Chocolate Seduction, Natural Health Benefits of the Cocoa Bean

A red heart shaped box of chocolates is an iconic gift shared on Valentine's Day. With its ancient traditions and legends chocolate has a long history as the food of luxury, pleasure and romance.

The cocoa tree was discovered by indigenous people in the jungles of the Central America nearly 3000 years ago. Since then the cocoa bean, chocolate and the foods that contained them were always prized and enjoyed. Cocoa beans were used as a mode of currency by the Mayan and Aztec people. The use of cocoa was sacred to the Mayans. Cocoa was reserved for important occasions and religious ceremonies. Cocoa was said to be the "food of the Gods".

Between 1502 and 1504, on his fourth expedition to the Americas, while in Nicaragua, Christopher Columbus became the first European to sample the sacred cocoa bean. He obtained several cases of cocoa beans while raiding the cargo of a Mayan merchant. Believing that cocoa, was a type of almond and that it may be valuable, Columbus brought them to Europe. However, the Europeans did not know how to prepare the beans, thus they were discarded. It took another voyage in 1519, this time by the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes, for cocoa to become viewed as a delicacy amongst Europeans. Mistaking Cortes for a god, the Aztec Emperor Montezuma introduced Cortes to a drink called "chocolatl" that was served in a goblet of gold. The Aztecs believed that cocoa beans were a gift from the heavens and eating the fruit of the cocoa tree would bring power and wisdom.

Today, presenting someone with a box of chocolates symbolizes appreciation and love, but it was not always viewed this way. Many ancient traditions associate chocolate with love and it seemed that chocolate exhibited aphrodisiac qualities. For that reason, the Aztecs prohibited women from eating cocoa. Actual chocolate candies were first manufactured in 1824 by George Cadbury. However, because chocolate was considered an aphrodisiac, it was deemed to be inappropriate for the ladies. A man bestowing a box of chocolates to a lady at would have been an offensive act. Chocolates were only given to prostitutes of that time.

Newly rediscovered Health Benefits of Chocolate and the Cocoa Bean

Cocoa beans are rich in many essential minerals, such as magnesium, calcium, iron, copper, potassium, zinc and manganese. Women who crave chocolate are often magnesium depleted. The pleasure of eating chocolate is not only because of its rich taste melting in your mouth. Chocolate actually has several chemicals that stimulate our brain and make us happy. Specifically these include PEA (phenylethylamine), tryptophan, theobromine and caffeine. Another chemical found in chocolate is anandamide that has a similar effect to cannabinoids (narcotic like substances) on our brain. The chemical anandamide stimulates pleasure sensors, promotes relaxation and was found to inhibit human breast cancer cell proliferation (though there are only trace quantities present in chocolate).

It's no wonder people claim that eating chocolate makes them feel less stressed out and easies their depression. Women have been found to exhibit greater sensitivity to chocolate's mood enhancing properties when compared to men. Due to the fact that these constituents of chocolate improve our mood and make us feel "in love", chocolate continues to be considered by many as an aphrodisiac.

Chocolate for the Heart, Cocoa improves more then our emotions

The newest scientific studies on the health value of cacao and chocolate are proving that chocolate is literally good for our hearts. Chocolate is a very rich source of polyphenols, powerful anti-oxidants that protect our cardiovascular health. The higher the cocoa content in the chocolate the higher the ORAC value. Dark chocolate containing more cocoa usually has an ORAC value of around 13,000. For the greatest health benefits choose chocolate that has at least 70 percent cocoa content. Cocoa polyphenols decrease the levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and increase levels of HDL (good) cholesterol contributing to healthy cholesterol levels. Cocoa polyphenols  also lower insulin resistance.

In addition, the polyphenols found in chocolate have a very beneficial effect on the arterial wall improving its elasticity and blood flow as well as preventing platelet aggregation therefore protecting against heart attack and stroke. Chocolate polyphenols prevent the inactivation of nitric oxide making it more bio-available. The well known drug Viagra that treats erectile dysfunction (ED) works by enhancing nitric oxide pathways in a similar way to that of chocolate polyphenols. It is said that Emperor Montezuma consumed as much as 50 goblets of chocolate a day. This may have kept his libido on especially high levels and Montezuma was known for having a very large harem that included hundreds of wives.

Nowadays, chocolate isn't what it use to be. Once only reserved for kings and powerful rulers, a "gift from paradise", chocolate is now consumed on a massive global scale by millions of people. The chocolate craze has sparked the growth of an immense cocoa industry and there is something you should know about the world's most seductive sweet.

The Dark Side of Chocolate

You may want to think twice before you indulge in that box of chocolates…
it may contain more guilt then you realize.

The cocoa tree needs a very specific environment in order to produce cocoa beans. Cocoa trees require a shaded plot of land, temperature of at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit and high humidity with over 80 inches of rainfall. Ideal locations that fit this description just happen to be tropical rainforests. The majority of chocolate consumed today comes from cocoa farms that are situated on what once use to be bio-diverse rainforest ecosystems. It is estimated that cocoa production is responsible for the deforestation of 8 million hectares of tropical rainforests including those in Brazil, Peru, Indonesia, Cameroon Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Ecuador (source: World Wildlife Fund, WWF, Hardner et al. 1999). This type of deforestation is accountable for the release of tons of Co2 into our atmosphere and further amplifies the devastating effects of the climactic imbalance.

How dirty is your chocolate bar? It may be tinted with a child's blood.
Slavery was abolished, right? Not in the sweet production of chocolate.

One of the most controversial aspects of the chocolate industry is the prevalent exploitation of children in cocoa production. Specifically cocoa imported from Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), which supplies 46 percent of the world's cocoa, may be gathered using child labor. UNICEF reported that Ivory Coast farmers use enslaved children from neighboring regions and force them to work through hundred-hour weeks in inhumane conditions. If a child attempts to escape, he or she is then severely punished and brutally beaten. Another report from BBC stated that children under the age of 11 are forced to carry sacs with kilos of cocoa so heavy that open wounds form over their shoulders. These facts were acknowledged by the Chocolate Manufactures Association which admitted that some of the cocoa had indeed been gathered by child slaves. Many international chocolate manufacturers including Hershey's, Nestle, and Cadbury acquire cocoa that has been grown in the Ivory Coast. Maybe we should pause a moment before we take a bite of our favorite chocolate bar or mix ourselves a nice cup of hot chocolate. You simply may be consuming more then cocoa. A little something extra that's not mentioned on the ingredient list. This chocolate may possibly have the blood, sweat and tears of enslaved children on it. Are you still addicted to it now?

In 2008 Fortune magazine stated "little progress has been made" to act upon the current conditions under which coca continues to be produced.

Therefore, you should only purchase chocolate products that use certified fair trade and sustainably cultivated cocoa. In fact, sustainable agriculture methods for growing cocoa provide the farmer a higher standard of living, encourage other farmers to restore deforested areas and do not use child labor.