Dr Hilary Jones discusses UK's 'obesity epidemic' on GMB

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The British Heart Foundation (BHF) pointed out that chocolate is “high in sugar and saturated fat” – two ingredients that can be extremely harmful if eaten in large amounts. The NHS pointed out that too much sugar can contribute to weight gain, obesity, and tooth decay. Eating too much sugar can significantly increase your risk of heart disease, some cancers, and type 2 diabetes.

Furthermore, excess saturated fat in your diet can raise “bad” low-density lipoprotein in your blood, which increases your risk of a stroke.

“Most people in the UK eat too much saturated fats,” the NHS warned.

Men should eat no more than 30g of saturated fat daily, and women should eat no more than 20g; for children, it should be even less.

Before finishing off a bar of chocolate (whether it’s big or small), do check the nutrition label to see how much fat it contains.

The BHF made an interesting point: “One chocolate bar averages 250kcal (which is often gobbled down in a few minutes).

“This is equivalent to 10 percent of a man’s and 12 percent of a woman’s recommended daily intake.”

Medical News Today added that chocolate consumption has “long been associated with hypertension” – i.e. high blood pressure.

Chocolate usually contains a lot of calories, which is why it can so easily lead to weight gain.

How much chocolate is too much chocolate?

WedMD suggested that “an ounce or two per day is more than enough” – this is equivalent to around 56g.

Considering a big bar of chocolate is around 200g, it would mean you should eat no more than one quarter of the chocolate bar in 24 hours.

If you are consuming more calories than you burn off during a day, you’re going to put on weight.

The only way to counteract the amount of calories you eat is to exercise more.

The NHS said men require 2,500 calories daily to maintain their weight, while women require 2,000 calories.

In order to prevent obesity – and the health risks associated with it – you need to be a “healthy weight”.

The Body Mass Index (BMI calculator) can give you a rough idea if you need to lose, put on, or maintain your weight.

Another useful way to see if you could do with limiting your calorie consumption and increasing your exercise regime is to measure your waistline.

A man’s waist circumference should be 94cm (37 inches) or less to be considered a healthy weight.

For women, the waist measurement should be 80cm (31.5 inches) or less to be considered a healthy weight.

If you would like help losing weight, there’s loads of resources on the NHS website.

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