Chocolate Movement

Can you imagine any other food providing the kind of sensuous delight that chocolate can? Wine might come close to it but not quite the same. Scientists might try to find the reasons for the popularity of chocolate but the chocoholic doesn't need any reason for liking chocolate. He or she is just interested in eating it. It's this aroma and taste behind the chocolate movement.

The love of chocolate goes back a long time. In fact there are records that show that as early as the seventeenth century people in Mexico were fascinated by this delicious substance. According to a story the women of Mexico of those days were so fascinated by chocolate that they used to have their maids bring it in during sermons even at the cost of interrupting the sermon by a Bishop. When the Bishop threatened them with excommunication they preferred changing the church rather than leave their hot chocolate.

The chocolate movement is mainly due to the feel good factor that one gets on eating it or drinking it. Many people use it to lift their rather low levels of energy by eating chocolate confectionery. Chocolate is believed to boost serotonin and endorphin levels in the brain, which have an uplifting effect. It also contains the stimulants theobromine and caffeine. Some people also eat chocolate because they associate it with the comfort of childhood. They find eating it very soothing.

Stories of chocolate bars helping people survive many accidents on high altitude areas etc. also increase the fascination with chocolate. It is no myth that chocolate is included in the daily K-rations of the US army when they are in the field. It is also a part of the diet of astronauts. The fascination of chocolate can be judged by the following statistic. In the year 1993 alone UK consumed a whopping £3 billion worth of chocolate.