Chocolate
CHOCOLATE! Just that word makes most people mouth water. It is a delectable substance that can be made into flakes that melts in your mouth, or into delicious candy bar with nuts and marshmallow, or a plain old bar of chocolate. All contributes to the mild addiction some people feel towards chocolate. Today we are going to talk about this topic because we too love chocolate and we wonder why people like it so much. It has milk and powder from the cacao bean, and it is churned into a froth and then cooled down. A few things we would like to learn about chocolate, however, are:
1) Who first created or discovered chocolate? The history of chocolate dates goes back to early Mesoamerican civilizations. As early as 1500 B.C., the Olmec Indians were growing cacao beans. The Mayans and Aztecs also grew cacao and develop chocolate drinks. Christopher Columbus can claim the credit for being the first person to bring cacao beans to Europe in the early 1500s, and chocolate drinks became very popular in Spain. But it wasn’t until nearly 100 years later that the flavour spread to other parts or Europe.
2) How does chocolate affect the different parts of the body, such as the brain? Chocolate stimulates the release of endorphins, hormones produced by the brain, which initiates feelings of pleasure and contributes to a sense of well-being. Serotonin is a mood changing neurotransmitter, the brain’s “happy chemical”. High levels of serotonin can lead to feelings of happiness.
3) What do nutritionists and health experts say about chocolate? They have demonstrated over and over again scientifically that chocolate is good for your body. Nutrition researcher, Michael Levine, and many others, have described chocolate as “being the world’s perfect food. Chemically speaking, it increases happiness and other
1) Who first created or discovered chocolate? The history of chocolate dates goes back to early Mesoamerican civilizations. As early as 1500 B.C., the Olmec Indians were growing cacao beans. The Mayans and Aztecs also grew cacao and develop chocolate drinks. Christopher Columbus can claim the credit for being the first person to bring cacao beans to Europe in the early 1500s, and chocolate drinks became very popular in Spain. But it wasn’t until nearly 100 years later that the flavour spread to other parts or Europe.
2) How does chocolate affect the different parts of the body, such as the brain? Chocolate stimulates the release of endorphins, hormones produced by the brain, which initiates feelings of pleasure and contributes to a sense of well-being. Serotonin is a mood changing neurotransmitter, the brain’s “happy chemical”. High levels of serotonin can lead to feelings of happiness.
3) What do nutritionists and health experts say about chocolate? They have demonstrated over and over again scientifically that chocolate is good for your body. Nutrition researcher, Michael Levine, and many others, have described chocolate as “being the world’s perfect food. Chemically speaking, it increases happiness and other