When you were a child, have you ever dreamed of going inside a chocolate factory and wondered what it was like to swim in a river made of chocolate?  What child would not fantasize about chocolate?  Its creamy texture and bittersweet taste are deeply ingrained into our young heads.  If you smother healthy stuff like fruits and grains in chocolate, they will definitely get eaten.  Of course, we also remember our parents telling us that too much chocolate will make our tummy hurt and our teeth fall out.

For many people, chocolate is the ultimate comfort food.  For them, eating a piece of chocolate makes them feel like they are being transported to a time in your childhood when you were still innocent and free of worries.  You may think this is just psychological, but recent studies have shown that there are more health benefits from chocolate apart from just getting good feelings.

Recent studies discovered that chocolate is rich in flavonoids.  These are anti-oxidants that are formed from the combination of amino acids called acetate and phenylalanine.  Flavonoids neutralize the effects we get from free radicals in food and the environment, which are bad for us because they destroy the cells in our bodies.  Did you know that eating 1.5 oz of dark chocolate has the equivalent amount of antioxidants contained in a cup of black tea?  Both of them contain around 800mg of antioxidants, so which would you choose?

Yummy Chocolate

Whiskey Chocolate Brownies by FotoosVanRobin, on Flickr

Aside from containing antioxidants, chocolate also contains theobromine, which is an alkaloid compound usually found in cacao plants. Theobromine and caffeine are very similar in that they improve blood circulation and can be used as diuretics and heart stimulants.  However, the effects of theobromine are weaker compared to caffeine and the amount of it contained in chocolates are very minimal.  Unfortunately, theobromine poisoning can occur in the elderly and they are cautioned against consuming too much chocolate. This alkaloid compound is also dangerous for pets, who have an inability to digest it.
(more…)