Sweet Valentine - romantic with Chocolate

Are you going to give chocolate to her on Valentine's Day? But what do you know about this popular dish? It can be addictive for her, but it also helps boost pleasure for you.

Chocolate history

Chocolate is made from Theobroma cacao seeds, which in Greek means " food of the gods ". The ancient Aztecs often bore cocoa trees and used its seeds as a currency. They considered this tree a source of strength and wealth, so they entrusted to God Quetzalcoatl for protection.

The Aztecs also discovered that when grinding seeds into dough and adding spices, they can create a delicious and nutritious drink. This drink is much more bitter than today's chocolate. The 16th-century European explorers introduced this drink, adding a sweet taste, and soon it became a popular and luxurious drink.

Chocolate addiction

Love for chocolate is not just sweet craving. Chocolate creates cravings that other sweets like toffee or marshmallow cannot bring. Chocolate makes us feel good, but can it be addictive? Modern chocolate products contain considerable amount of sugar, partly explaining the addictive nature of chocolate.

The truth is sweet

The ability to identify sweets, and the tendency to respond positively to them, has been an advantage for our ancestors. This genetic trait helps ancient people find nutritious foods like fruits, and avoid poisonous plants that taste bitter. But this genetic advantage is less beneficial in a modern social environment.

Chemistry in chocolate

Like other sweets, chocolate stimulates the release of endorphins, a natural chemical in the body that creates a satisfying and healthy feeling. Besides the sweetness, there are other chemicals that are unique in chocolate that stimulate craving. In fact, chocolate contains more than 300 chemicals and it is still unknown how they affect humans.

Many women say they especially crave chocolate before menopause. That may be because chocolate contains magnesium, a deficiency of this substance adds to stress in the premenopausal period.Similar cravings during pregnancy can also stem from mild anemia, and chocolate in iron will help improve this condition.

Neurotransmitters like caffeine are also present in a small amount, and it brings alertness, just like when you drink coffee. Another mild stimulant in chocolate is theobromine, which helps relax muscles in the pleura layers. In addition, chocolate also helps us to be comfortable by reacting to the brain.

Why does chocolate make us excited?

Some other unknown chemicals in chocolate also work by affecting the neural transmission system in the brain. They change the feelings and emotions we feel.

Medicinal love?

Chocolate contains the chemical tryptophan that the brain uses to make serotonin. High levels of serotonin can create a sense of euphoria, or even criticism.

Sexual medicinal materials?

While tryptophan may be considered a chocolate stimulant, another chemical called phenylethylamine has been named ' chocolate amphetamine '. This high level of substance helps promote a feeling of attractiveness, excitement, dizziness and fear. Phenylethylamine works by stimulating the pleasure center in the brain and bringing people to orgasm.

But many scientists still doubt this hypothesis. Chemicals like tryptophan and phenylethylamine are also found in many other foods, while only very few in chocolate.

Chocolate is good for you?

Should chocolate be an essential ingredient in nutrition? From the 17th to 18th centuries, many articles praised chocolate's health benefits and today it is still a part of the military diet. During the Gulf War, American forces were also regularly sent hot chocolate chips. But people have not concluded whether chocolate is good for us.

Good news for chocolate lovers when German scientists conclude that eating 6 grams of chocolate daily will reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke by 37%.

Earlier a study by McMaster University in Ontario, Canada said eating a bar of chocolate a week or drinking cocoa can help reduce the risk of stroke by 22%, as well as reducing the risk of death. after stroke, allowing blood to flow better due to the presence of flavanoid. Even people who have experienced heart attacks, will limit their ability to relapse if they regularly eat chocolate. Scientists also recommend that if you are afraid of diabetes or obesity, you can choose dark chocolate instead of regular chocolate bars.

Chocolate toothpaste

Chocolate can help prevent tooth decay, according to scientists at Osaka University of Japan. Cocoa shells to make chocolate contain antibiotic agents against disease. These particles are often discarded when making chocolate, but in the future it will be supplemented to benefit teeth.

But other researchers believe that the anti-decay ability of cocoa pods is not enough, because chocolate also contains high sugar content, so chocolate cannot replace toothpaste in the short term.

Heart disease

Scientist Carl Keen and his colleagues have found that chocolate can help prevent heart disease. It contains chemicals called flavinoids, which thin the blood, prevent blood clots. Red wine also has this effect.