Thursday September 16th is National choose your CHOCOLATE day….
We know we love it, check out these interesting CHOCOLATEY FACTS!
Did you know:
- Chocolate was used as a form of currency in Mayan time.
- Europe accounts for more than ½ of the world’s chocolate consumption.
- The scientific name for the tree that chocolate comes from is “food of the gods”.
- Chocolate creates a greater mental high than kissing…
- Hershey makes over 70,000 kisses a day – because we had to talk a bit more about kissing.
- There are 4 different kinds of chocolate – dark, milk, white and blond.
- White chocolate technically isn’t chocolate – sorry white chocolate lovers…
- The first chocolate bar was invented in 1847 by Joseph Fry
- The chocolate industry is worth over $75 billion per year globally.
- The most valuable chocolate bar sold for $687.
- Chocolate milk was invented in Jamaica.
- Chocolate milk is an effective post workout recovery drink.
- The average milk chocolate bar has 50 milligrams of caffeine – more than one shot of expresso!
- More than 2/3’s of the worlds cocoa is grown in Africa.
- 1.4 billion dollars worth of chocolate is consumed in the United States annually.
Oh, and the best news…Chocolate is healthy … in moderation…
Dark chocolate is actually beneficial for your heart health. A study conducted by Walden University's School of Nursing shows that blood pressure significantly decreased in participants, mainly due to the chocolate's heavy concentration of flavonoid and polyphenol antioxidants.
Harvard University also noted that chocolate can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease. The university stated that middle-aged and older adults that ate 3.5 ounces of chocolate daily were less likely to suffer from heart disease in comparison to those who had less.
Chocolate is known to have extremely soothing properties. A study by Essex University found that people were more relaxed and actually paid attention and retained more information when just the smell of chocolate was around.
Enjoy in moderation chocolate lovers!