ChocoFacts

The "Skinny" on Chocolate

Native to lowland, tropical South America, cacao has been cultivated for three millennia in Central America and Mexico, with its earliest documented use around 1100 BC. The majority of the Mesoamerican peoples made chocolate beverages, including the Maya and Aztecs, who made it into a beverage known as xocolatl, a Nahuatl word meaning bitter water. The seeds of the cacao tree have an intense bitter taste, and get fermented in order to develop the flavor. After being roasted and ground, the result is delicious and savory chocolate or cocoa.

Chocolate has become one of the most popular flavors in the world. Much of the chocolate consumed today is made into bars that combine cocoa solids, fats like cocoa butter, and sugar.

Chocolate has been used as a drink for nearly all of its history. The earliest record of using chocolate pre-dates the Maya. In November, 2007, archeologists reported finding evidence of the oldest known cultivation and use of cacao at a site in Puerto Escondido, Honduras, dating from about 1100 to 1400 BC.

Ask the Doctor

Believe it or not, chocolate health benefits permeate throughout your body. Chocolate contains alkaloids such as theobromine, phenethylamine, and anandamide, which have physiological effects on the body. It has been linked to serotonin levels in the brain. Scientists have proven that, eaten in moderation, chocolate can lower blood pressure. Dark chocolate in particular has a substantial amount of antioxidants that reduce the formation of free radicals.

Studies have proven a reduction in blood pressure and flow-mediated dilation after consuming approximately 100g of dark chocolate daily. There has even been a fad diet, named Chocolate diet, that emphasizes eating chocolate and cocoa powder in capsules.

Studies suggest a specially formulated type of cocoa boost brain function and delay decline as people age. In fact, small but regular amounts of dark chocolate were shown to lower the possibility of heart attack.

Other research shows that chocolate is effective at preventing persistent coughing. The ingredient theobromine is found to be almost one third more effective than codeine, the leading cough medicine. The chocolate also appears to soothe and moisten the throat.

So come on in to Sally’s Cocofé™ and give your heart a boost today.