A Little Chocolate

The process of making chocolate starts with gathering the pods from where chocolate comes from. After the pods are taken, cracked open and the insides removed, the remaining pulp has to ferment. This may take some time, probably three to nine days. After it ferments, the pulp is allowed to dry. The drying could take anywhere from three days to a week, depending on the type of seed. After this, comes the process of roasting. Like the drying process, the roasting is dependent on the type of seen, but only takes from thirty minutes to two hours. When it comes to the next step, conching, many manufacturers do it differently. More conching makes the chocolate smoother, but too much conching makes bad chocolate. Most people keep their conching time a secret, but it is usually from three to six days. The last thing before the chocolate is molded and packaged, is the tempering step. Then, the chocolate is shipped out to the stores where we are able to buy them and slowly enjoy them.

Chocolate, in all its popularity, is sure to make money. As long as people have money to buy sweets, they will buy chocolate. 99% of people like chocolate, 9 out of 10 people crave it, and the average American eats 12 lbs per year.

Many people believe chocolate to be their comfort food. One reason for this is that eating chocolate produces chemicals that encourage the body to make other chemicals that produce a mild antidepressant, feel-good effect as well as a sense of well being and euphoria, which makes many women feel like they're in love. Not only does it feel good, but your tastes buds enjoy it's simple pleasure, and it relieves you, even for a moment, from life's stress. A study found that chocolate raises your heart rate and brain activity when it melts in your mouth. It also is quite the aphrodisiac for women. This, obviously, is the reason why most men give their women chocolate as gifts. Also, giving chocolate as a gift indirectly spreads happiness to the person you're giving it to.

Lately, there has been news of the healthful benefits of eating chocolate. They say it may lower blood pressure, regulating insulin levels in diabetes, aiding pregnant women, bone, cardiovascular and dental health, and sleepiness. However, what they sell in the stores usually is not the type of chocolate you're looking for. Healthy Chocolate is chocolate that has not been processed and still retains its antioxidants and also doesn't have any of the added things that "candy" chocolate has. Healthy Chocolate has the full health benefits that the all-natural European cocoa power and the Brazilian Acai berry contain. Regarding Caffeine, the Healthy Chocolate has none, because it was not roasted or heated. Roasting the cocoa beans brings out the caffeine in the chocolate, which accelerates your nervous system.

In a sentence, people love chocolate. Many people spend lots of money on chocolate, but usually the wrong kind. Buying the right chocolate, however, can give good bodily benefits.



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