В эти предновогодние дни так и хочется скушать шоколадку. А потом сидишь и краснеешь, когда видишь, что скушал не одну конфетку Линдт, а целых пять >.< ...Постой-ка, а может быть все не так и плохо, и для краснения, стеснения, самобичевания и повода то нет? :) Сделала небольшой поиск в этом семестре, чтобы удостовериться, что можно расслабиться в дни-когда-хочется-шоколада-больше-чем-обычно...Результат поиска "утолил" любопытсво и отправил в CVS за горьким шоколадом :) Почему именно dark chocolate? Because it has more cocoa solids, and of course/in fact, white chocolate is the unhealthiest of all kinds - contains only milk, fat and sugar.
A picture above shows us a raw chocolate. This is the chocolate in its unique original form called cocoa by the British, but it's really coca (or kakao) (that the real word) . It is sometimes called bean, but it is actually a nut - the most widely eaten nut in the world that nobody actually eats!
Chocolate beans/nuts are rich in magnesium, that distresses us, and makes us feel relaxed and happy. They are also a natural source of iron, chromium, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, copper, which are important for stable blood sugar, healthy nervous system, and strong bones and teeth. That's why, as you see umpa-lumpa's teeth are white and strong.
Also, according to Brunswick Lab Research (Massachusetts), chocolate bean is the highest antioxidant food in the world that contains fifteen times more antioxidants than wild blueberries. Brown-colored pigment in chocolate is the polyphenols, they protect you from aging, that makes it number one longevity food.
One of the dominant chemical in chocolate is theobromine which comprises 1.5-2.7% chocolate. Theobromine is a weak stimulant for the central nervous system. From its structure, there is no Br in theobromine, as its name means 'food of the gods'. Theobromine also a cardiac stimulant and causes dilation of arteries, but its metabolic half-life is only 6 - 10 hours, so its effect is rather short-lived. Furthermore, dogs cannot tolerate theobromine; just 50 g of chocolate can kill a small dog.
Secondly is caffeine which is an alkaloid drug found at low levels (0.1%) in chocolate and you can see that it is very similar chemical structure to theobromine (methylated theobromine). Caffeine is known as the world's most widely used 'psycho-active' substance and it is a stimulant for the heart and central nervous system. Caffeine also promotes awakefullness and increases mental activity.
The third prominent ingredient of chocolate is phenylethylamine which raises blood pressure and blood glucose levels and it makes us feel more alert and contented. Phenylethylamine is related to amphetamines; known as the love drug. Besides that, phenyethylamine is thought to cause release β-endorphin, an opioid peptide, and it is also claimed to be an aphrodisiac: mimics the brain chemistry of someone in love.
