“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” – Charles M. Schulz
If love isn’t on the cards, or you’ve already found your forever somebody, chocolate is the next best thing! Chocolate never lets us down and always improves our mood. The sweet delight has been loved all over the world since the late 19th century.
Sadly, it can become a bit of a love/hate relationship. If you’d characterise your relationship with chocolate as “complicated,” you’re not alone. Research shows that, unlike men, many women have feelings of guilt when eating this potentially “forbidden” food, or they fight the urge to eat it at all.
A strained relationship with chocolate is not beneficial, in fact, it can actually be harmful. Making up with chocolate can benefit not only your taste buds but also your health. As with any relationship, boundaries are key. Set the terms of your relationship with chocolate, savour it and enjoy it with purpose and intention, minus the guilt. Don’t sit mindlessly in front of the TV with your hand in a bottomless box of chocolate. It’s way better to enjoy it mindfully and in moderation.
THE BEGINNING:
Chocolate’s 4,000-year history began in ancient Mesoamerica, present-day Mexico. It’s here that the first cacao plants were found. The Olmec, one of the earliest civilizations in Latin America, were the first to turn the cacao plant into chocolate.
- The word “cacao” comes from the Olmec word “kakawa”.
- The Mayans called chocolate “chocolhaa”, which means “bitter water”.
- The Aztecs called chocolate “Xocolatl”, which also means “bitter water”.
The Olmec drank their chocolate during rituals and used it as medicine. The Mayans praised chocolate as the drink of the gods, a revered brew made of roasted and ground cacao seeds mixed with chillies, water and cornmeal. It was drunk at special celebrations, such as funerals, harvests, and war. The Aztecs used it as a refreshing drink, an aphrodisiac and, less joyfully, to prepare for war. Interestingly, they also used cocoa beans as currency.
No one knows exactly when chocolate came to Spain but legend has it that explorer Hernán Cortés brought chocolate to his homeland in 1528. He was believed to have discovered it during an expedition to the Americas. In search of gold and riches, but he discovered chocolate instead when a cup of cocoa was given to him by the Aztec emperor. Still served as a drink, Spanish chocolate was mixed with sugar and honey to sweeten the naturally bitter taste. It quickly became popular among the rich and wealthy. Even Catholic monks loved chocolate and drank it to aid religious practices.
Soon, chocolate seduced the rest of Europe and became immensely popular among the European aristocracy. Royals and the upper classes consumed chocolate for its health benefits as well as its decadence.
In 1828, the invention of the chocolate press revolutionised the process of chocolate making. This innovative device could squeeze cocoa butter from roasted cacao beans, leaving a fine cocoa powder behind. The powder was then mixed with liquids and poured into a mould and solidified into an edible bar of chocolate. And just like that, the modern era of chocolate was born.
EAT IT OR DRINK IT?
These days, it’s eaten more often than drunk, but we still find comfort in a warm mug of liquid chocolate. The recipe varies from nation to nation, reflecting local cuisine and culture. Essentially, there’s hot cocoa, and then there’s hot chocolate.
Hot cocoa is made from ground cacao beans without fat or cocoa butter. Hot chocolate, on the other hand, is made from bar chocolate, which already contains cocoa, sugar, and cocoa butter. This makes hot cocoa significantly lower in fat than hot chocolate while still retaining all the antioxidants found in chocolate—making this the key distinction between the two.
Enjoyed all over the world, hot chocolate comes in many forms, from the spiced chocolate para mesa of Latin America to the extremely thick cioccolata calda common in Italy and Spain, and the thinner hot cocoa is popular in the United States.
GOOD OR BAD?
“Chocolate is the first luxury. It has so many things wrapped up in it: deliciousness in the moment, childhood memories, and that grin-inducing feeling of getting a reward for being good.” – Mariska Hargitay.
In contrast to being revered in the past, these days chocolate gets a lot of bad press because of its high fat and sugar content. However, according to the findings of a review published in the Netherlands Journal of Medicine, we may want to reconsider our views. According to the research, chocolate’s antioxidant potential may have a range of health benefits. The higher the cocoa content, as in dark chocolate, the more benefits there are. Dark chocolate may also contain less fat and sugar, but it is important to check the label.
If you’re still battling with negative thoughts, then we have some sweet food for thought to share with you.
5 REASONS WHY CHOCOLATE CAN BE GOOD FOR YOU!
Reduces stress:
People who ate dark chocolate reported that they felt less stressed, and researchers confirmed that after eating dark chocolate, there were reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Improves brain function:
Flavanols in dark chocolate have a positive impact on brain function, including better reaction time, visual-spatial awareness and stronger memory. Though research is ongoing, one reason for this may be that flavanols increase blood flow to the brain.
Balances the immune system:
Flavanols also prevent the immune system from going into overdrive and reduce oxidative stress, which is an imbalance caused by cells fighting against free radicals and a common cause of many diseases.
Protects Your Skin:
Conventional wisdom would have you believe that chocolate can be bad for your complexion, but researchers have found that some compounds in cocoa can actually help protect your skin from the sun.
Lowers Blood Pressure:
The antioxidants in dark chocolate have been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of clotting and increase blood circulation to the heart, thus lowering the risks of stroke and coronary heart disease.
As mentioned, research is still ongoing, but thanks to some clever boffins in a lab somewhere, we’re closer to proof that a little of what you like does you good. In the meantime, you don’t have to feel guilty about craving something, whether it’s chocolate or broccoli. In fact, labelling any food as completely off-limits usually results in increased cravings for that food and, as you know, the guilt kicks in when you eventually do eat it. As Nina Sandmann would say, “Life is like chocolate: you should enjoy it piece for piece and let it slowly melt on your tongue.”
That said, we give you full permission to enjoy a guilt-free bite of chocolate.
