14 reasons to eat more chocolate

(As if we need reasons!)
Read this and you could almost believe chocolate is a health food.

1. Chocolate contains tryptophan, which helps you create serotonin, your body's own antidepressant.

2. Contrary to popular belief, chocolate doesn’t contribute to acne (though the milk in milk chocolate might), so enjoy the benefits of dark chocolate without worrying about your skin.

3. Chocolate contains high-quality antioxidants that can slow ageing and protect you from developing cancer and heart disease. Eat chocolate to stay young and healthy.

4. Melting chocolate in your mouth raises brain activity and heart rate more intensely than passionate kissing, and lasts four times longer!

5. Chocolate is rich in magnesium, which helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system and keeps bones strong.

6. Chocolate is rich in iron, which is essential for your good health.

7. Support the nut industry – chocolate makers use 40% of the world's almonds and 20% of the world's peanuts.

8. Need a caffeine hit but don’t want to overdo it? An average chocolate bar contains about half the caffeine you'd find in a Coke and a third what you'd find in a cup of coffee. So, chocolate is a good choice.

9. Chocolate is poisonous to dogs (and other domestic animals), so eat it before Fido does.

10. Fundraising chockies help worthy causes. Did you know the first fundraising drive using chocolates was by Mexican nuns from the 1700s? They created and exported the first solid chocolate product as a fundraiser for their convent.

11. Many believe that chocolate is an aphrodisiac, possibly because of the simple sensual pleasure of its consumption; but scientists suggest that chemicals in chocolate act as mild sexual stimulants.

12. Chocolate contains phenylethylamine (PEA) which is similar to amphetamine. PEA reproduces the feeling someone has when he or she falls in love. So maybe chocolate could help soothe a broken heart.

13. A UK study found that theobromine, a component in cocoa, may be more effective as a cough medicine than standard drug treatments.

14. It tastes sensational.


Image: Graeme Weatherston