In the modern world, it became clear that there was a lot more to chocolate. Did you know that people in America crave chocolate more than any other food? People started noticing that after eating chocolate they began experiencing an “uplifting” feeling. Scientists have been trying to explain this feeling and have worked for years to isolate the more than 300 chemicals found in chocolate. One of the many findings is that chocolate contains the chemical anandamide which can mimic marijuana’s calming effect on the brain. There has been many other experiments done to try and explain why people crave chocolate, but nobody has been able to explain it in scientific terms. The closest they have gotten to an explanation is that the craving is a combination of the ingredients in chocolate and the sensory experience of eating chocolate.
Through the years, there have been many myths and misconceptions about chocolate. It was a common belief that chocolate was really bad for you. Many people think that chocolate is loaded with caffeine and that it causes acne. These are a few of the misconceptions that have been proven wrong over the years. Caffeine is only found in small quantities in chocolate and acne was not a result in the many studies done.
Chocolate is also not responsible for raising cholesterol, causing headaches or hyperactivity. On the other hand, chocolate does cause heartburn due to a chemical which can relax the sphincter muscle in the esophagus, allowing stomach acid to backup into the esophagus.
Also, because chocolate is mixed with many other ingredients, it can be high in trans-fats and sugars that could be very bad for you.
Amongst the many benefits of chocolate, we find it to be very high in antioxidants which are essential in the fight against cell damage. Dark chocolate has the highest amount of antioxidants and is also very high in chromium which, as unbelievable as it might seem, is thought be an aide in controlling blood sugar. Scientists have also found that, contrary to popular belief, chocolate does not promote tooth decay.