From its nutritional characteristics to its caffeine content: find out why chocolate is good for our body

What makes us love chocolate is not only its important nutritional characteristics but, above all, the taste sensations we experience. But what does chocolate do to our body? What are the effects of chocolate? Let's find out!

Aphrodisiac or devil's food, here are some legends about chocolate

Since its discovery and over the centuries, many different legends arose about the effects of chocolate on humans, some of them positive, others a little less than such.

As we have already seen in Central America, the chocolate drink was at first considered almost sacred and divine. After the arrival of the Conquistadores, the cocoa plant and chocolate was exported to Europe. At which time, the chocolate drink lost some of its mystical charms and became a sort of pharmaceutical product. Cardinal Francesco Maria Brancaccio, in the early 17th century, stated that chocolate "restores the natural heat of the body, generates pure blood, preserves natural faculties, revives the heart."

Not bad, eh?

We must also mention the alleged evil effects of chocolate. Again, in the seventeenth century, chocolate was considered an impious drink capable of loosening the reins of sexual appetites by leading men and women to sinful and lascivious behavior.

Until this day, there are different legends about the potential effects of chocolate on humans, none of which have been proven except the one that makes you happy and puts you in a good mood. Here's why.

Chocolate is good for you!

Yes, chocolate is good for us, the pleasure we feel once we eat even a tiny piece of chocolate is real, and chemistry has proven it.

Chocolate contains more than 500 chemicals, including caffeine and phenylethylamine, a substance similar to dopamine and adrenaline. It is precisely phenylethylamine that acts on the humoral centers of the brain and generates a sensation similar to pleasure, almost like falling in love. In addition to this feeling of pleasure, chocolate contains other substances that are beneficial for our body.

Cocoa beans contain flavonoids, natural antioxidants also beneficial in contrasting breast and lung cancer. Also, some US studies published in the Journal of Proteome Research show how just 40gr of chocolate can significantly reduce the levels of the stress hormone. Some studies published by the University of Adelaide (Australia) have shown that dark chocolate can lower blood pressure and help reduce hypertension.

Despite the healing properties and positive effects of chocolate on the body, it does not imply that it can be a substitution for certain drug therapies, nor that the daily intake be consumed in large quantities, as we all know, it is not a dietary food.

Nutritional values of chocolate

First of all, let's clarify the various components of chocolate and the most popular types of chocolate so that its nutritional values are detailed and precise.

Each chocolate bar is composed of essential elements including cocoa mass (the true essence of cocoa beans present in greater concentration in dark chocolate), cocoa butter (obtained directly from the beans and counting for 50% of the content of each bean), and sugar (whose quantity changes according to the chocolate that is being prepared).

We can find three common types of chocolate, but there are infinite variations with spices and dried fruit that must be considered:

• Dark chocolate (cocoa mass, cocoa butter, sugar);
• Milk chocolate (cocoa mass, cocoa butter, sugar, and milk powder);
• White chocolate (cocoa butter, sugar, milk powder).

Chocolate is therefore obtained from the skilful combination of these ingredients, which puts it in second place in terms of energy content after cooking fats.

It also contains micronutrients such as mineral and vitamins, which are not negligible in a balanced diet:

• Magnesium, which helps overcome fatigue and weakness;
• Iron, which plays an essential role in the transport of oxygen to tissues;
• Phosphorus, which is part of bone structure and helps the formation of bonds with high energy content;
• Copper, which is fundamental in osteogenesis;
• Calcium, essential for muscle contraction, blood coagulation, and bone structure;
• Vitamin B1 and Vitamin PP, important for intermediate metabolism;
• Vitamin B2 and Vitamin A (especially in milk chocolate) which help cover our daily requirement.

All these nutritional characteristics and beneficial properties of chocolate do not mean that we can binge on chocolate and eat it in large quantities. Like all other food, it should be consumed in moderation, avoiding excesses.

So, we know all too well that once you visit Cioccolatitaliani, you will want to order everything you see. Try a little something, and then come back for more!