Chocolate Facts

"There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate". - Linda Grayson. For a lover of chocolate, it would be hard to disagree with Linda Grayson, the famous artist from the sunny state of California. A true lover of chocolate, however, as extreme as it is going to sound, at times wouldn’t really mind giving up the good friend for a heavenly bar of chocolate. Yes, chocolate can really have that effect on people and maybe even the relationships they share with the ones around them. If you believe you are a lover of chocolate and a true one at that, it is important to know your chocolate. If you really are interested in getting to know chocolate better, just make a pre calculated move and read on to discover a handful of fun and interesting facts on chocolate. Only this can help you understand better the chocolate you just can’t seem to get enough of.

• More than two thousand years ago, the Mayan Indians in Central America and Mexico used ground cocoa beans to make themselves a drink. This is something you probably already knew. However, did you know that before actually consuming cocoa beans, the natives of Mexico and Central America used them as currency to facilitate trade? The beans were only ground when they looked worn out from extensive use.
• The name or word ‘chocolate’ traces its origin to the Aztec word xocolatl. The Aztec word xocolatl means ‘bitter water’!
• If you know a thing or two about chocolate and dogs, you would probably know that chocolate is poisonous to dogs. This is mostly because of the theobromine found in chocolate. Theobromine is a stimulant, the effects of which can be too much for dogs to counter.
• Makers of chocolate all over the world use up to around 40% of the world’s total supply of almonds and around 20% of the world’s total supply of peanuts.
• Have you ever wondered why a piece of chocolate melts the way it does in your mouth? Well, this is because the melting point of chocolate is just a little below the normal temperature of your body which causes it to melt the way it does in your mouth.
• Did you know that when you consume chocolate, it raises your brain activity and heart rate so much more intensely than a passionate kiss can? What’s more, these effects can last for four times longer than the effects generated by a kiss.
• Chocolate, apart from appeasing your taste buds like few other foods can, comes with the added advantage of providing you with high-quality antioxidants. Antioxidants can go a long way in protecting you from cancer and also keeping heart diseases at bay.
• Your body needs magnesium and iron, and this is something that you will not find a dearth of in chocolate.
• Most people falsely believe that chocolate contributes to the occurrence of acne. This, however, is absolutely untrue. If there is one thing that contributes to the occurrence of acne, it has got to be the milk found in milk chocolate. However, to overcome this shortcoming of chocolate you can always have your fill of ‘dark chocolate’.
• Have you ever wondered why chocolate is often referred to as the ‘Food of the Gods’? Well, it’s time to put all mysteries aside and set the record straight! Cocoa beans come from a tree that belongs to the genus ‘theobroma’. ‘Theobroma’ literally translates to the ‘Food of the Gods’, hence helping to explain why chocolate is known as the ‘Food of the Gods’.
• Chocolate is one of the best natural antidepressants known to man. It contains tryptophan which helps in the production of serotonin. Serotonin is your body’s very own antidepressant. So together, serotonin and tryptophan are like a double whammy against depression.