Chocolate covered

Dive into the wonderful world of chocolate

What makes chocolate the world’s most craved food? As you may – or may not – know, chocolate contains a variety of chemicals with impossible names, such as phenylethylamine and anandamine. Now, perhaps contrary to expectation, these are not the things that make you enjoy chocolate so much. To find out exactly which substances do in fact make eating chocolate such a euphoric experience, an impressive number of chocolate bars were consumed by many test subjects. And guess what: clever researchers found out that there are indeed some chemicals present in chocolate that alter your mood – favorably. However, it would seem that the effect which these chemicals have on your mood are nothing compared to the effects of the sight, the smell and the taste of chocolate … and of course the way it melts in your mouth.

Chocolate really is good for you!

As long as you eat it in sensible quantities, chocolate is not at all bad for you. In actual fact, and aside from the happy feeling you get from it, it has quite some favorable health effects.

Chocolate contains the same substances that make green tea famous for being healthy: antioxidants. These miracle substances are known to slow down the body’s ageing process, protecting you from cancer and heart disease. What’s more, a portion of dark chocolate (50 grams) contains more antioxidants than a portion of milk chocolate, even more than a cup of tea! In addition to antioxidants, chocolate contains some other nutrients as well: zinc, iron, calcium and some B vitamins. Now, these are truly beneficial to good health.

Thirsty for chocolate?

It is commonly known that women tend to have more difficulty resisting food cravings than men. This is precisely why food cravings are more often reported among women than among men. The choice of chocolate as craved food is by no means arbitrary: humans are programmed by evolution to like foods that provide a lot of energy. In other words: foods that contain a lot of sugar and/or fat. When we eat chocolate, or any other sweet and creamy edible for that matter, our brains produce endorphins: substances which make us feel good. This is probably the reason why a lot of women yearn for chocolate around their premenstrual period. It has nothing to do with hormones, but it’s just that chocolate makes them feel better!

Chocolate through the ages

The uplifting effects of cocoa have been known to man for thousands of years. Chocolate residues have been found in ancient Maya pots, suggesting that some 2,600 years ago, Mayas were familiar with the enlivening effects of cocoa. The Aztecs concoted a drink out of cocoa beans and called it xocoatl, which they drank to fight fatigue. Columbus brought the first cocoa beans to Europe, and, roughly 300 years later, the Dutchman Coenraad van Houten figured out how to make the cocoa taste less bitter – which was widely regarded as a good move. Nowadays, an inconceivable variety of chocolate bars and other cocoa products are available to modern consumers.

Chocolate facts:

• The Swiss are number one when it comes to consuming chocolate. In 2002, they ate an average 10.3 kilograms of chocolate per person. And would you believe it, this comes down to roughly 200 grams of chocolate per week!

• Women crave chocolate when they feel depressed, bored and stressed or during their premenstrual period. In contrast, men tend to eat chocolate when they’re happy.

• Cocoa and chocolate are poisonous to dogs: it doesn’t take too much chocolate to even kill a dog.

• Getting the best of both worlds: chocolate may let us live longer! The explanation for this is amazingly simple. As we have just seen, eating chocolate makes most of us happy, and happiness can extend life up to 20%.

• Chocolate has inspired artists for hundreds of years. For instance, the 17th century James Wadsworth wrote:

‘Twill make Old women Young and Fresh
Create New Motions of the Flesh
And cause them to long for you know what,
If they but taste of Chocolate

References:

• Cardwell G – I adore chocolate (2005) – Nutrition Impact Pty Ltd

• Lafay et al – Gender differences in the relation between food cravings and mood in adult community: results from the fleurbaix laventie ville santé study – Int J Eat Disord 29: 195-204, 2001

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate

 
16 maart 2007