Chocolate has long been tied to romance. During romantic holidays and anniversaries, it is not surprising how chocolates will factor in the gifts and common sights during occasions when romance is brought to mind. This is not only because of the fact that chocolates are very sweet and is known to instantly make people happy because of certain substances in it which contributes to the release of endorphin, a hormone known to make people happy.
Traditionally, chocolates are given out as a gift of love. Along with roses and other forms of love declarations, chocolates rank as one of the most popular gifts to show romance. Because of this, chocolates are being claimed as aphrodisiacs. Aphrodisiacs are substances which are said to arouse carnal desires. The word is coined from the goddess of love Aphrodite.
Throughout history, chocolate has been recognized as a food known for its stimulating characteristics. In older South American cultures, such as the Mayans and the Aztecs, people are said to consume chocolate or to give chocolates to their lovers in order to arouse themselves. In fact, legend has it that Montezuma, an Aztec ruler, used to consume a lot of chocolate before going to some of his wives.
The richness and the decadence of chocolate contribute a little sinfulness to it which suggests sensuality. This can not be completely separated from the romance and lust attributed to chocolate.
There is evidence to support the claim that Chocolates are indeed aphrodisiacs. There are three very dominant substances in chocolate which contribute to the said aphrodisiac effect: caffeine, theobromine and phenyethylamine.
Caffeine is known to be the strongest substance in coffee. Caffeine is, in fact, considered to be the most addictive substance in coffee. It is a stimulant which affects the Central Nervous System (CNS) and is said to be a psychoactive substance, one which makes the senses alert. Theobromine is a substance known to be found in chocolates and cacao plants. They are used to stimulate the muscles of the heart and the nervous system. It is in fact said to be a heart stimulant, a substance known to improve the physical function of the heart. Phenyethylamine is said to be an anti-depressant. Consumption makes one feel less depressed and their moods notably elevated.
Imagine the effects induced by these aforementioned substances: heart stimulant, happiness, a general feeling of elation, a bit jumpy and slightly giddy. The correlation to love, romance and lust is never far behind.
While there had been no study which directly proves the correlation of chocolates as aphrodisiacs or as a sexual stimulant, it can not be completely said that there is no correlation. Considering the effects the substances in chocolate produce in the body, the sexual stimulating effect is not too far behind. Also, it has to be kept in mind than when individuals collectively believe an idea, the idea is spear headed by a placebo effect which allows for the influence of the effect caused by the substance, in this case chocolates as aphrodisiac.
Chocolates, whether they are scientifically proven as aphrodisiacs or not, are always an excuse. There is always a good reason to consume chocolate: for endorphins to induce happiness, for its aphrodisiac effects, and even just because.
Wine pairing, an activity that pairs wine with certain foods to create a heavenly balance of taste, is a
popular activity among wine clubs. It brings out the fullest in any wine. From beef to chicken to seafood, many dishes have already been proven to go great with wine. But did you know that wine pairing can also be enjoyed using dessert recipes? And we are not pertaining to drinking dessert wines alongside, let us say, cakes, mind you. It is true that wines in general do not work well with most sweets, but wine and chocolate really make a great pairing.
While it may seem awkward to pair wine with chocolate, many wine enthusiasts and experts swear by the odd combination. Pairing wine with chocolate can be difficult, but it can be done; many chocolate books and websites can back that statement up. It is true that wine often times does not go well with any type of chocolate. But simple researching is all it takes to be able to create an unforgettable wine pairing activity out of this bizarre pairing.
The thing about pairing wine with chocolate is, you are sure to create a heavenly match if you
have the right wine to complement the right chocolate. The most basic rule with regards to pairing wine
with chocolate is, your wine should at least be as sweet as the chocolate you are about to serve it
with. In other words, when you are trying to pair wines and chocolate it is very important to match the strength of the two variants that you are matching. Ignoring this rule will result to a totally unappetizing, bitter or sour taste. If you are not a wine expert, your best bet is to match lighter-flavored chocolates with lighter-bodied wines. Likewise, stronger chocolates should go with stronger-bodied wines. As long as you keep in mind these things, you can be sure that your pairing can bring you and your friends gustatory bliss.
