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Essay / Is chocolate physiologically or psychologically...
Is chocolate physiologically or psychologically addictive? Chocolate is made from the seeds of the tropical tree, Theobroma cacao. Theobroma is the Greek term meaning “food of the gods”. In Aztec society, chocolate was a food of the gods, reserved for priests, warriors and nobility. The Aztecs used cocoa beans to make a hot, frothy, bitter drink called chocolatl. Chocolat was a sacred concoction associated with fertility and wisdom. It was also attributed with stimulating and restorative properties. The bitter drink was first introduced to Europe in 1528. However, it was not until 1876 that milk, cocoa powder and cocoa butter were combined to form what we know today chocolate (1). Today, the production and consumption of chocolate is a global problem. affair. People crave chocolate more than any other food. In the United States, a typical person eats 11.5 pounds of chocolate per year (2). What makes chocolate the food we crave more often than any other food? Yes, chocolate tastes good, has a nice texture and melts in your mouth, but chocolate should contain much more than what meets the lips. In fact, chocolate is made up of chemicals associated with mood, emotion, and addiction. Many people eat chocolate as a comfort food when they are depressed or stressed. The question is: do people crave chocolate because their bodies and brains are addicted to the chemicals it contains or do people crave chocolate because they have a psychological attachment to it? Substances found in chocolate, such as phenylethylamine, theobromine, anandamide and tryptophan, are mood triggers. improving the chemicals and neurotransmitters to be released into the brain. Phenylethylamine is a chemical found in the body that is similar to amphetamine. It...... middle of paper ......es1)CHOCOLATE, on the Chocolate websitehttp://www.chocolate.org/2)Prescription Chocolate, on Science News Online-Food for Website of reflection http://www.science.org/sn_arch/10_12_96/food.htm3)Chocolate and Anxiety, from the Internet About the Human website http://panicdisorder.about.com/cs/shfitness/a/chocolate.htm4) Theobromine: Chocolate's Caffeine Cousin, on the Internet About the Human website http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/?once=true&5)Chocolate "addiction" A Fiction?, on the Personal MC websitehttp://www .personalmd.com/news/a1998121611.shtml6) Health and happiness: has chocolate wrapped it all up?, from the IFIS Hot Topic website http://www.ifis.co.uk/index.html7) Chocolate : A heart-healthy confection?, on the CNN website http://archives.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/diet.fitness/02/02/chocolate.wmd/