CHOCOLATE facts

DID YOU KNOW?

the use of chocolate began nearly 2500 years ago in central America

the mayans believed it was a divine gift ( i cannot agree more). the mayans aalso used chocolate as currency.

More than 66 percent of the worlds cacao is produced in Africa and 98 percent of the worlds cocoa is produced by just 15 countries.

It is observed that chocolate cravings cannot be satisfied by any sweet/candy other than chocolate itself

Chocolate produces the effects of a mild anti-depressant by increasing serotonin and endorphin levels in the brain.

Women seem to be more prone to chocolate cravings than men. The Diabetes Association report found that only 15 percent of males appear to crave chocolate, as much as 40 percent of women do - and 75 percent of them claim that absolutely nothing other than chocolate can satisfy their appetite.

The annual consumption of cocoa beans averages around 600,000 tons per year. Consumers spend more than $20 billion annually on chocolate with chocolate manufacturers using around 40% of the world’s almonds and around 20% of the world’s peanuts.

Chocolate  is rich in phenolics, the same heart protective antioxidants found in wine.  In fact, 1.5 ounces of chocolate -the amount of a typical chocolate bar - has as many phenolitcs as a glass of red wine.  These chemicals help lower the risk of heart disease and prevent clot-like substances from clogging arteries.

17,000 people in Belgium work in the chocolate industry

Almost half the world's chocolate is consumed in America.

Checks Cancer - Georgetown University researchers found that when breast cancer cells were treated with chocolate flavanols, the cells stopped dividing.

Another Reason for you to Enjoy Chocolate, guilt free

Dark chocolate has been identified has high in Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. ORAC is a method of measuring antioxidant capacity, and has been applied to vegetables, spices, fruits and berries. There is a high correlation between high antioxidant capacity and the free-radical theory of aging - meaning foods high in ORAC help combat the effects of aging due to free-radicals. In every 100g of dark chocolate there are 13,120 ORAC, compared to 5938 in one cup of strawberries or 13,427 in a cup of blueberries.