Chocolate: Ancient Viagra

Back in the 1500s, the Aztecs believed chocolate enhanced vitality in every sense. According to historical accounts, the Emperor Montezuma drank nothing but cocoa all day, especially before entering the bedroom. After chocolate reached Europe, it was considered an aphrodisiac and became a favorite drink of Casanova, the infamous Italian-born womanizer.

In recent years, chocolate hasn’t been pitted against Viagra in scientific tests but it has been shown to bestow health benefits that could help to explain its aphrodisiac reputation. Ingredients in cocoa dilate blood vessels, improve blood flow and trigger feel-good brain chemicals.

There is a catch, though. Most of today’s chocolate candy bears little resemblance to the potions consumed by Montezuma and Casanova.

Chocolate Pitfalls

The Aztec version of chocolate was a drink made with crushed cocoa beans seasoned with chili and sometimes vanilla. It wasn’t sweet and most of us may well pass on a goblet of Montezuma’s brew.

Europeans added sugar and later, milk, and eventually, the most popular versions of chocolate were made with unhealthy fats and sweeteners. In the process, the amount of beneficial cocoa declined, but healthy chocolate has been making a come-back.

The Best Stuff

The more cocoa a chocolate contains, the more potential aphrodisiac qualities and health benefits it possesses. Many wrappers proudly state a percentage of cocoa, or cacao, in big letters. Look for 60 percent or 70 percent cocoa, or more, and check the list of ingredients.

The best fat in chocolate is cocoa butter. It comes from cocoa beans (and was in Montezuma’s concoction) and contains a combination of saturated and oleic fat. The oleic kind is the same as the predominant fat in olive oil, and the fat in cocoa butter doesn’t raise cholesterol, which is a good thing.

Cocoa butter costs more than vegetable oils, so the vegetable variety is often used. However, the vegetable fats are processed, or “hydrogenated,” to turn them from liquid to solid and to extend shelf life. The processing turns the vegetable fat into a transfat, the worst artery-clogging fat in any of our food.

Chocolates with brightly colored fillings are another not-so-healthy option. They aren’t likely to contain much cocoa but they are rich in calories. Chocolate truffles made with cocoa-based fillings are a better option.

Raw Organic Chocolate

More raw organic brands are becoming available, and are likely to be richer in healthy nutrients, such as antioxidants, potassium, and magnesium. Raw chocolate is made without high heat that can damage nutrients whereas cocoa beans used for regular chocolate are roasted at high temperatures.

Raw chocolate can also contain enzymes, which help your body to use all the nutritional goodies. The taste of raw chocolate is a bit different from what most of us are used to, but it’s definitely delicious.

Health food stores and Web sites sell raw chocolate. Or, you can easily make your own with a chocolate kit that contains raw cocoa butter, raw cocoa powder and crunchy chocolate “nibs,” (pieces of cocoa-bean flesh after its hull has been removed) or healthy dried berries. The kits are available in some stores and online at NavitasNaturals.com.

Drinking Healthy Cocoa

A cup of cocoa a few times a week can help to lower your blood pressure and protect your heart, especially if it’s a nutritionally rich version without unhealthy additives. Try this:

Heat (don’t boil) a cup of low-fat milk with a teaspoon of honey, in the microwave or in a pan on the stove. Once the milk-honey mixture is at a good drinking temperature, stir in an unsweetened, raw organic cocoa powder.

If you want to try an Aztec recipe, there’s a blend called xocolatl (Aztec for chocolate) at DagobaChocolate.com.

Will any of these work as aphrodisiacs? You’ll have to be the judge.