Mexican Chocolate History

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Most of us love chocolate. Americans eat an average of 12 pounds of chocolate a year. Indeed, many of the people I see for nutritional consultation in my private practice express concern and a bit of guilt about their chocolate intake. (I don't tell them that naturopathic physicians may also be found perusing the organic chocolate shelves at various health food stores.)

The history of chocolate begins in Mexico. In 1519 Spanish Conquistador Hernando Cortes led an expedition into the depths of Mexico looking for gold and silver treasures from the Aztec people. The Emperor Montezuma, along with his subjects, welcomed these strange looking visitors as "white Gods, risen from the sea." The Spaniards were feasted and served a cold, bitter drink …show more content…
Montezuma himself held that the drink not only gave him strength and energy, but also gave an impetus to his sexual prowess. To the Spaniards, the drink was too bitter. By adding sugar, however, it was made more pleasant to their tastes. It was so good that Cortes decided to introduce this new find into the Spanish Court. He called it chocolatl and it became a delicacy among the Spanish elite, served piping hot. Soon Spanish ships were bringing regular supplies of cacao beans to satisfy a rapidly growing demand. Before long the drink spread across Europe. In England, they changed the name to the easier to pronounce "chocolate." In 1765 chocolate was introduced to the United …show more content…
A chocolate bar also contains a lot of calories - a bar of one and a half ounces has a whopping 220 calories and may contain up to 50 percent fat. For those sensitive to coffee and black tea, chocolate also contains caffeine, though in very small amounts. Enough bad news -- now the more important part.

Chocolate has a long history as a medicinal herb. One of the earliest recorded uses was to treat depression. Other conditions it has been traditionally used for include to treat anemia, to stimulate the appetite, to increase breast milk production, to alleviate tuberculosis and gout, to cure kidney stones, to improve longevity, to enhance digestion, to invigorate kidney function, to improve elimination and to increase sexual appetite and virility.

Chocolate contains vitamins A, B1, C, D, and E, as well as potassium, phosphorus, sodium, iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, and fluorine. The serotonin and tyramine present in chocolate provide a mild calming, balancing
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