Luxurious, greedy, sinful, delightful, smooth and sweet, chocolate is more than food, it is also a therapy.

Whilst Madame de Sevigne a 17^th century French aristocrat noted for her witty and vivid letter-writing, attributed demonic attributes to chocolate in one of her letters to her daughter at about the same time the Indians believed that by drinking chocolate in the morning, they would escape the dangers of the day to come.

In 1719, a pamphlet in Spain praised chocolate as a slimming aid and recommended eating it in industrial quantities. In fact, these large proportions and the laborious preparation that was involved meant that the Spaniards soon lost this potentially vast appetite for chocolate.

In 1662, the Catholic Church ruled that drinking chocolate did not break a religious fast. Thus, chocolate as a drink spread to the monasteries, where improved methods for its preparation became a traditional monastic activity. The Mother Superior of the Convent of Bellay in Brillat Savarin instructed that chocolate must be prepared 24 hours before use to make it creamier both in the eyes of God and for those who were to drink it.

The Vatican was also fully committed to chocolate, and in the 18th century, Vatican officials who attended the ceremony of canonization of a Pope each received a block of chocolate whose weight varied depending on the importance in the hierarchy of the Church of the individual recipient.

Balzac believed that chocolate was directly responsible for maintaining brain function.
Goethe, a fervent lover of chocolate, and a great traveller said: "Anyone who drank a cup of chocolate could travel for a day.”

It is only natural that chocolate, a most nourishing tonic, became the ultimate snack for many writers.........

Chocolate is a very nutritious food that improves both physical and intellectual stamina and helps fight against the sudden feeling of being drained of energy.

Energy
100 grams of milk chocolate provides 550 calories while 100 grams of meat provides 170 calories.

Easily Digestable
Cocoa fats are unsaturated fats which are easily digested.

The food values of chocolate are partners to good health:

Chocolate contains theobromine, which acts like caffeine, and contains vitamins B, B2, PP and potassium, magnesium, calcium and iron.

Protein
Cocoa contains 8 amino acids that are essential to our daily diet.

Lipids
The constituent fatty acids of cocoa butter promote lower blood cholesterol.

Carbohydrates
These are the sugars that people often worry about in chocolate. What is important to know is that the more cocoa-rich the chocolate the less sugar it contains. Chocolate with 70% cocoa could be called ‘diet chocolate’.

Fibre
The amount of fiber in 100 g of cocoa (9 g) is the same as that contained in 100 g of bread. Thus chocolate can help regulate intestinal transit just as much as bread.

Potassium
Potassium is important for balancing muscle health and for cardiac metabolism. The potassium present in chocolate makes an important contribution - especially for athletes.

Magnesium
Magnesium regulates nervous and muscular excitability. A deficiency of magnesium promotes anxiety, fatigue, insomnia and constipation. The daily diet should contain 350 mg; 100 grams of chocolate contains 300 mg.

Calcium
This is the most important mineral in the body. It plays a fundamental role in cellular function and the formation of bones and teeth.

Phosphorus
Phosphoros is another of the most important minerals needed by our bodies. Combined with calcium it is integral to the skeletal frame. The daily requirements are 800 mg in adults and 1400 mg in adolescents.

Sodium
100 g of dark chocolate provides approximately 12 mg of sodium. This low level of sodium means that chocolate can be eaten by people following a salt-free diet. Milk chocolate, however, should be avoided because 100 grams of milk chocolate contain 100 mg of salt.

100 grams of Chocolate made with 70% cocoa contains :

• Glucides            64 gr
• Lipids                22 gr
• Proteins              6 gr
• Mineral salts        4 gr
• Cholesterol        1 mg
• Vitamin A      0,02 mg
• Vitamin B      0,07 mg
• Vitamin B2    0,24 mg
• Vitamin PP      1,1 mg

In March 2005 An article called “Cocoa, diabetes, and hypertension: should we eat more chocolate?” by Cesar G Fraga was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

The article discussed that, although the mechanisms are not well known, there is evidence that consumption of fruits and vegetables is beneficial for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. The interesting point is that the flavanoids contained in these food groups attract more positive attention and than other food groups which contain higher levels, such as chocolate, tea, grapes and grapefruit.

A random study showed that a daily consumption of 500mg of polyphenol (100-00mg of flavanoids) in the form of dark chocolate for 15 days, improves the sensitivity and resistance to insulin and reduces systolic blood pressure .

Other studies involving other types of flavanoids in tea and wine, have shown the beneficial effects of the consumption of these foods on the risk of cardiovascular disease and regulating blood pressure.

The author concluded that the identification of foods for good health and the knowledge of the effects of their components on the metabolism will improve the health of the general population, especially among the sick, the undiagnosed and the untreated. He estimates that the undiagnosed groups include 30% - 40% hypertensive patients in the U.S., and approximately 60% - 75% in Canada and Europe, plus the 5 million people in the U.S. who have diabetes but are unaware of it. If the general population are made aware of the beneficial effects of chocolate, cocoa and flavanoids – these undiagnosed people will benefit directly.

Also, chocolate has important morale enhancing roles. It satisfies the appetite and it is a gift of pleasure that chocolate lovers give to themselves. This ‘selfish’ act feels good! Of course it does. It causes the secretion of endorphins and has a calming and euphoric effect similar to opium. Chocolate can fill the gaps caused by lost love and disappointment. It can calm nervous states. It is a symptom of healing all our troubles.