There are many things that make us feel sick after eating them, unfortunately. But chocolate, really? Of all things! And as good as it is, with its rich and creamy flavor, it really isn’t good when it leaves us with that queasy, nauseous feeling afterward. But why does it make us feel sick? Is it normal for this to happen? Time to find out.
So, why does chocolate make me feel sick? Chocolate can make you feel sick due to the ingredients or your body’s response to such ingredients. It could either be something in the chocolate directly or how you process them.
As such, there is not one definitive reason, and this is why you may not always feel sick after eating chocolate or why some chocolate makes you feel worse than others.
So with this in mind, let’s continue to explore these reasons so you can work out why you may feel this way in your own individual context.
Then, we will cover what you can do about it – without necessarily giving it up. The most important thing, right?
Contents
Why Does Chocolate Make You Feel Sick?
Chocolate can make you feel sick due to specific ingredients, such as its high sugar and/or fat content, milk proteins, or other additives. Alternatively, it could be the consequence of a health-related issue, such as an intestinal infection, a blood sugar problem, or inflammation of other underlying conditions.
Now don’t worry.
That all might sound a bit ominous.
Rest assured that in most cases of sickness after eating chocolate, it’s likely because you’ve consumed too much sugar in one go.
So let’s discuss that issue first before we go on to the more serious ones.
Too Much Sugar
You can’t eat a block of chocolate and feel sick. That’s just not enough sugar to make you feel sick.
If you do feel sick easily or frequently after eating chocolate, then it could be an underlying issue, which we’ll talk more about soon.
But people often feel sick after eating chocolate because they haven’t eaten one block but have instead indulged in several bars (or a large bar).
So too much chocolate will make you sick.
Because if you eat a lot of chocolate, you are also consuming a lot of sugar in a short amount of time.
And as such, you are likely to experience a state known as hyperglycemia.
So let’s talk about the process of hyperglycemia in a bit more detail.
Essentially, this is when you have high blood sugar.
And once you reach this state, you’re likely to experience the feeling of sickness.
Our pancreas will then intervene, producing lots of a hormone known as insulin to help stabilize the sugar, and bring it back down into a normal range.
Our body’s cells then absorb the excess sugar to return itself back to its normal state. The feelings of sickness will then subside.
So if you’re feeling sick after eating chocolate, just know that the most common reason for this is the increased sugar levels in your body – and the process of clearing it!
Bad Reaction
As I’ve said already, you should only feel sick if you eat too much chocolate in one sitting, even if that doesn’t seem like a lot to you.
So, if you are eating a small serving and you still feel sick, it could be down to something else.
One of those causes is a bad allergic reaction to a particular ingredient in the chocolate.
Chocolate comes in many different forms, made by many different brands that use different ingredients.
And how those ingredients are sourced and used and how much of them are in each bar is unclear; it is difficult to pinpoint which one could be causing you to feel sick.
However, we do know that the most likely culprit is cocoa. This is an essential ingredient in chocolate as it is what gives it the taste, flavor, and even texture to some extent.
But it has been known to cause allergic reactions in some people. This is essentially known as a chocolate allergy.
The symptoms include breathing difficulties, hives, mouth swellings, coughing, stomach cramps, and of course…dun dun dun…nausea and vomiting.
If you suspect that you are having allergic reactions to cocoa, then you schedule a visit to the doctor to get checked out.
An allergic reaction is your immune system’s response to threats it perceives.
But they can be dangerous, and this is not something you can or even should ignore.
Don’t be afraid of visiting the doctor because you don’t want to be told that you can’t eat chocolate.
Firstly, your health should come above all chocolate-eating fantasies and activities.
Secondly, the chances are that you will still be able to enjoy chocolate in some form.
There are plenty of alternative chocolates out there that may help you avoid allergic reactions.
Also, even if you do have some sensitivity to cocoa or other ingredients in the chocolate, you may be able to eat small amounts.
But large amounts of chocolate, which will trigger these allergic reactions, will have to be avoided.
Intestinal Infection
If you have an intestinal infection and you eat chocolate, then you risk exacerbating it, which will, in turn, make you feel sick.
Bacteria feed off of sugar. Especially refined sugar, which is the type of sugar you find in chocolate.
An intestinal infection will be fuelled by and rife with bacteria. So the more chocolate and sugar you feed the bacteria, the more it will grow.
This means your infection will get worse, and you’ll subsequently feel sicker.
But chances are, other foods make you feel sick too – not just chocolate.
So if this is the case for you, you may find that nausea after eating chocolate subsides once the infection is treated, as does your general nausea in general.
But again, you’ll need to book a doctor’s appointment for testing and treatment.
Blood Sugar Problem
If your body isn’t dealing with maintaining its sugar levels properly, then eating chocolate will likely make you sick.
