Chocolate: An Object of Desire

[Photo credit: NYCDesign.co]

Like sugar, and sweetness, chocolate also elicits human reactions that are, more than predominantly, but overwhelmingly, positive. While it does not figure in a survey traditional proverbs, like sweetness and sugars, since it is an introduction from the European conquest of the Americas, an overview of quotes on chocolate will turn up an astounding bias in favor of chocolate.

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt,” [Source] declares Charles M. Schulz, the cartoonist behind the well-loved comic strip "Peanuts".  American author Cassandra Clare, in her book Clockwork Angel, has her character saying: “Will looked horrified. 'What kind of monster could possibly hate chocolate?'” [Source] Rachel Vincent, another American author, echoes the general favorable attitude toward chocolate: “Chocolate says 'I'm sorry' so much better than words.” [Source] The sentiment is summed up by Marcus Samuelsson: "Chocolate is one of the world's most beloved discoveries, and when we need a quick boost of energy and endorphins, chocolate is the go-to treat." [Source]

Not surprisingly, chocolate, along with flowers, are what men paying court have traditionally given the objects of their interest.

Why is it so desirable?

The favorable impression of chocolate is something that can be explained scientifically. It contains several compounds that act on the brain and cause people to feel good: "There's actually more than one compound found in chocolate that could potentially make a person high. For starters, the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world is found in chocolate [Source: Fackelmann]. The compound 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine -- better known as caffeine -- occurs naturally. It produces a stimulating physiological effect by exciting the central nervous system, which, in turn, increases heart rate and contracts muscles. It's a lot like the fight-or-flight response. Caffeine acts on dopamine and adenosine receptors in the brain, which then release their respective pleasure-producing chemicals. A compound that's closely related to the active ingredient in marijuana (tetrahydrocannabinol-9) is also found in chocolate. Fatty acids called cannabinoids hit the CB1 and CB2 receptors found most predominantly in the frontal cortex and the parts of the brain responsible for motor function and memory. When cannabinoids hit these receptors, a person starts to feel intoxicated and relaxed as a result. [Source: Medscape]

"As if that one-two punch of psychoactive stimulant and depressant weren't enough, chocolate also packs another surprise in its glove for people who eat it. Phenylethylamine is often called the "love drug," since it releases the same chemicals that are introduced into the human body when love comes to call [source: Millward]. The compound produces a similar effect to the one produced by amphetamines, and is classified as a hallucinogen. It also is aces ate releasing the pleasure-producing chemicals dopamine and serotonin. The combination produces an exciting high, much like the one generated by the designer drug ecstasy. [Source: Hanson, et al][Source]

"Chocolate has all of the ingredients needed to make it a wonder drug. After all, it contains compounds similar to those found in ecstasy, morphine and marijuana. By all rights, eating a bar of chocolate should send you into orbit. So, why isn't this stuff regulated by the FDA? Why aren't chocolate bars sold from locked cabinets behind the pharmacy counter? The truth is, while there are indeed pleasure-inducing and stimulating chemical compounds found in chocolate, the amounts of most of these compounds are relatively small. [Source]

"While scientists have yet to discover what causes the relationship between chocolate and happiness, studies have managed to turn up correlations. One 2007 study surveyed 1,367 respondents -- all men in their 70s with similar socioeconomic backgrounds -- and asked questions about their health, satisfaction in life and emotions like happiness and loneliness. They also snuck in a question that asked what kind of candy they preferred. Those who preferred chocolate showed lower frequencies of depression and loneliness and had a more optimistic outlook on life. [Source: Strandberg, et al] [Source]

Chocolate, Chocolate Bars, and Sugar-free Chocolates

Europeans were first introduced to chocolate in 1519, when Aztec ruler Montezuma II served Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés xocoatl, a bitter cocoa-bean drink, which would introduce to Spain.This beverage remained a Spanish secret for about a hundred years until its introduction to France. ["chocolate." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2014.]

Centuries more would pass before chocolate bars would become a reality, perfected by Hershey, Milton Snavely  ["Hershey, Milton Snavely." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2014.]

A century more would elapse before sugar-free chocolate bars would enter the market, after safe sugar substitutes would be developed, and used for this product. Today, fortunately for diabetics and dieters, several sugar-free versions of chocolate bars are now in the market. Sugar-free chocolate bars and chocolate candies in the Philippine market include the following.

Perhaps the most widely available sugar-free chocolate bars availablein the Philippines are those produced by the Spanish company Valor.  These can be found in many supermarkets in and around Metropolitan Manila.  Valor chocolates are available in 40-gram and 100-gram bars, in a mixed pack ("Neapolitans") of dark chocolate, dark chocolate with almond cream filling, milk chocolate with hazel nut cream, and dark chocolate with mint cream (in a pack weighing 36 grams), and in a multiple pack of dark chocolate with marcona almond filling (total weight, 84 grams). Earlier, Valor used maltitol as a sugar substitute, but lately, stevia, derived from the plant Stevia rebaudiana, ["sweetener." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2014.] is also used.

Hershey's, identified with chocolate bars since these were perfected at the beginning of the last century by its founder, is found in sugar-free form only in a limited number of outlets. The author was able to locate only in a supermarket in Chinatown's Ongpin Street. in a pack of miniature dark chocolate bars, with a total weight of 85 grams.

One country known for chocolate bars is Belgium. The author has found two brands of chocolates with sugar-free chocolates from Belgium, Alfredo and Guylian. Both are available in large bars. However, the author has not been able to find the products for sale in recent visits to these supermarkets.

Another brand from the United States bills calls itself "America's favorite Sugar Free". Locally, from the author's experience, it rivals Valor in ubiquity/abundance and variety. The author has found Russell Stover in large bars of 85 grams, in the form of dark chocolate and dark chocolate mint, and as "almond delights," almonds- and caramel coveredd chocolate candy.

Still another American? brand, Brown and Haley, has sugar-free Almond Roca Light, a "butter crunch toffe with almond chocolate". The product, which the author has found in several outlets, has individual pieces of the confection in an 85-gram pack.

Regarding sugar substitutes or sweeteners, Valor earlier used maltitol as a sugar substitute, but lately, stevia, derived from the plant Stevia rebaudiana, ["sweetener." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2014.] is also used. Hershey's, as well as Alfredo, Belgian Famous Chocolates and Guylian Belgian Chocolate also use maltitol. Brown & Haley Almond Roca, on the other hand, uses sucralose or Splenda®. 

Summing up this survey of chocolate bars (and related products), it is clear that while sugar-free chocolate bars still have a long way to go, and are far from readily available, they are, now found in many outlets, though the choice is forthe most part limited to Valor (which bills itself the no. 1 Spanish chocolate maker since 1881), and to lesser extent, Russell Stover. They are still far behind soft drinks, for which the light or sugar-free versions of Coke and Pepsi are now available everywhere. But their increasing number and variety brings the goodness, the virtues, of chocolates, available to diabetics and dieters. What was formerly forbidden can now be enjoyed with the rest of the population. That is certainly something to celebrate. We will take the reader on to other food products, which will hopefully bring about an appreciation of what life has to offer, even to dieters and diabetics.

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The websites, or related references, of the companies manufacturing sugar-free chocolates mentioned here (where available) are below:

• www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/alfredo-sugar-free-hazelnuts-dark-chocolate-52126381
• http://www.thebelgian.com
• http://www.brown-haley.com/collections/sugar-free-almond-roca
• http://www.guylian.be
• https://www.thehersheycompany.com/brands/sugar-free/hersheys-chocolates.aspx
• http://www.russellstover.com/
• http://www.valorchocolate.com/