Many of us love chocolate, but how is it made? why does it makes us feel good when we eat it?
Chocolate is made from the seeds of the cacao tree. Also known as cocoa. The seeds are fermented, dried, roasted and shelled to extract the chocolate powder. By adding milk fat and sugar we get the product we know as chocolate. Chocolate is composed of over 300 different chemicals that can be attributed to many positive and negative effects. It is also known as natural stimulant because it contains chemicals that stimulate the feeling good neurotransmitters such as serotonin. It also has a chemical known as theobromine, similar to caffeine, and caffeine that keep you alert. Chocolate can also work as a vasodilator, which helps blood vessels relax and prevent blood clots.
As we can see chocolate has its positive effects, but if you eat too much, it can cause anxiety, headaches and nausea. The sugar in chocolate is the one who does most of the damage, and its the responsible for the weight gain and developing diabetes. The healthiest chocolate is the dark chocolate because it doesn't have milk and it has less sugar.
So chocolate is actually good for you if you don't eat too much! Remember not to share your chocolate with your pets because their digestive system can not process chocolate and they could get sick.
To learn more about chocolate and how it's made, click the link below and also watch the videos!
http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=22504
Chocolate is made from the seeds of the cacao tree. Also known as cocoa. The seeds are fermented, dried, roasted and shelled to extract the chocolate powder. By adding milk fat and sugar we get the product we know as chocolate. Chocolate is composed of over 300 different chemicals that can be attributed to many positive and negative effects. It is also known as natural stimulant because it contains chemicals that stimulate the feeling good neurotransmitters such as serotonin. It also has a chemical known as theobromine, similar to caffeine, and caffeine that keep you alert. Chocolate can also work as a vasodilator, which helps blood vessels relax and prevent blood clots.
As we can see chocolate has its positive effects, but if you eat too much, it can cause anxiety, headaches and nausea. The sugar in chocolate is the one who does most of the damage, and its the responsible for the weight gain and developing diabetes. The healthiest chocolate is the dark chocolate because it doesn't have milk and it has less sugar.
So chocolate is actually good for you if you don't eat too much! Remember not to share your chocolate with your pets because their digestive system can not process chocolate and they could get sick.
To learn more about chocolate and how it's made, click the link below and also watch the videos!
http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=22504
Author: Ivelitza Alcover Serrano
Undergraduate Biomedical Sciences student at the University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla.
Undergraduate Biomedical Sciences student at the University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla.