Chocolate. 1) Who first created or discovered chocolate? 2) How does chocolate affect the different parts of the body, such as the brain? 3) What do nutritionists and health experts say about chocolate?

Authors Avatar by fritz4444 (student)

Chocolate

Jenna Hulme Ms. Addabbo RISE, period 2 November 28, 2010 Chocolate Chocolate. Just that word makes most peoples’ mouth water. It is a delectable substance that can be made into flakes that melt on your tongue, or into a delicious candy bar with nuts and marshmallow, or even just a plain old bar of straight chocolate. All contribute to the mild addiction some people feel towards chocolate. I am researching this topic because I too love chocolate and I am wondering why people like it so much. I went to Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco with my family a couple years ago. In the store, there was a place where they showed how chocolate is made. I don’t remember exactly how they do it, but I still know a few things about this substance. It has milk and powder from the cacao bean, and it is churned into a froth and then cooled down. A few things I would like to learn about chocolate, however, are: 1) Who first created or discovered chocolate? 2) How does chocolate affect the different parts of the body, such as the brain? 3) What do nutritionists and health experts say about chocolate? 4) How do milk chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, and bittersweet chocolate compare in nutrition? 5) Generally, do men or women admit to craving, or at least liking, chocolate?

These questions I hope will contribute to my understanding of this amazing treat and also to my health, for if it is bad for the body I will decrease the amounts of it I take in. But if it has no effect or if it is even good for the body, I will feel no guilt in eating it a lot and might even increase my consumption of it.

My first question is “Who first created or discovered chocolate?” Many modern historians have estimated that chocolate has been around for about 2000 years, but recent research suggests that it may be even older. They have thought before that the ancient Aztecs and Mayas were the first to discover chocolate. However, in November 2007, anthropologists from the University of Pennsylvania announced the discovery of cacao residue on pottery excavated in Honduras that could date back as far as 1400 B.C.E. It appears that the sweet pulp of the cacao fruit, which surrounds the beans, was fermented into an alcoholic beverage of the time. Before this discovery, they had thought that the ancient Aztecs and Mayas were the first to discover chocolate. Both the Mayans and Aztecs believed the cacao bean had magical, or even divine, properties, suitable for use in the most sacred rituals of birth, marriage and death. According to Chloe Doutre-Roussel's book The Chocolate Connoisseur, Aztec sacrifice victims who felt too melancholy to join in ritual dancing before their death were often given a gourd of the chocolate drink (tinged with the blood of previous victims) to cheer them up. They made the beverage by crushing the seeds of the Theobrama cacao tree, which means “food of the gods” in Latin, and mixing that with various spices, creating a spicy, frothy beverage. A cup of this “divine drink”, in the ancients’ words, allowed a man to walk a whole day without food. They also found that the liquid could build up resistance. Because of this, it was a treasured treat and very important to the Mesoamerican culture.

Join now!

My second question is “How does chocolate affect the different parts of the body, such as the brain?” Well, Chocolate stimulates the release of endorphins, hormones produced by the brain, which initiates feelings of pleasure and contributes to a sense of well being. One of the ingredients in chocolate is tryptophan, an essential amino acid needed by the brain to produce serotonin. Serotonin is a mood-changing neurotransmitter, the brain's "happy chemical." High levels of serotonin can lead to feelings of happiness. Chocolate contains another neurotransmitter, anandamide. Anandamide targets the same part of the brain as THC, the active ingredient in ...

This is a preview of the whole essay