You don’t really need a reason to like chocolates.

People all around the world savor these sweets more than anything.

Install MyStart Theme for Google Chrome

For some, chocolates are a source of comfort while, for some, chocolates are a happy place. Some people have even gone as far as saying that chocolates help them with depression. Whatever your reason to love chocolate is, we’re sure that after reading this blog post, you’ll rush to grab a bar of chocolate right away!

Below are some of the most interesting facts about chocolate that you might not have known about. Let’s dive into a sweet fantasy and enjoy the load of sweetness it holds for you!

1. Chocolates Are Vegetables

When we say chocolates are vegetables, we don’t mean it literally. What we mean to tell you is that chocolate is originally derived from a plant. It is obtained from the cacao beans of a pod-like fruit of cacao trees. The cacao tree belongs to the plant family, Malvaceae. So, indirectly, chocolates are vegetables, and we all know how healthy vegetables are!

2. Chocolates Can Fight Tooth Decay

How many times have you heard your elders tell you to stop eating chocolates if you wish to keep your teeth from falling off? Well, while eating chocolate every day can be very dangerous for your teeth, chocolate can actually help in the prevention of tooth decay (if taken in balanced amounts, of course). Cocoa beans contain antibacterial constituents that inhibit the growth of decay-causing bacteria in the teeth and hence, prevent tooth decay. Dark chocolate has more cocoa and thus has a greater antibacterial property. Who knew chocolate could be good for our teeth?

3. White Chocolate Isn’t Really Chocolate

Do you love white chocolate? We hate to break it to you, but white chocolate isn’t really chocolate. It has only less than 10% chocolate liqueur. It is made from sugar and dairy products. To be called a chocolate, the formulation must have the major component of chocolate, that is, cocoa, but sadly, white chocolate is anything but cocoa!

4. Growing Cocoa Tree Isn’t Easy

Since chocolate is obtained from the cocoa tree, you can’t just grow it in your backyard and have a free, lifelong supply of chocolate. Growing cocoa trees is no joke. It takes about one year for the cocoa tree to produce pods containing cocoa beans. But wait! The tree produces only enough pods in a year to produce 10 small chocolate bars!

5. There Are Numerous Chocolate Flavors Available

While you may think Chocolate is a flavor itself, you’ll be surprised to know that there are numerous chocolate flavors available all around the world. What’s more surprising is that there are above 500 known chocolate flavors, while wine has only 200 flavors. Now, you must be already wondering how many flavors of chocolate you’ve tasted in your life, which won’t be more than a few, for sure!

6. Cocoa Beans Were Used As A Currency

Chocolate might be the valuable possession that you keep hidden away in your drawer so that your siblings can’t find them. However, did you know that cocoa beans are so valuable that they were once used as a currency? The Aztecs valued cocoa beans so much that they used it as currency during the period of civilization. It looks like you underestimated the value of chocolate!

7. Cacao Trees Are Almost Immortal

Once you grow a cacao tree, it can live up to as many as 200 years. It won’t be wrong to say that cacao trees are almost immortal. If you think that your generations to come can enjoy the chocolate produced by the cacao trees that you grew, we’re sorry to break the bubble of your innocent fantasy. While the tree can live up to 200 years, it produces cocoa beans for only 25 years.

8. Cocoa Beans Are Roasted for a Reason

You might assume that cocoa beans are roasted only to enhance the flavor; there is another reason why it’s done. Cocoa beans contain certain pathogens, which can be harmful to your health. Raw cocoa doesn’t taste anything near the flavor you enjoy so much. When the cocoa beans are roasted, they undergo a chemical process that kills the harmful pathogens and brings the typical-chocolate flavor to the surface.

9. You Can Enjoy Chocolate Milk Post-Workout

The reason why your muscles ache after a workout is that the carbohydrate stores in the muscles are depleted. The muscles switch to anaerobic respiration to keep the flow of energy to muscle cells constant. However, having chocolate milk post-workout can help replenish the muscles’ carbohydrate stores and aid in the relief of muscular pain! Who wouldn’t like a glass of chocolate milk post-workout?

Until now, you might have known chocolate to be the heavenly sweets, but now you know so much more about chocolates! So it turns out, chocolates are not just leisure sweets but super-beneficial too!

Install MyStart Theme for Google Chrome