KARACHI: Chocolate lovers all over the world celebrate 7th of July as the World Chocolate Day. 

Guilt associated with the consumption of chocolate often overshadows its advantages. The truth is that it has extremely nutritional benefits:

Since saturated fats in chocolate do not augment cholesterol it can be enjoyed in moderation. Chocolate not only happens to harbor soluble fiber but also minerals: magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, potassium, selenium, phosphorous, and zinc. Consumption of chocolate daily during pregnancy is good for the developing fetus.

Antioxidants like polyphenols, flavanols, catechins, etc. are also found in it. Since low-density lipoprotein (LDL’s) oxidation is present in chocolate, that prevents  lodging of cholesterol in the arteries, those who eat chocolate have healthier heart. In fact its consumption lowers the risk of development of heart disease by one-third. Nitric Oxide present in chocolate improves blood pressure and blood flow.

Few know that fifty million people depend upon cocoa for their livelihood. Seventy percent of the world’s cocoa comes from West Africa and about forty percent of it is produced in Cote d’Ivoire. Each Theobroma Cacao tree (raised by hand) produces some 2500 beans and that can be used to make six pounds of chocolate.

The sad truth that farmers annually lose about thirty percent of crop manifests how delicate Theobroma Cacao trees are. Interestingly, though there are Cacao trees that are over two centuries old, most yield marketable cocoa beans only during the first quarter of century.

And why do we celebrate World Chocolate Day? Many believe that it is to observe its introduction to Europe in 1950. Before that chocolate was savored only in certain parts of South/Central America and Mexico.

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