Hello guys very good morning to all of you.
Today is the world chocolate day.
CHOCOLATE
Chocolate. Just that word makes most peoples’ mouth water. It is a delectable substancethat can be made into flakes that melt on your tongue, or into a delicious candy bar with nuts andmarshmallow, or even just a plain old bar of straight chocolate. All contribute to the mildaddiction some people feel towards chocolate. I am researching this topic because I too lovechocolate and I am wondering why people like it so much. I went to Lucknow in india with my family a couple years ago. In the store, there was a place where they showedhow chocolate is made. I don’t remember exactly how they do it, but I still know a few thingsabout this substance. It has milk and powder from the cacao bean, and it is churned into a frothand then cooled down. A few things I would like to learn about chocolate, however, are:
1-Who first created or discovered chocolate?
2-How does chocolate affect the different parts of the body, such as the brain?
3-What do nutritionists and health experts say about chocolate?
4-How do milk chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, and bittersweet chocolate compare innutrition?
5-Generally, do men or women admit to craving, or at least liking, chocolate?
These questions I hope will contribute to my understanding of this amazing treat and also to myhealth, for if it is bad for the body I will decrease the amounts of it I take in. But if it has nor if it is even good for the body, I will feel no guilt in eating it a lot and might evenincrease my consumption of it.My first question is “Who first created or discovered chocolate?”
Many modernhistorians have estimated that chocolate has been around for about 2000 years, but recentresearch suggests that it may be even older. They have thought before that the ancient Aztecs andMayas were the first to discover chocolate. However, in November 2007, anthropologists fromthe University of Pennsylvania announced the discovery of cacao residue on pottery excavated inHonduras that could date back as far as 1400 B.C.E .It appears that the sweet pulp of the cacaofruit, which surrounds the beans, was fermented into an alcoholic beverage of the time. Beforethis discovery, they had thought that the ancient Aztecs and Mayas were the first to discover chocolate. Both the Mayans and Aztecs believed the cacao bean had magical, or even divine, properties, suitable for use in the most sacred rituals of birth, marriage and death.
According toChloe Doutre-Roussel's book The Chocolate Connoisseur , Aztec sacrifice victims who felt toomelancholy to join in ritual dancing before their death were often given a gourd of the chocolatedrink to cheer them up. They made the beverage bycrushing the seeds of the Theobrama cacao tree, which means “food of the gods” in Latin, andmixing that with various spices, creating a spicy, frothy beverage. A cup of this “divine drink”,in the ancients’ words, allowed a man to walk a whole day without food. They also found thatthe liquid could build up resistance. Because of this, it was a treasured treat and very importantto the Mesoamerican culture.My second question is “How does chocolate affect the different parts of the body, such asthe brain?”
Well, Chocolate stimulates the release of endorphins, hormones produced by the brain, which initiates feelings of pleasure and contributes to a sense of well being. One of the ingredients in chocolate is tryptophan, an essential amino acid needed by the brain to produceserotonin. Serotonin is a mood-changing neurotransmitter, the brain's "happy chemical." Highlevels of serotonin can lead to feelings of happiness. Chocolate contains another neurotransmitter, anandamide. Anandamide targets the same part of the brain as THC, the activeingredient in cannabis. However, experts say the levels of these chemicals are so low in mostchocolate that a person would need to eat a few pounds of it in order to significantly affect the brain's normal anandamide production. Cocoa, another ingredient in chocolate, contains a fewminerals – such as magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium – needed for a well functioning body.A good, high quality dark chocolate bar can provide from 25 – 50 mg of magnesium. Also, premenstrual women often crave chocolate. This could be an attempt of the body to increase theamounts of magnesium that is in it. Magnesium also increases the speed of metabolism, so eatingchocolate could help the body convert food into energy faster and more effectively. One moreingredient in chocolate is flavanol, or flavanoids. It has a high concentration of this chemical,which has been demonstrated to defend against oxidation and blood clotting and also reduce therisk of heart disease and hypertension. Black tea, green tea, and red wine also contain flavanol.However, cocoa has a higher amount and concentration and is therefore more helpful to the body.My third question is “What do nutritionists and health experts say about chocolate?” Nutritionists and researchers have found and agreed with almost all of the information in theabove paragraph. They have demonstrated over and over again scientifically that chocolate isgood for your body. Nutrition researcher, Michael Levine, and many others, have describedchocolate as “being the world's perfect food—chemically speaking.” It increases happiness andother feelings of well being. Chocolate has magnesium and flavanoids, which help to make the body stronger against disease and other hardships. And also, it just tastes really good! A perfectcombination!My fourth question is “How do milk chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, and bittersweet chocolate compare in nutrition?” Well, dark chocolate is unsweetened chocolatecombined with added sweeteners and cocoa butter which contain at least 35% chocolate liquor.The fat content in dark chocolate is about 27% and has two to four times (or more) the amount of flavonoids than milk chocolate. Milk chocolate is unsweetened chocolate with added cocoa butter, milk, sweeteners and flavorings. All milk chocolate made in the U.S. contains at least10 % cocoa mass and 12 % whole milk, with less chocolate liquor which helps to make a softer chocolate flavor. White chocolate contains cocoa butter but no nonfat cocoa solids. It is the termused to describe products made from cocoa butter, milk solids and nutritive carbohydratesweeteners. White chocolate contains no cocoa solids or chocolate liquor, so it provides none of the health benefits from flavanoids. Thus, dark chocolate is obviously the healthiest choice, butmilk chocolate is close behind. However, white chocolate has no chocolate liquor and thereforeisn’t nearly as healthy as dark or milk chocolate.My fifth question is “Generally, do men or women admit to craving, or at least liking,chocolate?” In one study, chocolate cravings were admitted by 15% of men and around 40% of women and were usually most intense in the late afternoon and early evening.
Chocolate actually physically affects women differently than men. Anthony Auger, who studies sex differences inthe brain, agrees that women have a stronger craving for chocolate. The difference is probably because of the female’s monthly cyclic rise and fall of estrogen and progesterone.
In June, a newstudy showed that chocolate also affects brains differently after it’s eaten. Magnetic resonance(MR) images of brains showed that the hypothalamus was less active in women after they consumed large amounts of chocolate. Since the hypothalamus helps regulate food intake, thiscould be why chocolate is more likely to reduce a woman’s hunger, or at least her motivation toeat more chocolate. The study also found decreased activity in the amygdala, a key emotionalcenter in the brain. The amygdala not only regulates emotions, but also sexual behavior anddesire. So chocolate has a potential impact on those behaviors. But biologically, these differencescould explain why men and women have different behavioral and physiological responses tochocolate.In conclusion, I have found and learned many things that change my outlook onchocolate. Because it is so healthy for me, I won’t worry about the potential health concerns because there are none. Also, since dark chocolate is so much healthier than milk or whitechocolate, I will try to like the flavor more, although that might be hard because I haven’t likedthe taste of dark chocolate very much for as long as I can remember. I found it interesting thatthe cacao bean contains so many important minerals and chemicals that help our bodies tofunction more reliably. And indirectly, I want to look for more foods that contain those specificnutrients so that I can increase the performance of my bodily functions even more. I also wassurprised to see how old chocolate is. I had no idea that it was discovered over 3000 years ago! Iknew of the affiliation the Aztecs and Mayas had with the substance, but I hadn’t ever thoughtthat it could have been that much older than the ancient
THANK YOU ...