For those who are new to the idea of pairing wine with chocolate, red wines pair well with dark
chocolates. Popular brands of red wines that go well with any dark chocolate brand include Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese and Zinfandel. Because of their dryness, white wines are the most difficult to pair with chocolates. If you want to use white wine for your wine pairing activity, it is safest to pair it with milk chocolates. Popular white wine brands include Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc.
Just because you need to follow many rules in order to successfully pair wine with chocolate, it does not mean that you cannot try and experiment with different chocolate and wine combinations. Of course, you can always mix and match wine with different variations of chocolates. One inexpensive way of experimenting with wine and chocolate pairings is picking up bars of Green and Black’s chocolate and trying them out with different wines. According to some wine pairing books, you will be able to gain a basic knowledge of which wines complement with basic chocolate varieties by doing this exercise.
Chocolate is meant to be enjoyed. When you eat chocolate, you think about its sweetness and all the good things in life. You think about the rich cocoa melting in your mouth, the way the milk tempers the flavor between sweet and not too sweet, how it is good for your heart and blood circulation.
Yes, chocolate is good for the heart and blood circulation. You didn’t misread that part. Fact is chocolate has several health benefits under its belt, including anticancer, cough preventor, brain stimulator and antidiarrhoeal effects. Chocolate is also an aphrodisiac. No wonder everybody loves chocolate.
But here is the thing. All this is true if chocolate is taken in moderation. Eat too little and you don’t take advantage of the health benefits. Eat too much and you might end up being labeled a “chocoholic”.
CHOCOHOLISM: IS IT A CHARACTER FLAW?
First let’s define “chocoholism”.
Chocoholism is a combination of the word “chocolate” and “alcoholism”, meaning extreme addiction to chocolate. In medical terms, while the concept of chocoholism is still vague, many people are claiming to have this condition and call themselves “chocoholics.”
Chocolate addiction, does it really exist?
It does. Chocolate addiction exists. And according to a study, it seems chocoholism is more common in women than men. In fact many women describe themselves as chocolate addicts—or chocoholics, to be precise—insisting the urge is habit-forming, that eating chocolate provides an instant feeling of well-being.
It doesn’t end there. Chocoholics also stress that not eating chocolate causes them to manifest withdrawal symptoms. That’s right folks, blame it on the chocolate.
WHO’S TO BLAME?
So someone decided to put chocolate under the microscope. Sure enough, the results revealed that chocolate contains several chemicals, some which are addictive. They are:
- Sugar – Chocolate contains large amounts of sugar. Period.
Theobromine – Chocolate contains several varieties of theobromines. If you don’t know, theobromine is a food chemical similar to caffeine. - Anandamide – Anandamide is an endogenous cannabinoid also produced in the human brain.
- Tryptophan – Tryptophan is an essential amino acid responsible for regulating moods.
- Phenylethylamine – Also called “love chemical”.
The list alone shows more than enough reason why a person would become addicted to chocolate. Eating chocolate not only makes you feel good because it tastes good, but it makes you feel good because it was created that way, complements of Tryptophan.
No wonder why chocolate and Friday night dates mix well.
CURB YOUR CHOCOHOLISM
Eating too much chocolate could lead to an overdose of sugar in your bloodstream. That and a bad case of tooth decay.
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Here are some tips on how to curb your chocolate craving.
- Find out if the craving is emotional. Too many women rely on comfort food to control their emotional state. Some relate this to depression or feelings of low self-esteem. If you think this is your problem, drop the chocolate bar and try to find a different approach to solve the problem.
- Don’t abstain. Instead incorporate small amounts of chocolate into your daily diet. Moderation is key.
- Do productive things.If you’re feeling bored and think the urge is beginning to start up again, do something useful like going for a walk outside or running errands. The craving should pass after a short while.
- Exercise. Increase your metabolic state and burn off excess calories through regular physical activity. Exercise releases endorphins into the system, which counteracts depression, anxiety and stress.
