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The Exquisite Mystery of Chocolate Bliss It starts with a teasing coolness on the tongue. Then the first bite begins to melt in your mouth, unfolding its warm glow of flavors, both bitter and sweet, buttery and intense, with a hint of vanilla and cinnamon and something else you can't quite describe. And even after the last flavor subsides, the comforting feel of it lingers on your taste buds, lush and smooth. Cocoa contains more than 500 distinct flavor compounds making the taste of chocolate a blend of flavors and aromas so complex that food chemists have never been able to replicate it in the lab.1 It's melting point is 97 degrees Fahrenheit, the exact temperature of the human mouth, so it melts immediately. 2 When taste buds begin to tingle with the sensory delight of chocolate, the brain releases endorphins, the body's feel good chemical.1 Chocolate heightens energy and lifts the spirit.2 The ancient Maya called it the Food of the Gods. The courtesans of Louis XV used it as an aphrodisiac. Chocolate is not addictive but it can be a powerful mental stimulant. It contains anandamide, a chemical also produced by nerves cells in the brain. The anandamide in chocolate acts on the pleasure centers in the brain, 3 and mimics the psychoactive effects of plant-derived cannabinoids,4 triggering euphoria. When people eat chocolate, the anandamide makes them feel good,3 though its effects are more subtle and longer lasting in chocolate.5 Chocolate also contains phenylethylamine, a chemical released in the brain causing the mental arousal we feel when we fall in love,2 perhaps equivalent to orgasm. Scientific proof to what we had suspected all along: chocolate spices up our love life. Montezuma would think so, he was said to have drunk a golden goblet of cacao beverage prior to entering his harem, where he encountered a new partner every night. Chocolate has been used as a medicinal remedy over the years. It was also prescribed as medicine by the ancient Mayans and Aztecs and a treatise recommended chocolate for many diseases, citing it as a cure for Cardinal Richelieu's ills.4 Harvard researchers have found in a study that people who eat chocolate live longer.6 They account their findings on the fact that chocolate is rich in potent antioxidants called phenolics. Chocolate is a powerful antioxidant for oxidation of low density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol).1 It also contains alpha-tocopherol (the most active form of vitamin E), another antioxidant.7 Chocolate has been proven to lower cholesterol levels.8 Therefore, eating chocolate lowers the risk of heart disease and cancer.6 Chocolate provides nutrients necessary to stabilize moods, control weight, and revitalize well-being. It contains theobromine, which increases alertness, concentration and cognitive functioning. It also contains magnesium, a mineral involved in manufacturing the potent brain chemical called serotonin, which makes us feel calm.2 And chocolate is a major source of dietary copper. A US study found that dark chocolate makes the highest single contribution to the mean daily copper intake. 7 It also has protein and additional minerals, such as potassium, calcium, and phosphorous.8 Healthy eating is about eating a wide variety of foods in small portions, several times a day. No food is forbidden. It's no fun giving up all the stuff that makes life worth living. Abstinence causes overindulgence. Moreover, what dieting and abstinence do to our bodies is to simply increase the size of our fat cells, improve our body's ability to store fat, and limit our ability to burn it. 2 "Chocolate can be part of a healthy balanced diet," says Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton, professor of nutrition science at Pennsylvania State University.9 Researchers have found that satisfying cravings improves mood and prevents overeating.10 Chocolate can help control our weight, if we eat chocolate in moderation whenever we feel the craving.2 It's when we don't satisfy those cravings that they can become uncontrollable. Then we gain weight and increase our risk of disease.10 Cravings often stem from real physiological needs.2 Our bodies need what chocolate has to offer: produces calmness and general mood stability, controls weight, heightens energy, lifts the spirit, lowers the risk of heart disease and cancer, increases alertness, concentration and cognitive thinking, enhances romantic feelings, and it even protects our teeth against plaque. It is a powerful aphrodisiac with an inimitable combination of chemicals that translate into pure pleasure.8 The key is self-indulgence without overindulgence. We will enjoy a better body, better moods, and a better mind.2 Chocolate clears the mouth more rapidly than the carbohydrates in starches, which linger longer, letting enamel-eroding acid levels rise.5 In addition, a study by the Princeton Resource Center, showed that the tannins found in chocolate inhibit the formation of dental plaque and cavities. 8 More good news for the younger set, or anyone subject to the ravages of acne:5 No scientific investigation has ever found a link between chocolate and acne.8 According to the American Medical Association: "Diet plays no role in acne treatment, even large amounts of chocolate have not clinically exacerbated acne."5 And finally, should we avoid chocolate if we lead a decaffeinated life? Hardly.8 One ounce of regular chocolate has only about as much caffeine as a cup of decaffeinated coffee.9 The healthiest form of chocolate is probably the purest and darkest form -- bittersweet or milk chocolate bars made mostly of cocoa butter. Pure chocolate is made up mostly of cocoa butter, with its bounty of stearic acid. The darker the chocolate, the more phenolics it contains within its cocoa butter. In order to take full advantage of chocolate's biological and psychological benefits, the chocolate must be as pure as possible. Many sweets labeled chocolate contain very little. It can be hard to tell which is which. Fine quality chocolates -- made by Baci Perugina, Ferrero Rocher, and Toblerone -- contain as much as 75 percent cocoa butter by weight. But the cheaper bars that fill grocery stores' racks have just 20 percent, or less of the real stuff. 1 We may well be moving closer to solving the mystery of why we get the urge to bite into a fragrant, glossy chocolate bar that melts into soft lusciousness on the warmth of our tongues. Some researchers feel that the psychological experience is primarily responsible for our love affair with chocolate. Others feel that it is mostly the biological phenomenon. But chocolate lovers already know the answer: Everything about chocolate is wonderful. And it has to be the real thing.7 1. Jaret, Peter. "Three Cheers for Chocolate." Health vol. 11, no. 2 (March 1997): 30-33. 2. Carey, Art. "Chocolate Fulfills Women's Craving for at, Dietitian says." Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service April 7, 1995: 0407K6027. 3. "Got that Crazy Chocolate Craving? It's Chemical!" Science World vol. 54, no. 3 (Oct. 6, 1997): 15. 4. Feldman, Elaine. "Death by Chocolate: Facts and Myths." Nutrition Today vol. 33, no. 3 (May-June 1998): 106-112. 5. Dixon, Stephanie. "Chocolate: Love-Hate Relationship Perpetuates Myths." Environmental Nutrition vol. 20, no. 2 (Feb. 1997): 2. 6. "Sweets and Chocolates Help You Live Longer." Chemist & Druggist Jan 23, 1999: 8. 7. "Review: History and Health Effects of Chocolate." Nutrition Research Newsletter vol. 16, no. 7-8 (July-Aug. 1997): 83-84. 8. Friedman, Max. "A Bittersweet Romance: Can a Heartfelt Love of Chocolate Really be Wrong?" Vegetarian Times no. 221 (Feb. 1996): 74-80. 9. Feder, David. "Chocolate Sanity Clause." Better Homes and Gardens vol. 74, no. 12 (Dec. 1996): 80-82. 10. Waterhouse, Debra. "Why Women Need Chocolate." Good Housekeeping vol. 220, no. 1 (Jan. 1995): 81-87. Photographs Bourin, Jeanne, et al., eds. The Book of Chocolate. New York: Abbeville, 1996. | |||