A dear friend of mine lived to be 103 years of age… playful, healthy, mentally and physically youthful until the end of her life. When I first met her, two decades before her death, I whispered into her ear, “What is your secret?” With great earnestness, she responded, “I have to have chocolate every day.” Unforgettable.

The ancient southern Mexican people known as the Olmec were probably the originators of the complex methods [between 1,500-1,000 BC] needed to turn cacao into a bitter, spicy ceremonial drink, after a period of fermentation. It was this early technology that was later passed on to the Mayans, and Aztecs, who developed still more ways to cultivate, and create products made from cacao pods and beans. Because of chocolate’s use for spiritual/ceremonial purposes, it developed the reputation as being the Food of the Gods.

In 1519, the Spanish explorer, Hernan Cortes, is said to have been the first European explorer of the New World to encounter chocolate products, and bring them back to Europe where members of royalty were the first class of people to be lucky enough to learn the pleasures of consuming chocolate in liquid and, later, solid forms.

Only last year, a study reported in the scholarly journal Aging, described the possible health benefits of consuming high quality chocolate with at least 70% cocoa solids, which contains significant amounts of the active compound, theobromine, and is associated with reduced blood pressure, slowing the aging process, and stimulating the central nervous system…perhaps reducing the risk of developing dementias. Scientists note these findings are worth investigating further.

And, we chocolate lovers are very happy about this continued area of investigation. Naturally, with an ounce of fine, 70% cocoa solids, chocolate [bittersweet] having 150-170 calories, we need to be mindful of how to include it in a way that does not exceed the calories we need daily to maintain our weight. It is also worth knowing that fine, bittersweet chocolate can have as much as 200mg of magnesium per ounce, which is about 25% of our daily requirements of that important mineral.

Dateline: Town of Colonie, Albany County, New York’s Capital Region