Amazing health benefits of Chocolate
Yes, Chocolate is healthy!
Emperor Montezuma of Mexico partook a Chocolate drink before entering
his harem. This gave rise to the notion of Chocolate having aphrodisiac
properties. The Italian adventurer Giacomo Casanova was another fellow
who subscribed to this notion. There is some truth to the idea though,
since Chocolate contains hundreds of chemicals including the feel-good
stimulants - Caffeine, Theobromine, and Phenyethylamine.
Theobromine helps boost lower blood-sugar levels and another chemical,
Chromium, helps to control blood sugar.
However the amount of Caffeine in Chocolate is very little - about
5 to 10 milligrams of caffeine in one ounce of bittersweet chocolate,
5 milligrams
in milk chocolate,
and 10 milligrams in a six-ounce cup of cocoa. Compare this to 100-150 milligrams
found in a cup of coffee. Phenylethylamine is known as the "love drug" and
is thought be the reason why chocolate is said to be an aphrodisiac. It is
a chemical that mimics the brain chemistry of a person in love, so when levels
of phenylethylamine are high in the body it relieves depression from unrequited
love. This is one of the reasons so many women love chocolate - it really is
a mood elevator!