Chocolate: Friend or Foe?

Everyone has a love affair with chocolate. Whether dark or light, sweet or bitter, chocolate has a widespread appeal in our culture. What’s not to love? The smooth texture and sweet, creamy taste provides comfort and satisfies our sweet tooth.

Chocolate is one of the world’s favorite flavours, which give us the most intensive ambivalent feelings among its proponents.

 

One of the few foods which truly crosses all frontiers and appeals to people all over the world is chocolate. Originally developed in South America by the Aztecs, chocolate was brought to Europe by he Spanish explorers around 1500 and soon developed into a fashionable and exclusive drink. By the nineteenth century the Swiss has invented milk chocolate and learned how to make the substance into a solid form which could be eaten rather than drunk. The question that is asked by the mass is that, is chocolate our friend or foe?

To answer this question we have to look at the advantages and disadvantages of eating chocolate.

 

Advantages:

• A classic chocolate can definitely renew the soul for it has a chemical called tryptophan that helps the brain to function well and creates a feeling of excitement or elation.
• Scientific researches have shown and proven that chocolates contin large quantities of antioxidants. Antioxidants are chemicals that help us to neutralize some of the harmful chemical reactions occurring as part of our metabolism and during exposure to pollutants.
• It is also an anti-cancer substance, a brain stimulator, and its prevents cough and diarrhea.
• There are many reports that have confirmed the aphrodisiac effect of chocolates.
• These are also said to benefit the circulatory system by promoting good blood flow. Some people have even said they noticed a moderate drop in their blood pressure when eating dark chocolate daily.
• Current studies proven that it slows down the decline of nervous activities which happens with the age.
• It indicates a help for the treatment of kidney stones and anemia.
• It prevents the clumping of blood platelets which results in blood clots.

 

Disadvantages:

• Eating too much chocolate causes a person to become overweight or obese.
• Fat and sugar and other factory-added substances, can have an addictive effect.
• Another big problem people have when eating the candy is tooth decay, especially with the younger age group, those who eat too much chocolate and have poor oral hygiene. The fermentable sugar present in chocolate has the potential to trigger tooth decay.
• Contains some elements that have addictive properties such as caffeine, theobromine, and sugar which results in mood elevating and also contains phenethylamine which releases endorphin in the brain.
• It also contains vasoactive amines that lead to migraine problems.
• Dilates the vessels of the brain
• Moreover, it has high quantity of arginine which is a necessity in the replication of the virus herpes. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid dark chocolates especially those who have recurring and active herpes infection.

 

 

We should observe moderation when we eat chocolates so that we can enjoy the health benefits that it can give us especially when we include it as part of our healthy diet regimen. Enjoy the bitter sweet chocolate in your mouth and let it melt and fill your tastebuds with its tempting flavors and textures. The negative effects of chocolates are actually within your control. You’ll surely have a healthy chocolate-sweetened life if you only eat the right amounts.