One of my favorites - chocolate

In one of my previous posts, I brought up hot cocoa and the several benefits that you get from drinking it. 

Cocoa is the dried and fully fermented fatty seed that is derived from the cacao tree, is used to make different kinds of chocolates.  The cacao tree originated in the Amazon and was distributed by travelers and traders throughout Central America and Mesoamerica according to studies made into the origin of the Theobroma cacao. Cacao and its cocoa beans were highly prized during this time because the beans were used as money and were processed to create drinks for medicinal and ritual purposes.

The Spanish explorer Hernando Fernandez was the first to discover the importance of cacao for trading in the New World. He found out how the Aztec Indians made drinks out of cocoa beans during his conquest of Mexico. After a hundred years of keeping cacao secret from the rest of the world, the Spaniards finally let it out to the rest of Europe through the Spanish monks. Chocolate drinking became very famous throughout Europe but was reserved to aristocrats and the wealthy. Subsequently, it found its way to America. (figures we're always last!)

Did you know?  Diabetics who regularly consume flavanol-rich cocoa may improve their blood vessel function and reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a study conducted by an international team of researchers and published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

AND ...

Chocolate eating in women may be an unconscious attempt to keep hormone levels more steady.  Women report that they have a an increased frequency of craving for high fat, pleasant tasting food including chocolate around their periods. This may be due to the higher levels of progesterone at that time. Progesterone is thought to induce fat storage and a drop of the level of fat in your blood may prompt a craving for fat.



Because chocolate cravings may be influenced by a deficiency in magnesium, that this may be why some experience an increase in chocolate cravings during PMS.  HA!  So it's not all in our heads!


Good news about chocolate

Chocolate does not cause cavities. In fact, cacao contains antibacterial agents that actually fight tooth decay. The sugar in most chocolate, on the other hand, can cause concern for your dentist. Tip: Eat dark chocolate instead. It has less sugar.


Chocolate does not raise your blood cholesterol. Cocoa butter contains oleic acid, the same monounsaturated fat that’s found in olive oil.

Chocolate is a “feel-good” food. It contains a chemical called phenylethylamine, a mild mood elevator produced when we feel happy or are in love.

Chocolate relaxes you. Milk chocolate has the same amount of caffeine as a cup of decaf coffee. The aroma of chocolate produces theta waves in your brain, the same waves that increase during meditation or prayer.


Chocolate can help you live longer. A Harvard University study showed that men who ate chocolate lived a year longer than those that didn’t. It helps blood vessels stay elastic and increases beneficial anti-oxidants in the bloodstream.


Eat more chocolate!