7 reasons to feel happy after eating chocolate?

Chocolate enjoys global popularity due to its chemical nature and rich properties, which make many feel satisfied after a few seconds of eating it, so chocolate in its various forms has remained a source of happiness for millions around the world.

But what is the scientific reason behind our preference for chocolate for all occasions? Since when is the world enjoying it? Who discovered it?

Chocolate makes you happy

Business Insider reported that eating chocolate triggers the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that triggers feelings of happiness in certain areas of the brain.

Chocolate is in the list of the top 10 foods known for its ability to produce dopamine in the brain.

Chocolate relieves stress

Because dopamine is released in the brain when you eat a bar of chocolate, it lowers your stress levels, which is why some people crave chocolate in difficult situations, when they need rest, and want to get rid of anxiety.

Compensate for magnesium deficiency

Chocolate contains some amount of magnesium, a micronutrient that many, especially women, are deficient in the body.

Experts say that about 80% of women are deficient in magnesium and that eating dark chocolate is a good way to increase its levels in the body.

Chocolate reminds us of mother's milk

According to the BBC, chocolate usually contains about 20-25% fat and 40-50% sugar.

In nature, such high levels of sugar and fat are rarely found together, but one of the few products that contain both is milk.

Breast milk in particular contains about 4% fat and about 8% sugar. This ratio is one gram of fat to two grams of sugars, which is the same ratio of fat to sugars that we find in milk chocolate, as well as in biscuits, cakes and ice cream.

Is chocolate addictive?

Chocolate stimulates the production of natural opioids in the brain that give us a feeling of euphoria.

Chocolate also contains xanthine and theobromine, which have addictive properties. And if drinks such as coffee and tea contain theobromine, then chocolate remains the richest source of this substance.

Chocolate also contains tyramine and phenylethylamine, two of the vital amines that cause increased blood sugar and blood pressure, and increased alertness and a sense of well-being.

Phenylethylamine is also referred to as the "love drug", because it speeds up the heart rate and feels like falling in love.

Why do women like chocolate more than men?

Females crave chocolate during the premenstrual period of each month, because they often suffer from low levels of sugar, while chocolate helps in balancing its levels in the blood.

Chocolates to keep hearing!

Other health benefits of chocolate

Dark chocolate helps reduce unhealthy cholesterol, improve blood flow, increase good cholesterol, and lower insulin resistance.

Dark chocolate is considered the healthiest type of chocolate due to its low sugar content. While white chocolate contains only 10% of cocoa powder and cocoa butter, and twice the amount of sugar compared to dark chocolate.

Who discovered chocolate?

According to Live Science, the true discoverer of chocolate is not known historically, but it is likely that someone was in South America thousands of years ago. The oldest evidence of cocoa has been found in Ecuador and dates back to about 5,300 years ago.

Chocolate is made from cocoa beans that have been grown and consumed in the Americas for thousands of years. The Mayans and Aztecs made a drink from cocoa beans called "chocolatl" (Xocolatl), which means "bitter water". It is believed that the word "chocolate" in English derives from this word.

Many Mesoamerican recipes use chili peppers with cocoa drinks to make them spicy, like the Mayans and Aztecs.

Cocoa was held in high esteem by ancient societies. For the Olmecs, who lived in the south of what is now Mexico between about 1500 BC and 400 BC, they considered cocoa a gift from their gods and that it linked worshipers to God.

It is not known exactly when the cocoa drink moved to Europe, but since the sixteenth century chocolate was introduced as a drink from the New World to Europe and quickly became a symbol of luxury.

Chocolate in Europe was produced by hand in a slow and laborious process. But as the Industrial Revolution approached, things began to change.

In 1828, the invention of the chocolate pressing machine revolutionized the chocolate industry. The new machine was able to squeeze cocoa butter from roasted cocoa beans, leaving behind a fine powder.

The powder is mixed with liquids and poured into a chocolate mold where it is fixed and becomes edible, and in this way the modern age of chocolate was born.