Issues with your body’s ability to process glucose and maintain safe levels in your bloodstream could be evidence of a condition known as diabetes.
So again, it’s of vital importance that you visit a healthcare professional.
Don’t worry! Even if you are diagnosed, such blood sugar problems can be corrected by diet and lifestyle changes.
It may be that it’s ruled out after testing and analysis, too.
Inflammation of an Underlying Condition
Excess amounts of sugar can inflame any underlying conditions you may have. Such as Raynaud’s syndrome, arthritis, or vascular disease.
Again if you suspect you have these conditions, see a doctor.
If you know you have them, then it may just be news that chocolate has this sick-feeling effect, and you can learn from it.
Will All Chocolate Make You Feel Sick?
Not all chocolate will make you feel sick. It ultimately depends on the sugar/cocoa/milk content along with other ingredients. Generally, the higher the sugar/cocoa/milk content and additives, the higher the chances it will make you feel sick following consumption.
We have established the ingredients in chocolate that can cause us to feel sick.
So, it makes sense that chocolates with fewer of these ingredients in them will make you feel…less sick!
Sugar and cocoa are essential ingredients in chocolate. So it will be difficult to find chocolates as tasty that contain less of these ingredients. But it can be done!
How To Stop Feeling Sick After Eating Chocolate?
You can stop feeling sick after eating chocolate by hydrating, eating other foods that fight nausea, or eating a sugar-balancing meal.
Hydrating
Sugar makes us dehydrated. Dehydration can make us feel sick.
So it would be helpful to drink loads of water after you’ve eaten loads of chocolate.
Foods That Fight Nausea
There are lots of foods out there that contain properties that will combat nausea.
Here is a list of several you can bank on:
- Crackers
- Pretzels
- Toast
- Apple sauce
- Protein-rich foods
- Ginger
- Bananas
- Rice
- Apple sauce
- Pretzels
- Rice
- Toast
- Potatoes
- Noodles
- Herbal tea
Sugar-balancing Meal
As we know, the added sugar our body gets from chocolate disrupts are sugar levels.
So you can eat a meal that can help balance your sugar levels back out again. Such a meal would be high in protein, fiber, and healthy fats.
How To Eat Chocolate And Not Feel Sick
You can avoid feeling sick after eating chocolate by choosing chocolates that are low in sugar, eating chocolate after meals, and not overindulging.
All three of these prevention techniques are interlinked. So let’s find out how!
Low In Sugar Chocolate
Since we know that it is the high sugar content of chocolate that causes us to feel sick, we can bet that chocolates containing lower amounts of sugar will help stop feelings of sickness.
There are plenty of delicious chocolates out there that are low in sugar.
These are well worth choosing and enjoying if you really don’t want to risk experiencing any feelings of sickness after eating chocolate.
At the end of the day, the less sugar you put into your body, the less chance there is of you feeling sick.
Trying New Brands
It may be that your favorite chocolate bar or brand includes an ingredient that just doesn’t sit well with you.
So you could always try a new chocolate brand or option and see if this resolves the nausea feeling after.
Eating Chocolate After Meals
If you’re already quite full from a meal, then you might have room for some chocolate.
But you’re not going to be able to eat as much chocolate as you would have had you been eating it on an empty stomach.
So by eating chocolate after meals, you limit the amount you can consume in one sitting.
Which will reduce your chances of adding so much sugar into your system that you experience feeling sick.
Don’t Overindulge
You can choose chocolates with lower sugar content. You can eat chocolate after meals so that you don’t have space in your stomach for too much of it.
But ultimately, these two prevention methods can be overcome if you just keep on eating and eating.
They are useless unless you implement some willpower.
So if you really don’t want to feel sick after eating chocolate, then don’t eat too much of the damn stuff!
Finally
Eating chocolate is a risky business when it comes to avoiding sickness.
Much of it can be our own doing when we decide to stuff our faces with bars and bars of the stuff.
But if it’s happening to you frequently, then there might be something else at play here.
If in doubt, seek advice from your healthcare professional.
Have you noticed other responses to eating chocolate? My other guides may be of interest:
- Chocolate Makes Me Sleepy • Why & What You Can Do •
- Chocolate Makes Me Poop • Why & What You Can Do •
- Chocolate Makes Me Cough • Why & What You Can Do •
- Chocolate Makes Me Sneeze • Why & What You Can Do •
- Chocolate Makes Me Dizzy • Why & What You Can Do •
Hello, I’m Matthew, a candy expert and enthusiast with over a decade of experience in the candy industry. My passion for candy started at a very young age. Since then, I have worked in numerous, large candy stores, and have been fortunate enough to try out hundreds of brands of candies, different types and flavors. In addition to my work, I enjoy sharing my extensive knowledge with others, and decided to create Sugar Stand in order to do so. My mission is to make the world a sweeter place, one candy at a time.