We are all baffled by the wonders of the world and there’s no doubt that the same applies to the allure of chocolate. Here are a few fun facts about chocolate to fuel your chocolate obsession:
* Chocolate comes from the ancient Aztec word xocolatl", which means "bitter water".
* Chocolate was first made into a solid edible food in Mexico in the 1700’s. Following this, in the 1840s, two British companies entitled Cadbury and Fry and Sons began mass producing chocolate in the 1840s.
· It’s a common misconception that chocolate causes acne. Experiments conducted in the U.S, Naval Academy as well as the University of Pennsylvania found that even frequent daily consumption of chocolate had no effect on the occurrence of acne. Dermatologists today do not link acne with diet.
· It’s true! Chocolate has great health benefits – it helps with depression, high blood pressure, tumors and pre-menstrual syndromes. It contains tryptophan which helps you create serotonin (your body’s own antidepressant).
· Chocolate contains high-quality anti oxidants that can protect you from developing cancer and heart disease.
· Chocolate is rich in both magnesium and iron, key necessities for a healthy body.
· Chocolate may be addictive but with all the antioxidants it contains it can’t hurt. It may even help you live longer J
* A chocolate bar has a shelf life of approximately one year but put it in the freezer and it will keep almost forever.
* Why does chocolate melt in your mouth? Cocoa butter has a melting point just below that of human body temperature.
* Chocolate is considered to be the food of the Gods. The cacao bean comes from a tree that is a species of the genus Theobroma which translated is, food of the gods.
* It is said that consumers spend more than $7 billion a year on chocolate – talk about over-indulging!!!!
Here’s a little advice: put "Eat chocolate" at the top of your to-do list that way, at least you’ll get one thing done every day.