Chocolate

Chocolate

When it comes for gifting to valentine by Indian youth the first choice goes with chocolates. Unlike the Europeans and Western country lovers flowers and roses are not at the top of priority list off course they are there but only after the chocolates. Does for Indians stomach and taste glands are placed at comparatively higher importance? Some people will surely argue in favor just because still almost one third of Indian population is below the poverty line and finds it hard to arrange meals for the both times of a day. I am arguing against it as studies are showing that only about 15% of population is favoring Valentine activities, which is less than half of that one third population below the poverty line and the interesting aspect of the studies is that this one third population is not finding “love” or in more proper vocabulary “sexual attraction” at prime and important place when it comes to priorities of life.
What are the chocolates and why we are eager to eat them? If we look at the constituents of the chocolate it is composed of high amounts of fat, sugar and additives with low amounts of cocoa solids. Surely this is a tempting food composition and if we add to it the latest findings of medical and chemical science which says chocolate are natural compounds called flavonoids that have been shown to prevent the oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (beneficial) cholesterol levels in the bloodstream. Flavonoids may also prevent certain cancers, besides that Chocolate contains substances called Phenylethylamine and Seratonin, both of which (put simply), are mood lifting agents found naturally in the human brain. They are released into the nervous system by the brain when we are happy and when we are experiencing feelings of love, passion or lust. This causes rapid mood change, a rise in blood pressure and increasing heart rate, inducing those feelings of well being, bordering on euphoria usually associated with being in love. All this is sufficient reason which takes the chocolates at the top of priority list of lovers.
If, I say you are programmed for chocolate eating. Many eye brows will raised high, an anger fluctuation of lips will be visible with high pitched voices of protest will start dominating the atmosphere. Human minds are working like the machines at least recent attempts in the direction of artificial intelligence of machines is an evidence for the same. Like the machines, behavior of human minds can be trained for in a definite direction for predictable, desirable and pre known result, though this trained action of mind can be termed as the human behavior but we have to keep this in mind biologically human beings are also animals so it is quite possible to train human mind for a desirable reaction.
India and other third world countries are the experimental grounds for the multinational companies [MNC] like the rats and other animals are for the scientist to conduct the research and find facts about the human life. Huge population, careless, casual attitude of governments and liberal policies of these countries are providing ample space for these MNC’s to conduct and experiment with side effects of their products on the health of human beings. Low education levels and unawareness towards the health by the citizens of these countries are the other factors which are tempting MNC’s to go ahead with their experimentations.
Being a good healthy food, helpful in avoiding heart attack and making the mood lighter and enjoyable are some of the reasons for making the chocolate favorable for eating but you ever though of the unhygienic conditions in which chocolates are stored? Surely if you consider it you will conclude with, chocolate storage conditions are producing much more bad health effects and give birth to many unknown health hazards.
Indian festival season is round the corner; high profile advertisements like Amitabh’s “Kuchh Metta Ho Jaye” are gearing up for tempting and prompting millions of Indians for buying and eating chocolate. Surely you will buy chocolate if not for self eating may be for gifting to some one, just think, the hide and seek game of electricity in our country is forcing chocolate to melt and get refreeze for several times before you eat it up. Companies are concentrating and are satisfied with the quality controls only up to production level but who will look after the distribution and storage level precautions? It will be a pleasant vision to see the chocolate distributing vehicle with cold storage facilities but unfortunately it is not the scene on the Indian roads. Similarly look at the containers provided to retailers or small shop keepers by the companies for the storing chocolate they are also without cold storage facility. In the climatic conditions of country like India, all the above are favoring the growth of fungi. Another alarming danger is presence of high amount of preservatives to keep the chocolate fresh for a longer duration. In the past chocolates were the food stuff of rich only as being high priced items but in the present times mini packs are available for just Rs. 2-3 are making larger portion of population being effected from the health hazards of eating chocolates.