There you go, chocoholism and the ways to get around it. You should watch how much chocolate you consume from now on, unless you like seeing your dentist.
Eating chocolates is a grand heavenly experience, and this is why chocolate products in various forms and concoctions are present in the planet, across all cultures, continents and nations. Chocolates however are often associated with unhealthiness, as they consist of huge amounts of calories and can play a big factor in gaining weight. Recent studies show however that chocolates, especially black, can aid in healing different severe body complications, top among which are heart diseases. Moreover, the last couple of years saw the emergence of other beneficial uses of chocolates in the body, especially in the field of cosmetology. A numbers spas and skin centers across the United States introduced a healthy way to indulge in chocolates without having to let a morsel touch the taste buds, and that is to let them be absorbed by the body through the epidermis. Can Chocolate Make Your Skin Beautiful? Read below and find out.
The skin of the face is the most sensitive in the body, and the rich antioxidants found in chocolates make the food a very effective ingredient in various facial treatments. Today, many spa and wellness centers offer a wide array of facial procedures based on chocolates. These treatments basically shore up one great promise: to stop the early development of wrinkles in the face. Cocoa, the raw material from which chocolates are made, consists of properties that can hydrate the skin and enhance its texture. Cocoa is mixed with various skin enhancing ingredients and incorporated in different procedural agenda, like treatment to moisturize dry skin, lessen the oiliness of oily skin, kill the pimple-causing bacteria of pimply skin, and reduce fine lines in wrinkling skin, among many others. Getting regular chocolate-based facial procedures and practicing good hygiene can result to younger-looking, flawless, and glowing skin in less than a few months.
Aside from facial treatments, chocolate body wraps and massages are also becoming popular in wellness centers. These body wraps and massages basically aim to provide a holistic and indulgent spa experience–utilizing the smell, taste, texture, and color of chocolates to create a multi-sensory session that rejuvenates the skin, relaxes the tired muscles, uplifts the spirit, and creates a happy, warm, and peaceful feel. These body wraps and massages employ different chocolate scents and mixtures, many of them intertwined with other therapeutic ingredients like fruits, flowers, leaves, and vegetables, among many others. In chocolate body wraps, there is an emphasis to use the coating of cocoa to conduct skin exfoliation and send forth its anti-aging nutrients to the layers of the skin. In massages, there is a focus on combining music, chocolate scents, and chocolate cream and oil to bring both the mind and the body to the best state of relaxation.
There is more to chocolates than sweetness. Chocolates possess a number of substances that can provide aesthetic benefits, especially to the skin. Charged with antioxidants, they contribute in controlling the free radicals that destroy body cells during oxidation. By reducing the number of body cells being damaged, chocolates can definitely make the skin tight, blemish free, fair, and radiant.
If you love dark chocolate, then this is the best piece of news you’re going to hear for the next two or three years. Studies show that dark chocolate – but not milk or white chocolate – is very good for your health. This wonderful news was published in two prestigious science journals.
Dark chocolate is blood pressure-friendly
Dirk Taubert, PhD, MD, and colleague at the University of Cologne in Germany, has this to say about the health benefits of dark chocolate. “Dark chocolate lowers high blood pressure, but not white chocolate,” he says. The report appeared in The Journal of the American Medical Association, August 27 issue. Is this a license to drown in dark chocolate?
Here is the thing. Dark chocolate helps lower blood pressure, okay, but that doesn’t mean you should go out of your way to munch on dark chocolate every day.
For starters, it only helps control blood pressure if you’ve reached a certain age. It’s also only effective if you have mild high blood pressure, researchers say. In addition you’ll have to eat less of other things to balance the extra calories from the dark chocolate.
It’s a hassle, if you think about it, which you shouldn’t. The best way to take advantage of the health benefits of dark chocolate is to eat it only when you feel like it. The health benefit is just an added bonus. It’s not a ticket to cocoa gluttony.
