Chocolate: Good For Us, Good To Us, Taste Great Too!

Jun 10
08:26

2008

Chris Lowrey

Chris Lowrey

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Chocolate Lovers ... Chocoholics ... Come one, Come All. Learn the history of chocolate and why we can honestly say chocolate is really, truly good for us!

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Oh,Chocolate:  Good For Us, Good To Us, Taste Great Too! Articles we chocolate lovers are loyal creatures!  We have to be.  Without our chocolate to solve our crisis, where would we be?  To be honest, most of us chocoholics will admit, under pressure, that we could live without chocolate... we just don't want to. 

But, most of us don't truly know its origin nor do we know what the actual benefits are.  We just accept that if it tastes this good and makes us feel better... so be it... we eat it!

So, just for your information, you will now learn how chocolate came to be and why it truly can be good for us.

Chocolate is born of Cocoa Beans and mostly produced in West Africa. It was Cacao originally, but became Cocoa as a result of misspelling. The use of cocoa beans as a form of chocolate originated 1000 BC. Progress to the perfection we now enjoy has been years in the making.

Chocolate has always been quite valuable and treasured. Although the form and production has changed over the years, it has reached a level of a 20 billion dollar a year product. And guess which country is the largest consumer? If you guessed America, than you are absolutely correct!

Many of us are closet chocolate lovers. We eat it when we are happy, when we are sad, when we are bored, when we are over-worked, when we are worried, when we feel carefree, etc. You get the point. We know of course that it will definitely put on the weight but new studies are coming out that supports our longtime theory… Chocolate can cure almost anything!

*     Chocolate is a wonderful energy source and yet has very little caffeine.

*     One chemical in chocolate helps boost low blood-sugar levels. Another       chemical actually helps to control blood sugar.

*     Chocolate contains a neurotransmitter, serotonin, that acts as an anti-          depressant.

*     Researchers at the Eastman Dental Center in Rochester, New York, have concluded that milk chocolate is one of the snack foods that is least likely         to contribute to tooth decay.

*     Chocolate contains up to four times the anti-oxidants found in tea.

*     The Antioxidants, resulting from the Flavonoids in the cocoa plants, help     the body resist cell damage.Flavonoids also:

*     Are thought to help reduce platelet activation

*     May affect the relaxation capabilities of blood vessels

*     May positively affect the balance of certain hormone-like compounds           called eicosanoids, which are thought to play a role in cardiovascular    health.

Okay, seriously, the old saying: "Too much of a good thing can be bad," is true here as well. Most of the healthy facts of chocolate are based on certain types of dark chocolate. Research is showing positive benefits from occasional consumption. However, for the purpose of this article, the research does show that CHOCOLATE is the cure we all knew it was!

To those of us who love our chocolate, keep the research coming! We like science to confirm our absolute belief in our beloved chocolate!

Disclaimer: This article is meant for humor and in no way supports the over-consumption of chocolate. As for any change in diet, you and your doctor should make all of your health decisions.

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