Chocolate: Food of the Gods
Theobroma cacao is the scientific name for the plant that provides large and wonderful fruits from which we make cocoa and chocolate.
Theobroma means ‘food of the gods’ and chocolates history is filled with its consumption being reserved for royalty. The treat has been blamed for prompting sexual behavior. Many give it as an expression of love. Some point to it as a cause of numerous diseases.
Today, chocolate is moving from being the most popular candy into the realm of health foods. This luxury we crave and desire is now becoming something in which we should indulge for our own good!
Delightful Cocoa
Chocolate has been used in the form of a drink for millenniums. Montezuma is reputed to have drunk 50 flagons of cocoa a day (including an extra golden goblet full before each visit to his harem).
Once the ability to make chocolate into a bar form was invented, this candy became the most popular use of chocolate for the next century and a half. Now we are experiencing a nationwide trend back to cocoa, closer to its original state.
Coffee shops are offering better quality and variety of cocoas. New businesses such as ‘Ethel’s Chocolate Lounges’ and Vosges’ ‘Haut-Chocolat Purple Houses’ are leaders in the trend of cocoa-based cafes. They have been growing at over 20% each year since 2001. Many middle to large size cities are poised to join this trend - hopefully sooner than later.
Decadent Chocolate
Picture the sensual nature of advertisements for fine chocolates. A fully black ad with beautifully sculptured chocolates, looking nearly too fine to be eaten. Or a woman reclining in her large hot tub, embraced with soft bubbles, holding a chocolate truffle just inches from her mouth as she appears ready for heaven.
These views are still common in upscale magazines, but similar, though simpler ideas of decadence are experienced by almost all people who enjoy chocolate. Just look at the chocolate packaging as an example. Dark sumptuous labels, gold foil…much too fine for silver foil.
The sweetness and fatty texture help to create a gustatory sensation that allows the brain to assume it is getting the basic ingredients needed for survival. Historically, sweetness and fattiness are associated with quality fruits, vegetables and proteins which our bodies need. Chocolates both satisfy and trigger these physiological cravings.
Chocolates are found in hundreds of different varieties and flavors: with nuts and fruits, soft centers or hard, toffees or nougats, liqueurs or creams, the variety is almost endless.
While I love milk chocolates with nuts, I remember stopping by my grandfather’s favorite chocolate shop whenever we were in that town over three hours away ordering soft centers, dark.
Whatever your preference, indulging a little is fine. Quantity is an issue, because the total calories may be high. It is best to be careful of two things: the amount of sugar, and the amount and quality of the fat.
Better quality chocolates usually are made with fats that are not as harmful. And darker chocolates (many are now made with 70% or even as high as 85% cocoa), have now been found be healthy in a variety of ways.
Chocolate and Cocoa for Health
The past decade has seen a wide variety of studies on chocolate and health. Most studies have found chocolate to have health benefits. Most of these benefits come from the cocoa itself, which is the flavor that creates chocolate. Plain unsweetened cocoa may be considered a health food, but it all depends on what is added that determines the final health status of the food.
Cocoa itself has some good nutrients, such as high levels of magnesium and potassium, and also has Vitamins B1, B2, D, and E.
Eating a piece of chocolate may make people feel better for a variety of reasons. Just the thought of enjoying a tasty treat may improve the mood. The sweet and fatty content might cause a rise in beta endorphin levels, enhancing pleasurable feelings. And the feel-good hormone serotonin is increased after a chocolate fix.
Chocolate or cocoa also contains some chemicals which improve our outlook. A small amount of caffeine acts as a mild stimulant, while a chemical relative called theobromine is simultaneously stimulating and soothing to the body, and even eases breathing. It also can calm a cough, especially in rich hot cocoa.
Phenylethylamine (PEA), a chemical found in chocolate, is a substance that our body naturally produces when we are in love. It’s no wonder chocolate is associated with love. PEA is known to lower cholesterol levels and to dilate the blood vessels in the brain. This is a plus for most of us, though it is thought this might trigger migraines in a small number of people. Several other compounds in cocoa also can influence our physiology in positive ways.
The flavonoids and other antioxidants found in chocolate provide the greatest health benefits. Antioxidants have been extensively researched and have been found to create many health benefits. Dark chocolate (or cocoa) has been found to have more than four times the level of antioxidants found in tea, or twice that in red wine. New processing techniques are being developed which could provide greater antioxidant levels in the future.
The antioxidants contained in chocolate have been found to lower blood pressure, protect the skin from sun damage, improve circulation, reduce the stickiness of blood platelets (blood thinner), improve the flexibility (elasticity) of blood vessels, and perhaps inhibit fat buildup in artery walls.
Use cocoa when possible, rather than chocolate ‘candy.’ But when you indulge, buy high cocoa chocolates, 70% or higher is great. Do avoid chocolates made with trans fats, too much fat, or too much sugar, all of which can be harmful to your health and waistline.
The Best Ways to Enjoy Chocolate
Cocoa is a great drink to make hot, especially in cold weather. Find a healthy mix, or make your own with unsweetened cocoa. Cut the sugar as low as possible, and make sure you make it with skim milk.
Cocoa may be sprinkled on food like a spice. It is particularly good on sautéed vegetables, such as yellow squash. Mix some into soups, stews, and chili. Cocoa can be mixed into natural peanut butter for a special treat. And don’t forget to sprinkle some on fruit, such as cut oranges or fruit salads.
When indulging in a chocolate treat, there are ways to enjoy the chocolate more, and that should convince you to eat less (for calories sake). Buy only chocolates that are created to be eaten, those that can melt on the tongue. A chocolate piece should be placed on the tongue, and if large, broken up a little with a few bites. Allow the chocolate to sit on the tongue, melting, and slowly running over it. Try to enjoy the sensuous qualities of the chocolate, savoring them for as long as you can. While allowing the chocolate to melt, make sure you are breathing in through your mouth, allowing the air to move over the chocolate and bring even greater satisfaction as you enhance your olfactory senses. Ummmm….it doesn’t get any better than this!
Health Benefits of Cocoa and Dark Chocolate
• Blood vessels may relax and be more elastic
• May reduce the stickiness of blood platelets, ‘thinning’ the blood like aspirin. This might reduce the risk of strokes and heart attacks.
• Hot rich cocoa can calm a cough (works better than codeine)
• Blood circulation may improve, even flow to the brain
• May help reduce blood pressure (hypertension)
• May lower bad cholesterol levels and raise good cholesterol
• Fat buildup in the walls of arteries may be inhibited
• May protect the skin from sun damage and improve its appearance, and will not cause acne
• Milk chocolate is one of the least likely snacks to cause tooth decay
• Cocoa may have some anti-cancer properties
• Sugar metabolism may increase due to reduced insulin resistance
Interesting Notes on Chocolate
The Swiss have one of the lowest obesity rates in the world and yet eat twice as much chocolate as Americans!
Research from Harvard University demonstrated that those who each at least 3 chocolate bars each month lowered their risk of death by 36% from all causes!
After drinking a high-flavonoid cocoa, brain circulation increased 33%
Unsweetened cocoa is very healthy and should be used like a spice
Artery flexibility increased 59% within two hours of eating 1.4 oz. of flavonoid rich dark chocolate. Another study showed men had a 129% better blood vessel function after rich cocoa.
Compounds in cocoa are actually able to protect against tooth decay.
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