We love antioxidants
Mauro Serafini, PhD, working for Italy’s National Institute of Food and Nutrition, says this about dark chocolate. “Dark chocolate is a potent antioxidant, but not milk chocolate or even dark chocolate eaten with milk,” he says. The report appeared in an issue of Nature in August 28.
Antioxidants are healthy body minerals. They eliminate free radicals responsible for heart diseases and several other ailments.
Mauro continues that milk interferes with the body’s absorption of antioxidants from the dark chocolate, negating any potential benefits that come with eating it. So say, “Dark chocolate please,” the next time you order at the chocolate counter. And don’t even think of taking it with milk. But even so, remember to indulge moderately.
Science as proof
Taubert signed up seven women and six men all aged between 55 and 64. All of them had mild high blood pressure. They were asked to eat a 100-gram chocolate bar everyday for two weeks. They did this. Some of the patients were given dark chocolate and the rest got white chocolate.
The patients who got dark chocolate showed a significant decrease in blood pressure–an average of two points for diastolic and five points for systolic blood pressure. Those who got white chocolate showed nothing.
In Italy, Serafini was busy assembling his own team. He signed up five man and seven women, all healthy, aged 25 to 35. Some of the patients, on different days, they ate about 100 grams of dark chocolate, some washed it down with milk, the rest ate 200 grams of milk chocolate.
Guess what? The first group had the most antioxidant content in their blood alter on. The milk chocolate eaters had the least.
What do you think? Care for a hot cup of dark chocolate all of a sudden?
A few years ago, a diet author named Sally Ann Voak came up with a book entitled “The Chocolate Diet”. Voak’s book promises that her diet program, if religiously followed, can shed excess pounds off the body in less than two weeks. The Chocolate Diet points out that people cannot really get rid of eating chocolates and other sweets, so instead of completely eliminating these foods from our diet, it is much better to focus on how to control, regulate, and schedule our intake of chocolates. The book warns that efforts to stop the intake of chocolates can just lead to severe chocolate addiction. When people restrict themselves from chocolates, the desire to much on them ironically increases, and once they submit to their temptation, they will tend to overeat, and throw the plan to reduce weight out the window.
Voak’s chocolate diet program clusters people into six groups, and these are the comfort eaters, the premenstrual cravers, the romantics, the secret bingers, the sugar addicts, and the weekend indulgers. The comfort eaters are people who indulge in chocolates when they are sad, tired, and down. The premenstrual cravers, taking it from the word itself, are women who eat chocolates during or before their menstrual period. The romantics are people who yearn for emotional, especially erotic, satisfaction and conveniently use chocolates as an alternative route to feel that satisfaction. Sugar addicts are people who have compulsive tendencies to eat huge amounts of chocolates everyday. Secret bingers are sugar addicts who indulge in chocolates in private places. Weekend indulgers are people who use parties, vacations, and celebrations as a justification to overeat chocolates.
The Chocolate Diet starts with complete elimination of chocolates for one week, and this is followed by a strict diet program designed with daily allowance of chocolates that ranges from 30 to 300 calories. The diet program basically recommends 4 meals everyday, which consists of a 250 calorie breakfast, two 300 calorie snacks, and a 400 calorie heavy meal. Foods that the Chocolate Diet recommends basically include low fat and low calorie vegetables. Aside from a detailed food program, the diet also designed different exercise routines for different types of chocolate addicts.
One of the criticisms on the chocolate diet however is the very little daily calorie allowances that it suggests to diet practitioners. Because the program is also devised with an exercise matrix, people certainly will experience hunger in conducting Voak’s diet plan.
The Chocolate Diet is one of the ways to alleviate the addiction of people towards eating chocolates. While this program tolerates chocolate intake everyday, such eating pleasure is offset by the very low calorie plan that it wants to implement, and the consequent hungry feeling that such plan entails. The Chocolate Diet admittedly can and does work for a lot of people, but this kind of program, gives a short term solution. People can lose weight through following the prescribed directions, but Chocolate Diet cannot stand as a good program to be adapted in people’s daily, long term lifestyle.