Chocolate, chocolate everywhere. Chocolate canndy bars, brownies, doughnuts, chocolate milk – if it has chocolate in it, we eat. Hot cold, solid, liquid, over ice cream… Dp you know anybody who doesn’t like chocolate? I don’t. There are times when nothing else tastes as good as chocolate. Nothing else is so delicios. There’s even a name for someone who craves chocolate: a chocoholic. Why does chocolate seem to make everyone feel happy?

Chocolate contains more than 300 known chemical substances, many of them also found in others food. Yet, there is something special about chocolate. It contains phenylethylamine, a chemical related to amphetamines and which is sometimes called the “love drug” because it quickens your pulse, as if you are in love. Caffeine, theobromine and others stimulants in chocolate also increase the activity of neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) in parts of the brain that control our ability to pay attention and stay alert.

No one knows exactly why chocolate is so polpular, so scientists will continue to investigate the sweet mysteries of chocolate. But we all know that it contains saturated fat and sugar, so moderation is important. And keep chocolate away from your dog! A small piece of chocolate piece of chocolate can be fatal  to a dog because  it cannot digest theobromine. Chocolate can also make small children for the same reason. The are still a lot of mysteries about chocolate, but we all know eating too much of it can cause health problems. Once again, moderation is the key word here.