The Chocolate Fountain of Youth

When I was young I hid my peas under my mashed potatoes, I fed my apple to the dog but I ate all my chocolate.  I thought anything that tasted so extraordinarily wonderful couldn’t possibly be wholesome. Chocolate seemed so decadently tempting and delectable.  I am relieved to find out that my precocious taste buds adored something that was not only delicious but nutritious.

Chocolate is considered a fruit so please pass me a second helping.  Chocolate as we know it is derived from the beans of the chocolate pod. There are arguments that also consider chocolate a vegetable for that reason. Reared on milk chocolate, it wasn’t until I was older that I began to appreciate a chocolate that is less cloyingly sweet.  Dark chocolate has the same health benefits as vegetables that are on the darker side of the color palette.

Chocolate is a chemically complex substance.  Dark chocolate contains flavonoids which are antioxidants that defend the body against heart disease.  These antioxidants miraculously prevent disease and aging.  Dark chocolate can lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol. It also is a source of potassium and magnesium.

Consider the pleasure factor derived from this delicious and mysterious food.  It produces serotonin which acts as an anti-depressant.  Another perk is that it contains the chemical phenylethylamine responsible for releasing endorphins that result in the same feeling of joy as being in love. Theobromine is another compound included in this divine treat which acts as mild stimulant that may arouse romantic passions.  Montezuma himself imbibed in a golden goblet of liquid chocolate each time he entered his harem for its aphrodisiacal powers.

Chocolate truly is a perfect food fit for the goddess and god in all of us.  Mindfully partake of a few ounces of this perfect food each day.

Too Your Health!

-Barbara Esatto, The Chocolate Goddess