Benefits Of Chocolate
Almost everyone in the world has a love of chocolate but most people don’t know that the reason chocolate is so addicting goes beyond it’s sweet taste and slight caffeine content - it actually has to do with the neurotransmitters in your brain. Neurotransmitters are actually little messengers that send pieces of information from the brain to different areas of the body telling it what to do. They influence moods, thought patterns, energy levels, concentration and drowsiness. Chocolate has a unique effect on these neurotransmitters because of the way it causes the release of certain ones that trigger emotions. One such emotion is euphoria which is why it’s so easy to have cravings for chocolate. Another 'bliss' chemical found in chocolate is the lipid anandamide. It's there in our brain when we feel great. Anandamide is also called "chocolate amphetamine" as it causes changes in blood pressure and blood-sugar levels, leading to feelings of excitement and alertness. Anandamide works like amphetamines to increase mood and decrease depression, but it is not addictive like caffeine or illegal with undesirable side-effects like amphetamines.
Unfortunately chocolate, even with it’s numerous health benefits, can have a pretty big downside and that is the fact that most commercially produced chocolate in the U.S. today is actually quite bad for you. You can’t just run down to the gas station and buy a Hershey's bar thinking that you’re doing your body a world of good. The only way to get these really good antioxidants and substance from chocolate is to eat it in it’s raw form and that means cacao. The closest thing to that is to buy very dark organic chocolate that hasn’t got any added sugar in it. You want to have all of the cocoa solids in it that you can and as little sugar and chemicals as possible. You also have to stay away from “white chocolate” which isn’t real chocolate in any way and contains none of the benefits of chocolate but a lot of sugar and fat.
One of the latest trends is raw cacao which is supposed to contain lots of really good antioxidant without all of the bad chemicals and processed sugar. Many people have touted this as the new way to get your chocolate fix without having to worry about gaining weight or putting a lot of sugar into your system. For the most part thought the rule is - the darker the chocolate, the better it is for you. It’s important not to eat too much of it though because it does still contain some chemicals and it can be bad or your brain and your nervous system to have them coursing around in there making you all hyper. It can also effect your ability to sleep properly but it doesn’t have near the amount of caffeine in it that coffee does. Overall when it comes to chocolate it can be really good for you as long as you make a point of only eating it in moderation.