Not only are chocolates pleasurable and sinfully delicious, they also stimulate your mind and give you a boost of energy especially when you're on the go. Eating a chocolate a day can have wonderful benefits for your mind and your well-being, as longs as you watch your over-all calorie and sugar intake for the day. Chocolates contain various ingredients that affect your brain and body chemistry. Some people even attest to its potency as an aphrodisiac and is said to elevate the mood. Some of the main ingredients contained in chocolates that stimulate the senses include sugar, theobromine, phenethylamine, and tryptophan.

Sugar High

The most obvious stimulating property of chocolate is sugar, a basic food carbohydrate that gives a jolt of energy to the body, but is also the culprit for chocolate's sinfulness and notoriety when it comes to health and nutrition. For an immediate high, sugar is a friend, but its boost will wear out as fast as you got it. Bingeing on sugar in the long run can make you feel sluggish and worse off in the first place. Take note that too much sugar can cause tooth decay, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Luckily, there are sugar free chocolates that taste just as yummy such as diabetic chocolates.

Theobromine's Various Health Benefits

Theobromine is the bitter alkaloid in chocolates, or more aptly, in the cacao plant, and is mainly responsible for chocolate's mood-elevating effects. Theobromine is somewhat similar to caffeine in its chemical components and effects, but to a lesser degree. Dark chocolate contains more theobromine than white chocolate, which only contains trace amounts of this compound. Cocoa powder, sold in groceries, contain an average of 108mg of theobromine per 5g (about a tablespoon) of powder, roughly 2.16%. Concentrated cocoa can have at least 10% theobromine while chocolates in general can contain 0.5% to 2.7%. Throughout history, theobromine has been used to treat foredema, degenerative angina, and syphilitic angina attacks, as published in the Principles of Medical Treatment. It was also used to treat or aid circulatory ailments and problems such as hypertension, vascular diseases, angina pectoris, and arteriosclerosis. Today, theobromine is used as a diuretic, heart stimulant, and as a vasolidator (for widening blood vessels). There are also studies being made on the possible anti-cancer properties of theobromine.

Phenethylamine, the “Love Chemical”

Phenylethylamine is known to increase the brain's dopamine level, a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in countering depression. Also called the “love chemical,” low level of phenylethylamine can lead to attention deficit disorder and even depression. While dark and milk chocolates are loaded with phenylethylamine, it is quickly metabolized by the enzyme monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) and may not reach the brain in significant concentrations.

Tryptophan

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid and is a biochemical precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in modulating and controlling anger, moods, body temperature, sleep, aggression, appetite, sexuality, and metabolism. It is also a precursor to Niacin, most commonly known as the vitamin B3, essential to the body's metabolism and DNA repair. Tryptophan is an essential part of a healthy diet and act as building blocks for protein biosynthesis.