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May/June WHY WOMEN NEED MORE CHOCOLATE Introduction If I said to you this description, what would your mental picture be flashing? Deliriously delicious, smooth, soul-filling warm fuzzy, pure ecstasy, a love high, luxuriousness, sensual, creature comfort, instant gratification, divine, and the list goes on and on along with smiles of pleasure. Most women in particular, and some men would not answer sex but CHOCOLATE! Yes it is that incredible, very consuming food substance enjoyed for centuries all over planet earth. But where did it come from? Some say it was a gift from the gods. Some moms would pack a little chocolate in their children's lunch bag and instructed them that this could be only eaten in case of "emergency." I can relate to that growing up can you? But did mom's know of this magical food that could help their child deal better with an emergency? Perhaps there is a magical property in chocolate the drives people to a consuming passion. And did you know that women need MORE chocolate that men ? And how does this humble product of the cacao tree share similar brain chemistry with marijuana? What about love? What does love have to do with chocolate cravings? Some people would like to re-classified this carbohydrate as a drug, does it fit the definition? Chocolate Food Or Drug? Drug is any substance that in small amounts that will produce recognizable changes in the body or mind, or both. This definition does not make any specific, differentiation between a drug or food substance. Although all drugs act like a poison in large amounts (Weil, M. D., Rosen 9). We all know about chocolate being a wonderful food, but does it have any drug-like characteristic traits? Some people say so and other people beg for it not to be so! Can people get addicted to chocolate? Does it alter our brain's chemistry? Believe it or not it does contain health benefit ( I knew it!). There is much controversy of this passioned chocolate subject and we will see if it has any effect on a chocolate lover's equilibrium. Is there false fanasty and untrue facts about our beloved chocolate out there? We will take a big bite out of this great candy debate. As we unwrapped the chocolate bar what do we find? One ounce of solid chocolate contains a modest 150 calories-not bad. It has about 2 to 3 grams of proteins. The bean has a good deal of vitamin E and some B vitamins. Both chocolate and cocoa powder supply chromium ( a mineral noted to help stabilize blood sugar levels), iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium, thats the good news. The levels of fat taken from calories makes chocolate less than optimal source of minerals,except in emergency rations. Remember the war and the chocolate hershey bars and the mothers packing their children a bit of chocolate for an "emergency?" White chocolate is not real chocolate because it is a mixture of cocoa butter, milk solids, sugar, and lacks cocoa, thus differs from it's darker cousin (Reader's Digest 95). As we crunched harder into the solids of chocolate we find some mental revelations. Is there a bizarre connection here of feeling good and eating chocolate? It was a shocker to me to find out that chocolate and marijuana share somesame chemistry. The chemicals in chocolate target the same brain receptors as does marijuana. Before we get all excited about getting a legal "buzz", there is a cost. A 130 LB person would have eat a mere 25lbs to get high. What would a body do with 25lbs of chocolate after it evaluated your mood, fueled your body, it would have to store the rest as fat. A study at The Neuroscience Institue in La Jolla found a compound in chocolate called anand- amide, that stimulates your brain cells the same way tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) does. There are other mood altering elements involved here, one is n-acylethanolamines, that protect the destruction of anandamides. This protection factor may explain why a person feels a mild sense of calm or euphoria ( Time Magazine, September 2, 1996, 1-2). I will eat chocolate to that with gusto! Also, found in this chocolate research is a substance called phenylethyamine, a natural amphetamine produced in the brain during pleasure ( Trull1). And let's not forget the caffeine contains in chocolate. Daniele Piomelli a researcher at Neuroscience Institute finds his studies a little curious in nature. He states that marijuana has no addictive effects, and there's no reason why a substance that has marijuana-like chemicals would support an addiction. But caffeine is addictive! So, between the combinations of positive mood factors and caffeine to some individuals it could manifest as a mild addiction. So if chocolate is categorically lumped into a "drug", it would not be a life-threatening classification, there is no fatal dose of chocolate, although it does create a slight stimulant mood that is made to be enjoyed by every tastebud. Migraine Headaches And Tooth Decay
In the neurological journal Cephalagia there was an enriching study of hope for chocolate consumers. This Pittsburgh study compared the "effects" of chocolate against carob in 63 women (lucky women). Now chocolate does contain caffeine and various amines. Carob is a natural chocolate-like substitute, tasting similar. These chosen subjects were first asked to eliminate totally amine-laden foods for two weeks. Then the researchers gave the women 60grams of either chocolate or carob. Daily journal were kept of headaches and dietary intake. "Chocolate was NOT more likely to provoke headaches than carob in any of the diagnostic groups" (Cephalalgia 1997 1). But they discovered and interesting link between a craving for something sweet and the onset of a headache. This could explain why chocolate was victimized as the villain(Cephalalgia 1997 2). Debra Waterhouse MPH, R. D. claims of these vasoamines alcohol ranks #1 as a recipe for headaches, followed by cheese, peanuts, some citrus fruit and pork. It could be that headache people lack the ability to proper break down these amines in there system (Waterhouse 38). My own approach to this inability to digest these amines would possibility be to supplement a digestive enzyme after consumption. I wonder if any one has studied this thought. And what about those pearly whites-teeth that is? The good news is that chocolate has an natural antibacterial agent that stops plaque in the formation(Waterhouse 37-38). Will there be chocolate toothpaste in the future? I am sure many children and adults alike would be willing partakers in this study. Here are two myths that are rarely revealed. So don't settle for that imitation chocolate because you could miss out on a few health benefits. A Sweet Conclusion Chocolate is a internationally known food. It crosses all barriers of culture and language. A good source enjoyment for all ages. Well documented in history of having super- natural effects, giving strength and vigor, pleasure and satisfaction. All generations could not escape the special attributes of god-like food. In the story written by Bernal Diaz del Castillo, called " The True History Of The Conquest Of The New Spain", he notes that Montezuma ( a ruler of the Aztec Empire of Mexico) would always drink a cup of chocolate before visiting one of his wives( Schwartz M. D. 106). Was this his secret to a happy marriage? Much has be written in jest and in truth about this much loved food. More truth-full reporting needs to be brought forth so people may indulge without guilt. Used in moderation it is a pleasant stimulant substance that can aid to a person's well-being, especially mentally. The bad reputation that it has endured by it's fans has proved it to be a survival food for centuries. Theories upon studies are cited why chocolate holds a special attraction to many of us but could it be just the taste of chocolate itself? If a new study came out tomorrow that chocolate is cancer-causing, would the masses stop eating it? I don't think so. It's not just for dessert anymore. Sandra Boynton in her book sums it up short and sweet "Chocolate The Consuming Passion "(Boynton cover page). Perhaps this tantalizing food will always remain a little of life's sweetest mysteries to be enjoyed over and over again. So what are you waiting for? Chocolate Quiz
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