommended was a no-brainer—fiber. Fiber is key to any healthy diet but it’s particularly important for maintaining proper gut functioning. 

"Fiber is extremely important for your gut health and you can get it from vegetables, berries, fruit, and colorful salad,” Dr Naidoo said before adding one more interesting food.

Dr. Naidoo explained that you can also get fiber from extra-dark natural chocolate and said that it was rich in chemicals like serotonin making it perfect to combat depression.  

In fact, a population study of more than 13,000 people showed that participants who ate dark chocolate saw a 70 percent reduction in their depression and related symptoms. 

"So your gut health is also your mental health—it's your physical health, but it improves things like your mental well-being as well,” the nutritional psychiatrist continued. 

However, before you go out and buy the whole shelf of chocolate bars at your grocery store you should know that it's really only natural dark chocolate that can benefit you.

Most chocolate bars you’d find in a store are loaded with sugars according to Dr. Naidoo so you need to be careful when choosing a bar and make sure you’ve got the right kind.  

A 2022 study found that the daily consumption of 85% dark cocoa chocolate was found to be associated with improvements in both mood and gut health, so that’s probably the chocolate to start with first!