Can visiting a Swiss chocolate factory count as work? One look at my face on our return was enough to produce a resounding 'no' from my colleagues at Expatsradio.com! Feeling the way I did I could not come up with a single argument which surprised everybody. So why exactly was I in such a good mood?
For a large part it must have been due to chocolatier Carlo Melchior. Carlo, a Swiss expat who settled down in England many years ago, had been extremely hospitable and generous. Not only had he let this self-confessed chocoholic sample many of his orgasmic chocolates but he had also provided us with some very interesting information as to why chocolate makes us feel good and, believe it or not, is actually good for us. Let me pass on some of his wisdom so that you too no longer need to feel guilty about every piece of chocolate you pop into your mouth, provided you don't overdo it of course.
The Aztecs were already wise to the fact that chocolate could be used to treat poor sex drive and depression. When you experience that wonderful sensation of chocolate melting in your mouth things happen in your body. It is not only during exercise and sex that endorphins are released, also now. Tryptophan, a substance found in chocolate which increases our levels of serotonin, may also help to make us feel happier and calmer. This is not all, there is more good news. We have all heard about antioxidants that are found in red wine, tea and of course fruit and vegetables. What about cocoa? Are you not thrilled to hear that the anti-oxidants called polyphenols found in cocoa are believed to lower the risk of heart disease and strokes? They may even slow down the ageing process and some say help to protect against cancer. Cocoa butter does contain saturated fat but it doesn't seem to raise cholesterol. Now before you start to cram as much chocolate as possible into your mouth, which would eventually result in you being overweight and negate any positive effects, let's have a look at quantities and what sort of chocolate is best.
Experts say that dark chocolate is best as it contains more goodness. This seems quite logical as it has more cocoa butter and therefore contains more healthy ingredients such as anti-oxidants and minerals than milk chocolate. However, the latter is richer in calcium. Carlo gave us some figures comparing a 50 gr bar of milk chocolate with a plain one of the same size. The plain chocolate bar gives us 9% of the RDA of iron, 15% of magnesium but only 2% of calcium whereas the milk chocolate has 14% of the RDA of calcium but only 6% of iron and 9% of magnesium. The sad news is that nutritionists advise us not to eat more than 25 g a day. Just when you thought you'd found a way to boost your iron intake.......
Now some information that will really amaze you, well, it certainly did me! When you have - barely -satisfied yourself with your daily intake of this, for most of us totally essential, food you can still go on sniffing the stuff. Yes, really, stick your nose in that torn open wrapper or chocolate box, it will still do you good. Apparently, it causes our body to produce more immunoglobulin, an antibody which protects against colds. Keep breathing in that delicious scent because it might even boost your immune system and ease your arthritis and eczema.
Now you will understand why I left Carlo and his chocolate factory in such a euphoric mood. Carlo's kindness and info about chocolate played a big part but it seems that the chocolate I had consumed with much delight and even the air I had breathed in, had all contributed to lifting my spirits sky high. Armed with enough chocolate to take care of my body and soul for the next few weeks - provided that I can get this silly notion of sharing out of my colleagues’ heads - we left Carlo, with a firm promise that we will be back.
Visit him and order your chocolates for Valentine’s Day at www.melchiorchocolates.co.uk
